Mesa Pizza

Bio: Vegetarian, who loves different cuisines and want to have a good gastronomical experience.
Small place. But pizza slice is so delicious.
Fav: black bean guacamole pizza. Also try their other options. Hands down, good innovation on the menu.
Decently priced but not cheap.

Absolutely horrid service, I waited in a long line for pizza made yesterday. They simply heat up left overs, I ordered two slices of the same pizza, I then paid for two slices. When my «one slice» was ready they claimed that I had ordered one slice and refused to give an an additional slice … even tho I paid for two slices!!! Outrageous, never again

I like Mesa, I’ve been to the Dinkytown location a few times, it’s good late night snack food, it’s convenient, and the employees are friendly. I was excited to try out the Lake Street location, and boy was I disappointed. As someone who works in a retail environment, I know the value of customer service and I cannot imagine treating customers the way that the Mesa staff treated its customers last night. It was shocking, and borderline harassment.
It was late, between 1 and 2am, there was a line all the way out the door but it was moving quickly. A big, unsmiling and intimidating bouncer (bouncer? at a pizza place? okay, uptown Mesa, weird vibe but maybe necessary for boisterous drunken youths? I’ll give it to them) was holding the line at the entrance and letting people in a few at a time to stand in the inside line. Things started getting weird when a friend of the bouncer came up and raised his fists in a mock-​fighting way, and the bouncer reacted immediately and violently by nearly hitting him in the face. Luckily, he stopped himself in time, mid-​windup, realizing that it was his friend, but my friend and I were immediately uncomfortable, and it set a mood of uneasiness over the line that quickly intensified and worsened.
Once inside, the line extended from the back of the restaurant to the front cash register. There is no menu, and you can’t actually see the pizza until you get to the front where they are all displayed hodgepodge together behind a glass window. The odd pizza toppings (one with hamburger and fries, mac and cheese, taco, etc.) are not immediately obvious unless you already know which is which, they’re not labeled, so some customers naturally asked questions at the front, pointing to a piece and asking what it is, etc. I can dig it! Makes the pizza experience interesting, and it’s a similar setup to Dinkytown. EXCEPT. This is where it gets crazy. The bouncer would periodically stick his head in the door and yell, I mean YELL, at everyone in line. He would yell that everyone needed to know their order before they got to the front of the line, because the line outside was getting longer. I am paraphrasing, mind you. He was dropping F bombs nearly every other word, shouting and swearing profusely at the customers. He did this three or four different times before we arrived at the front of the line, where we, by this point actually nervous, with no clue what our pizza options were, panicked, and under the condescending gazes of both the employees behind the counter and the bouncer outside peeking his head in we ordered slices of mac and cheese. This was after the employee looked at me, and instead of telling me that she was ready to take my order just threw her hands up and shook her head in a cartoonishly sarcastic «whatdoyouWANT??» sort of nonverbal way.
The man behind the register actually never spoke a word to me, giving me the impression that I was literally not worth the breath and effort it would take to utter a single syllable. He put out his hand aggressively for my card, which I handed to him. He immediately flipped it around to the back where I have written «see I.D.» and, instead of asking for my I.D., shook it in my face. Disoriented by his rude gesture and by the bouncer screaming more f bombs behind me at the people still in line, echoing through the now increasingly tense and silent pizza place, I showed him my I.D. which he in one motion checked and threw back at me along with the receipt and a pen for me to sign.
The whole ordeal only lasted probably 15 minutes, the line moved quickly, but we were eager to get out of there and never come back. I’ve never encountered such open hostility from an establishment before, and I am so sad to say that pizza Mesa in uptown has forever lost my business. I don’t care, pizza Mesa, if I have to pay $ 10 more for a whole personal pizza from Luce. I will pay more to avoid the harassment. Your pizza is good, but this is America. Good pizza isn’t hard to find. The world has plenty of negativity in it already, it certainly doesn’t need any more from a mediocre pizza establishment.

I went back, thinking maybe I was unfair to judge after just one time eating there. However, it was more of the same, if not even worse. I opted to pay with credit since i had only big bills and the worker made me feel like a jerk for doing so. The direct quote was, «Cash is so much easier. There’s this magical thing called a ‘cash register’ that has change in it.» I am floored with how rude the workers are, especially now that it has happened twice.

I really like Mesa. Perhaps because I also love drunk-​snacking, but I think I’m in good company here…
Yes, it gets pretty busy here on weekends around bar close. Last time I was here it was a 30 min wait to order, but sometimes it’s needed to figure out what you want (which is usually everything). But sometimes I am def not in the mood to deal with this and will forgo the whole ordeal. But should you stick it out, you will be rewarded with pizza with mac and cheese on it.
Last time I was here, I was having a crisis over picking what to order. Once I finally got to the counter I panicked and ordered one slice of mac and cheese… and another slice of mac and cheese pizza (with blue cheese and fried onions). But score! I like their crust, it’s thin and savory and does not get oily or soggy. And I love the sound of all of their wacky toppings, especially when they feature a lot of carbs on carbs (potatoes and pasta). I mean, why drunkenly make Kraft at home when you can have it handed it to you on a pizza slice?

Oh, Mesa Pizza… why did I not try you 8 years ago when I first moved to this frozen snowglobe of a city? You would have made those earlier years so much more deliciously cheesy. Alas, no use dwelling in the past… you’re here now and that’s all that matters.
Pizza is a tricky thing to judge because it’s so subjective. Some people like thin crust. Others go for fancy pizza with arugula on it. Some want a giant greasy NYC slice. Mesa pizza sort of splits the difference on all of the above. If you want something classic, they’ve got it. If you’re feeling drunk and bold and want to go for their mac and cheese pizza, live it up! With over 2 dozen pizza types at any given time, it’s very easy to find something there that sounds and looks good to just about anyone. Except if they don’t eat gluten or dairy and then… well…Mesa Pizza isn’t known for being super nutrition-​centric.
The staff are super helpful at dealing with pizza topping commitment-​phobes like myself. Every time I go in, I ask the pierced, chatty pizza guy, «What’s on this one? And this one? And that one?» They’re all very patient and will happily hold your Mesa-​virgin hand through the process.
Casual and quick, it’s the perfect post-​bar close place for a greasy slice and to sober up… or for a creative debriefing after a foreign language film at the Lagoon movie theater, just blocks away. It’s really no frills. Couple bar stools. One table. Just pizza slices, iceburg lettuce and Diet Cokes. Perfection.
Couple caveats:
— Mesa Pizza is a NIGHTMARE for indecisive pizza orderers. There are probably over 30 different kinds of pizza at any given time. So it’s good to have at least some kind of idea what you’d like to cram into your mouth before you get to the counter.
— This place gets packed late night on Fridays and Saturdays. And real sloppy. So come emotionally prepared to deal with loud drunks…
— Mesa is way casual. I’m talking WAY casual. Like… converse with gum on the soles casual. I’m cool with it, but might not be the best place to take your parents.

There just is nothing better in this world than a couple slices of Mesa pizza in the wee hours of Saturday and Sunday morning. Mesa pizza establishments always seem to be so conveniently located only a few steps away from the bars. That beautiful hour between 2AM and 3AM is complete chaos for Mesa Pizza as everyone finds solace somewhere in between the oven baked crispy crust and the melty mac and cheese toppings. The jaw dropping glass window that contains every possible type of crazy pizza creation thought up by man can keep a drunk man fumbling for words. This however is it’s greatest downfall as by the time it is bar close the frustrated staff can no longer handle the hordes of intoxicated young adults. There’s a reason why the bars kick everyone out at 2:00 so I don’t blame them for screaming at all the customers. At least the pizza is still good. 4 stars.

Please, please, please hire some better people!!!
I would rather pay an extra 50 cents a slice to not have to deal with your people and their bad attitudes. i stopped in on a Sunday night and the kid who raided Mary Poppins closet was the worst.
I absolutely love your pizza — but your product is only as good as the person selling it.
That is why places like pizza Luce are successful. They have a solid workforce.
Even whole foods pizza is pretty good and they are pulling it off with a single person.

Mesa, I love your pizza. It’s too bad your staff went downhill, is everyone there suffering from ennui? My last three visits the customer service was terrible. I’ve never seen a more apathetic bunch and when they’re not being apathetic they’re being straight up rude.
So glad I moved to North East and can hit the Mesa on University, I’d suggest you all do the same.

This place is the worst. They charge you for ranch and other sauce. When you ask why they give you some bs excuse about how people steal the bottles. The owner should be embarrassed.

This is the best way to get delicious pizza by the slice in the Twin Cities.

First of all, I cannot say anything negative about the place.
Quality — The pizza reminds me of the east coast where I am from and that is difficult to find in Minneapolis, let alone the entire Midwest. I had their pizza now at least ten times and each time it has been top quality and wonderful.
Service — While to some the employees make not look like your typical «Green Mill» type of worker, the service and attitude of the staff has been outgoing, and at times, funny and it is great to have a laugh and that is something you do not get from a chain. Simply put, the service is fast by friendly people.
Menu — Here is the greatest thing of all. You can buy pizza by the slice instead of having to buy an entire pie. By doing this I know what I like and don’t like and it does not cost me the price of an entire pie to find out. Try doing that at most other pizza outlets.
Overall it is a place I enjoy to go. Is it white tablecloth? Hell no! But it’s a pizza shop that I frequent and can rave about.

Awful service. Order 2 pizzas for carry out. Said it would be ready in 20 minutes. When I arrived 20 minutes after calling in, the employees said it would be an additional 5 – 10 minutes. I was okay with that, but I didn’t get the order until 20 minutes after that. I was frustrated because nobody offered me an explanation or an apology. It would have been one thing if they were busy, but I was the only customer in the building. In fact, when I arrived I then saw the cook start making the order and throw it in the oven. I’m not sure what happened but it would have been nice to hear something from an employee on what was the deal.

While I was eating this yesterday, it occurred to me this was the first time in ten years I’d ever had Mesa Pizza sober. From my college days partying at The Library and then stumbling down to Mesa in Dinkytown to the present, I have never had a slice of this pizza while sober.
I think that’s probably true for a lot of the clientele. Mesa is just where you go when you’re drunk, man.
So anyway, I had this pizza yesterday, and it was still good. But it wasn’t amazing, like my drunk memories would imply. It was a little watery, and the crust was exceptionally thin to the point where I was a little concerned my BBQ chicken would just fall through the middle of the slice.
All told, it’s certainly still good enough and not that expensive for what you get, but it’s definitely way, way better when hammered. This will still be my go-​to drunk food.

Delicious and creative pizzas. Even if you’re not a huge pizza fan you should be able to find something here that you’ll like.

Well, abruptly opting to put a kibosh on this love affair. I’d had innumerable late night rendezvous with Mesa. Never once a dry encounter in the broad daylight. Until today. And I finally experienced the Mesa that so many others have known all along. Mediocre pizza that is leagues behind NY-​style pizza — abominable to think I’d ever drawn a parallel here. Under-​cooked doughy crust, watery, flavor-​deprived sauce, gloppy cheese. The ranch dressing on the side is downright repulsive when your gag reflexes are not subdued by intoxicants. And the service is far from peachy. All in all, this place is really unpalatable. I’ll be back at 2am.

Thank you, Mesa, for being alive. I was hammered drunk in Minneapolis and being from Green Bay, no idea where anything was. All i knew is that i wanted a burrito. Next thing i know, i have to settle for pizza. HELL NO, they have burrito pizza. Settling no more! Good god this stuff was delicious. I literally had 3 pieces and almost fell asleep (passed out) on the security guard. Please keep your awesomeness and continue being awesome.
One love.
#nomz #minneapolis #nomzz

If you can’t find a slice that you love… then you must have no taste buds.
Such good pizza!!!

Huge New York style slices for just under $ 4 but with crazy ingredients I’d never want to put on a pizza — on my visit, there was a spaghetti and meatballs pizza along with a macaroni and cheese pizza and an eggs-​bacon-​potato breakfast pizza. I grabbed a slice of cheese and a slice of the breakfast pizza (while whispering, «Yolo.» quietly to myself) with a can of soda for just under $ 10. The breakfast pizza was actually okay and was super filling. I couldn’t finish my cheese slice which was also okay. Not the best pizza I’ve had in Minneapolis but the novelty of the strange combinations along with the decent price-​to-​size ratio makes this place pretty good in my book. I also enjoyed the bar style seating facing the windows to the sunny yet freezing outside which made my solo lunch that much more enjoyable.

ya know, I like the location alot. you can grab a slice and sit in front of the window and people watch ala State Street Pub in Madison. The pizza is OK theyhave some unique combinations. there is not a alot of space to hand out per se. certainly worth stopping in for a quick slice if you are in the area, but I would not make it a destination place.