It's been almost exactly a year since I moved to the Quad-Cities. And I've been waiting that long for the right time to try Smash Pizza in Bettendorf. I spotted the place on the first day I moved to town and, immediately, my girlfriend became enamored with it.
Quad-City Times Reporter Gannon Hanevold Based off the online menu and reviews, Smash is one of those pizza places that I always pictured only having higher-scale slices and pies. You know the type — picturesque pizza that has dollops of ricotta and crisp basil, instead of oily sausage and butter drippings. And that's my girlfriend's style.
But it's usually not mine. I'm always partial to a greasy $5 slice-with-a-drink-combo sort of joint. Quick, cheap and easy.
But after a year of stalling, my girlfriend finally talked me into trying Smash. And not only was I wrong about this place — they offer cheap $5 slice deals on weekdays! — it might be a new favorite spot for pizza in the Q-C. The pie I tried at Smash Pizza was not only the best thing I ate this week, but arguably one of the best things I've eaten in my year as a Quad-Citian.
Cue the victory trumpets. So what was the winning order? The Sicilian-style pizza at Smash Pizza in Bettendorf is a square-shaped pie that takes five days to ferment. This one, the Alla Vodka, has fried kale on top.
I weighed the possibility of ordering Smash's Bianco pizza, which has a garlic cream sauce, but off the recommendation of our server, we went with the Alla Vodka. The Alla Vodka pizza is served with a red vodka sauce base, chunks of house sausage, garlic spinach, oregano and — the signature topping — a heap of fried kale. The other major choice at Smash? Figuring out what style of crust you want.
They offer two options: A 16-inch New York-style crust, with crispy edges and a thin base, and a 14-inch Sicilian crust, a thick pan-style square pizza made with dough that's fermented for five days. Our server warned that the Sicilian crust takes around 45 minutes to prepare, and she was right. But if you have the time in your afternoon, it's absolutely worth it.
The pan style fit perfectly with the Alla Vodka. The dough was sweet, soft and thick, embedded with chunks of the spicy sausage. I'm not always a fan of eating pizza crusts, but it would be a shame to leave these ones behind.
The crust was arguably as good as the center of the pie. I've also never had fried kale before, let alone on a pizza, but that was truly the star of the show. With a savory flavor and a dissolve-in-your-mouth texture, it added another layer to every already delicious slice.
Of course, the vodka sauce base was also outstanding, a step above a typical Marinara sauce. The Sicilian-style version of the Alla Vodka pizza at Smash costs $32. That makes it one of the middle-tiered price options at Smash, but one of the priciest dishes I've ever written about in this column.
The good news? It serves four to five people. Often, restaurants say that and I don't believe it. But this thing is the real deal.
My girlfriend and I ordered it for lunch on Saturday, and it worked as dinner later that night and brunch the next morning. When you put it that way, $32 for three meals for two is a bargain. Especially when the meals are as tasty as this.
Smash Pizza is located at 3403 Devils Glen Rd. in Bettendorf. Smash Pizza is located at 3403 Devils Glen Road in Bettendorf.
It's fairly under the radar, positioned at the end of a strip mall next to a boutique, a frozen yogurt shop and Gravastar, the café formerly known as Coffee Hound. Smash is closed on Monday and Tuesday, open from 11 a.m.
to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and open from noon to 8 p.
m. on Sunday. However, if you're looking to get a Sicilian style pie, expect to stop in early.
The restaurant warns that, because of the five-day fermenting process with the dough, it sells out every day by 4 or 5 p.m. It's easy to see why.
I'm sure the New York-style is great, too. But this Sicilian crust is something you just can't pass up on. Monarch butterfly replicas are scattered throughout the light fixtures at Smash Pizza in Bettendorf.
Smash's interior is fairly small for a spot that has expectations to sell out every day. The dining room has around a dozen tables that seat between two and four people at a time. They also have counter-top seats available, with a view of the kitchen across from the barstools.
Because of the limited space, I'd definitely recommend going to Smash in off-peak hours. Since there are only so many tables, it's also best for a date night, or any party of two, as opposed to large parties. The decor inside sets a great ambience for an afternoon date.
My girlfriend and I sat underneath one of the many light fixtures adorned with replicas of monarch butterflies. Greenery lines many of the walls, and the entire place felt spectacularly clean. Smash Pizza in Bettendorf has a small dining room with counter seating available.
Considering the high-brow feel of the pizza and prices, it was a pretty refreshingly casual ambience, too. Seats are at your own discretion, and there isn't any sort of elbows off the tablecloth, pinkies up on the drinks smugness at all, which I always appreciate. Smash Pizza, I'm confident enough to admit that I should've come by sooner.
You may have caught my attention a year ago, but you've caught my fandom now. I'll absolutely be back — next time, I'm eager to try the bread plate with burrata. Fresco found on the wall of a house in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii looks like a pizza but isn't, experts at the site say.
Pizza holds a special place in the heart of American cuisine, transcending regional and cultural boundaries to become a beloved staple across the nation. Its popularity is vast and undeniably widespread. So just how much do we love our pizza? A study conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by Amazon Fresh found that Americans could eat about five slices of pizza in one sitting by themselves.
A quarter love pizza so much, they would even consider serving it at their weddings. This love for "za" racked up nearly $47 billion dollars in 2022 sales. What truly sets pizza apart is its remarkable versatility, evidenced by the unique array of styles found in cities throughout the country.
In California, for example, pizza takes on a distinctive flair, boasting a thin crust topped with fresh local ingredients like arugula and Fresno chilies reflecting the state's farm-to-table gastronomy. On the opposite coast, New York-style pies reign supreme with large, foldable slices and a classic combination of tomato sauce and gooey mozzarella cheese. Meanwhile, Detroit-style pizza stands out with its square shape and thick, airy crust, crisped to perfection along the edges.
And let's not forget the iconic deep dish of Chicago, featuring a buttery thick crust filled to the brim with layers of cheese, a healthy variety of toppings, and chunky tomato sauce. Amidst this diverse landscape, pizzerias have earned legendary status, drawing hungry visitors from far and wide. Places like Bestia in Los Angeles, famed for its wood-fired pizzas and standout dishes like slow-roasted lamb neck; Lombardi's in New York's Little Italy, supposedly responsible for the city's distinctive style of pizza; and Pequod's in Chicago, known for its carmelized crust, all serve as a testament to the influence pizza has had and continues to have in America.
So, where does one go for the best slice? To help you out, Stacker compiled a list of the best pizza restaurants in 25 major cities using data from Yelp. Businesses were selected using Yelp's top 100 pizza spots list , which ranked restaurants using a number of factors, including the total volume and number of five-star reviews each business had by members of Yelp's "Elite Squad." The #1 restaurant in each city is included here, listed in alphabetical order.
Keep reading to see if your favorite spot made the list. Note: The photos in this article are stock images and do not depict the specific restaurants listed or the dishes they serve. - Rating: 4.
5 (3,387 reviews) - Address: 3300 Old Seward Highway Anchorage, Alaska - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 4.4 (4,655 reviews) - Address: 1415 South Congress Street Austin, Texas - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 4.2 (1,902 reviews) - Address: 130 Dartmouth Street Boston, Massachusetts - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 3.
9 (7,981 reviews) - Address: 2207 North Clybourn Avenue Chicago, Illinois - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 4.1 (1,815 reviews) - Address: 1453 Larimer Street Denver, Colorado - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 4.2 (1,494 reviews) - Address: 1147 Bethel Street Honolulu, Hawaii - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 4.
1 (1,216 reviews) - Address: 3700 Almeda Road Houston, Texas - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 4.2 (6,056 reviews) - Address: 3708 Las Vegas Boulevard South Level 3 The Boulevard Tower Las Vegas, Nevada - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 4.3 (7,710 reviews) - Address: 2121 East 7th Plaza Los Angeles, California - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 4.
6 (1,463 reviews) - Address: 668 Northwest 5th Street Miami, Florida - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 4.2 (1,358 reviews) - Address: 520 Malcolm Avenue Southeast Minneapolis, Minnesota - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 4.2 (1,683 reviews) - Address: 874 State Street New Haven, CT - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 4.
1 (2,167 reviews) - Address: 123 Baronne Street New Orleans, Louisiana - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 3.8 (6,622 reviews) - Address: 32 Spring Street New York, New York - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 4.0 (1,271 reviews) - Address: 6000 Universal Boulevard Orlando, Florida - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 4.
3 (3,269 reviews) - Address: 110 S 13th Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 4.4 (2,804 reviews) - Address: 603 North 5th Ave Phoenix, Arizona - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 4.2 (1,775 reviews) - Address: 4741 Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard Portland, Oregon - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 4.
4 (1,421 reviews) - Address: 2225 Macklind Avenue St. Louis, Missouri - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 4.1 (1,849 reviews) - Address: 6989 Blanco Road San Antonio, Texas - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 4.
4 (4,674 reviews) - Address: 505 Laurel Street San Diego, California - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 4.4 (4,393 reviews) - Address: 542 Green Street San Francisco, California - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 4.1 (4,609 reviews) - Address: 2001 4th Avenue Seattle, Washington - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 4.
3 (1,443 reviews) - Address: 203 East Twiggs Street Tampa, Florida - Read more on Yelp - Rating: 4.3 (4,634 reviews) - Address: 1065 31st Street Washington D.C.
- Read more on Yelp Data reporting by Karim Noorani. Story editing by Carren Jao. Copy editing by Tim Bruns.
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