Readers of this space know of my fondness for Nizza Pizza, one of the best places to get a classic slice of New York-style pizza in the Lone Star State. After first discovering their bedrock in Mrs. Pie’s hometown of Weatherford, I later visited a family-affiliated Nizza in Fort Worth. So when a late spring business trip took me to a Texas paradise called Rough Creek Lodge, a look at the map reminded me there was a Nizza Pizza in nearby Granbury.

The Granbury Nizza, like the one in Arlington, was started by the folks in Weatherford, but was later sold to a third party. However, I would soon find that not to be an issue since the new owners have proudly held on to the high Nizza standards

Heading southwest from DFW Airport to Rough Creek Ranch is a long journey. I therefore had no problem convincing my travelling partner DW that we needed to stop mid-way for a big time pizza lunch.

Granbury Nizza works from a free-standing converted building (like the others Nizzas) in a commercial section of the highway. Once inside, I felt like I had been here before since the menu, displays and motif were quite similar to the one in Weatherford.

We walked into a rather quiet place since it was mid-afternoon by the time we arrived. There was plenty of room to sit after we placed our orders at the counter from their wide assortment of Italian foods. Being quite hungry, we overindulged by ordering garlic cheese bread, chicken Caesar salads, multiple cheese slices (plain of course) and a chocolate cannoli conclusion.

Speaking Texan, we wound up being “done satisfied” with our superb four-course meal!

As expected, the pizza was delish. The Nizza slice is a good one (the waitperson said they use the Weatherford recipes). They mix the tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese (with a pinch of oregano) about as perfect as a New York slice can be assembled. It’s remarkable that they can get such fine fresh ingredients delivered to this part of the country. However, I did have to deal with some faulty slice construction.

Serving slices at the right temperature is an art. Unfortunately my slices were delivered way too hot. So hot in fact that they got sloppy and difficult to eat. This situation got further exacerbated when I was too impatient to wait for an otherwise excellent slice of pizza to cool down. Cooking it this way, may have also contributed to it being a little oily. There was also a crust inconsistency that left a few soggy spots despite a good solid char on the bottom.

In my rush to devour this deliciousness, my slice wound up falling apart on my plate. Nevertheless, I managed to extinguish it completely down to the last tasty clump of cheese.

Please don’t let these design mishaps scare you away. Nizza’s pie is truly delicious. It was a meal fitting for a former Yankee like myself. I love these guys and hope that they keep bringing the great Nizza Pizza model to the small towns of Texas!

PS Watch out Stephenville. I heard talk of them opening the next Nizza there.

PIZZA SNOB RATING   **** Near Perfection

Nizza Pizza
2200 East Highway 377 Granbury, TX  76049
817-573-7575
[no website]