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Wood-fired Pizza in Egg Harbor

Neapolitan, Roman, tavern-style, Chicago deep-dish, New York–style – any way you slice it, pizza has a following. Now those in Door County who crave the crispy-yet-chewy, slightly smoky flavors of wood-fired pizza have one more option available to them with the arrival of Pizza Bros. 

The creators of Sister Bay’s Fat Belly – Sam Lindsley, Luke Boss and Vince Gerogiev – opened Pizza Bros on April 28 next to One Barrel Brewing Company, 4633 Market St. in Egg Harbor. Following Fat Belly’s menu concept, Pizza Bros offers some surprising topping combinations in addition to traditional favorites. 

“That’s what we did at Fat Belly, and people ran with it,” Lindsley said. “Nobody had ever had potstickers in a burrito [before Fat Belly], but people love it. Same idea here.” 

On the menu: a Mexican-themed pizza featuring chili dry-rubbed pork sausage, Mexican street corn and a chipotle red-sauce base. Another, the So Smokey, highlights smoked bacon, smoked provolone and smoked bleu cheese over a creamy white sauce. 

“It’s that whole idea of overlapping flavors and giving people something they’re not going to get everywhere else,” Lindsley said. 

But first things first. As when building anything, it’s best to start with a solid foundation – or in this case, the crust. It’s a Roman-style crust, to be exact, sourced from a maker in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, who was trained in Italy. This style of crust, called “pinsa,” dates back to ancient Rome, and the hand-pressed technique that’s used to create it gives the crust its flavor profile and light, airy texture. 

Next come the sauces, which Lindsley said will be made fresh in-house, followed by cheese and toppings sourced locally whenever possible. But perhaps most exciting for the trio of restaurateurs is the actual process of cooking the pizza.

“We love the process of using wood and open flame [to make pizza],” Lindsley said. “It is such an old-school, rustic way of cooking. Not to mention it really brings out the flavor.”

Compared to gas or electric ovens, something almost magical happens among the dancing flames of a wood-fired pizza oven. Gas and electric ovens cook using direct heat. The elements heat up and, in turn, heat the food. A wood-fired oven, on the other hand, traps heat and heats the food indirectly at high temperatures. The result is the rustic, perfectly charred, slightly chewy crust that cannot be replicated with any other method. 

To start, Pizza Bros’ menu will offer one size – a 14-inch pie – in addition to a 12-inch gluten-free option. Fresh salads and cheesy bread dippers with a trio of sauces rounds out the menu of pairings for One Barrel’s extensive beer menu, and food will be available year-round, following the same business hours as One Barrel. To get updates, follow One Barrel and Fat Belly on social media.