We Try Good Side Pizza in Deep Ellum

J.R. Munoz knows a thing or two about restaurants and bars. He's behind Will Call in Deep Ellum, a fun sporty bar with a food menu that's better than it has any business being. We're big fans of the Recycled Wings and the Philly cheesesteaks. If you go be sure to check out the pickles and Kool-Aid French fries. (The potatoes get a pickle juice bath prior to being fried and are served alongside ketchup with a Kool-Aid packet mixed in it.)

But that's Will Call. Over the summer, Munoz expanded his gastromic reach in Deep Ellum with Good Side Pizza Pub, just west of Good Latimer near Velvet Taco.
First, let's talk about parking. Yes, yes. They have parking. Just after you pass the restaurant, you'll see a lot with numerous towing signs. Be brave, take a left and drive through the gate, and then look for spots saved for Good Side Pizza. It's that easy.

There's no bad side to Good Side Pizza. On a Friday afternoon, we placed an online order for a couple of pizzas for pickup (they also deliver), utilizing said reserved spots in the lot next to the building. As soon as we saw the full bar, we got super parched and wished we'd just eaten there.

The space is bright and open with a large window at the front allowing in a lot of natural light; a large chandelier adds more light. A bar with a TV above it runs along one side and booths on the other side. Exposed brick walls give it that grunge element all proper Deep Ellum spaces need.

Munoz enlisted chef Bujar Harjo, whose family runs Tony's Pizza and Pasta in The Colony, to help develop the pizza recipes. The dough is made in-house and is a basic style rolled out enough to resemble thin and crispy tavern-style pizza. Some toppings are sourced locally, like Jimmy's, of course. We tried a sausage and pepperoni, as well as the White Walker with ricotta and mozzarella.
There are a dozen house pies with various toppings, pretty much the typical choices (some meat, some vegetarian, some both), and an option to build your own. The green chili with pepperoni is one of Munoz's favorites. You can get a 12 or 16-inch pie; the small cheese is $13, the large is $16.

The pizzas are cut into squares instead of slices because Munoz says he just likes communal-style meals, and that cut makes it easier to share.

"And the fact that we have a bar," he says, "I don't want you to get so full that you don't want to enjoy your drink and you leave right away. I'd rather everyone be able to enjoy some cocktails and eat pizza without getting super full."
The menu includes four salads and four appetizers. We really like a tight and well-done menu, and given Munoz's track record at Will Call, we're willing to try everything. Brian Reinhardt at DMagazine recently noted the pizza and zucchini fries in a roundup of good new bar food.

Munoz says the name Good Side is a play on the street name, Good Latimer. He added, "It's always good to be on someone's good side." With pizza. (And parking!)

Good Side Pizza Pub, 2538 Elm St. Sunday - Thursday 11 a.m. to midnight; Friday - Saturday 11 a.m. - 2 a.m.