Nostalgia by the slice at Hollywood Pizza

Jessica Elizarraras

When I first learned about Hollywood Pizza after my visits to their strip center neighbor Sushi Seven, I thought the place was a front. Thankfully, it seems I was wrong.

Turns out Sean Meade (above), a California transplant, owns the pizza joint. Meade, 30, previously spent his time living off Hollywood Boulevard, chowing down at area pizza shops and later owning Beverly Skates before deciding to give Texas a shot.

He took his combined love of ’80s culture and … pizza, and created the eatery two years ago.

Hollywood Pizza is tucked away in one of the many nooks and crannies found at Stone Oak Crossing, which also houses Vida Mia, Chicago Bar, a pilates studio and a Veintec clinic for getting rid of those pesky varicose buggers.

The shop itself isn’t very large, maybe 1,200 square feet at most, but Meade does his best to add personality. There are black-and-white posters of Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and Marilyn Monroe, alongside landscapes of the Hollywood sign and images of Rodeo Drive. Posters for 1983’s Valley Girl and 1982’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High line the wall as Christine plays on the flat screen. The lowered ceiling is dotted with bottle caps and a few Star Wars miniature aircrafts, which pay homage to Meade’s late brother Michael.

Meade and his team can make a good slice of pie. Mind you they’re busiest as boozehounds leave neighboring bars, but these slices are solid even without the help of a few beers. The dough, which could use a dash of salt, was soft and pliable for folding.

In order to compete with the Domino’s and Little Caesar’s of the area, Hollywood serves up daily specials including a carryout 16-inch one-topping pizza for $4.99 after 4 p.m. The cheese is hot and melty, but please do away with any notions of fresh pulled mozzarella. Our ’shrooms had a taste suspiciously similar to canned fungi, but they weren’t entirely offensive.

While the menu boasted sandwiches on visit, our server informed us they were no longer available. I opted instead for a taste of the burger, which needs work, namely a quick toast of the sesame seed bun, but was a promising offering with half-pound patty and fresh veggies.

To Meade’s credit, the young entrepreneur will be adding his DeLorean DMC-12 as Hollywood’s delivery vehicle. In the coming weeks, the pizza parlor will also team up with Game Over Videogames for throwback tournaments using the available Super Nintendo, Atari and Sega consoles.

If you’re dying to relive the ’80s, and really, San Antonio’s love of the era is downright alarming, Hollywood Pizza welcomes just about every brain, athlete, basket case, princess and punk rock criminal around with cheap slices of totally tubular pizza.