A Little Slice of San Antonio

When you think of farm-to-table your mind probably goes to some high end fancy schmancy vegan restaurant in the hipster part of town. But what if I told you that San Antonio, TX has a pizza spot that is doing just that!?

The first stop on my pizza journey took me to Il Forno in San Antonio’s Southtown. This little gem was recommended to me by a friend when they learned that I was Yelp’s Chief Pizza Officer so I went to their happy hour and got the margarita pizza for only $8. 

I thought to myself let’s see how they do at the simplest pie and when I tell you that on that first bite my eyes grew to about the size of my head! I could not believe what I was biting into – I was sold! It was a rich pomodoro sauce, perfectly melted fresh mozzarella and the basil gave it just the right explosion of flavor!

I know what you’re thinking, “Lupe, it is a margarita pizza, it can’t be all that!” DON’T BELIEVE ME, GO AND TRY IT!!!!!!!! After that experience, I took quite a few friends to see if it was a one time fluke and thankfully I was wrong! Every time my friends bit into the margarita pizza they were blown away.

I was able to sit down with Joel Romero, the sous chef at Il Forno, and learned just why Il Forno is a slice above the rest!

The biggest difference between Il Forno and other pizzerias is their pride in the process. Aside from the Italian wines and prosciutto, everything on your pie at Il Forno has come from within a 30 mile radius of the city. They butcher their own pigs that they get from local Texan ranchers. They create their own pancetta and cured meats for pizza toppings. You can even see them curing when you walk into the restaurant.A

The draft beer is brewed two blocks away at High Wheel, beers in the fridge are local Texas beers and sodas are from Texas & Mexico. All of this detail is because they want to make sure that your whole experience is Texas from beginning to end.

The fire brick oven that you see when you walk in behind the counter was handmade by the owner. Even the table you eat on is made from local reclaimed wood. The benches that you sit on were church pews from right across the street. When Il Forno says local, they really mean it!

So, I said all this to say, if you wanna slice outta Texas come to San Antonio and see what Texas pizza is really all about!

Want to learn more about Yelp’s Chief Pizza Officer? Read out Q&A here.