Review: “Spin!: Neapolitan Pizza”
Students and customers dine in “Spin!”‘s incandescent interior. “Your server will bring your beverages right over, and your food won’t be far behind. It’s pretty darn quick to the table.” “Spin!”‘s website said.
On the drive to “Spin!: Neapolitan Pizza”, a slight debate took place in the back of my mother’s Toyota Corolla. My entire family was hungry, except for my mother. I made the suggestion for her to just order some french fries and then sample everyone else’s plates. To which she countered with:
“Rowan, it’s a pizza place. They have pizza and salads, not french fries.”
There was a $5 bet placed on the question of whether or not Spin Pizza’s menu featured french fries. I lost $5 that day. But “Spin!” should not be judged by its french fry content. Instead it should be judged on its service, prices and quality of food.
“Spin!” is relatively new on the corner of Monterey and Overland drive. It is one more addition to the mess of construction that is west Lawrence.
Upon walking in, I immediately took notice of the faux hipster atmosphere. They had Dave Matthews Band on repeat which, considering it was a Saturday night, wasn’t the best music selection. After you enter, you wait in a Chipotle-esque line where you browse the menu and decide what to order. They have a selection of 21 different types of pizzas, a design your own pizza, a few salads and soups and a couple of sandwiches.
The barbeque chicken pizza and the greek salad. Besides pizza, “Spin!” offers soups, sandwiches and pasta.
The manager approached us as we walked in. He asked us if we had ever eaten at “Spin!” before and if we were familiar with the ordering process. I appreciated how attentive he was. It was clear that the staff was trying to make a good first impression on the Lawrence community.
While ordering, I noticed that the entire operation was slightly over-priced, especially considering it was partially self-service. The pizzas were good, but not $15 for a personal pizza good. Sandwiches and salads were all around $8-9, and $5 for a bowl of soup.
In comparison to Lawrence’s Limestone Pizza Kitchen on Massachusetts street, the prices were about the same. The difference is that Limestone Pizza is completely table service, while “Spin!” was not.
They did, however, have some great happy hour specials. The prices of pizza are reduced from $5 to $3 so that they would appeal to students.
Strawberry and “Creme De Menthe” flavored gelato are a solid dessert option. “Spin!”‘s uses all natural ingredients to blend their italian ice cream.
I also enjoyed the fact that they had a Gelato station, for customers with a sweet tooth. I thought this was a very nice touch. There were 2 sizes of cups, one for $2.50 and one for $3.50.
In comparison with other similar restaurants “Spin!” is not too far over the average prices. The issue is the quality was not the same. While two personal pizzas, for example one from spin and one from Limestone, may be the same price the quality just does not match up.
Overall, “Spin!” felt like a corporate attempt at Lawrence’s beloved Limestone Pizza. The Lawrence community understands authentic, wholesome and homegrown. “Spin!” is trying to take the feel of downtown Lawrence, put it in a box and sell it for too much money. Its heart is in the right place and in another city it might make the cut, but I would rather just go to Massachusetts Street and get the real thing.
