Howie's Artisan Pizza

What if, stick with me here, we renamed it: Howie's Artisan Sandwiches??? It would still be true! We came here this weekend for lunch and had two of Howie's focaccia sandwiches, and both were really great! Their focaccia is house made, and TBH you could sell me plates of just the focaccia and I'd be happy. The Italian club is a sensory experience: take that light fluffy bread, add warm crispy fried chicken cutlets, but also bacon and crisp fresh veggies, it's both satisfying and somehow light. The tuna salad sammie starts with the same light crisp bread, and slathers on a juicy tuna salad with a kick (peppers hiding in there somewhere?). It's honestly hard to pick a favorite. We'll have to keep testing.And I can't believe I haven't already written up this place, we've had their pizza many times and it is delish -A favorite is the potato pizza- sounds weird, tastes great!Ambiance: a nice mix of casual dark wood bar /pizza joint, with a really well informed and friendly staff! I see familiar faces every time I'm in here, which tells you a lot about how central the crew is to the restaurant!

*First time review, dined indoors*My office is in Palo Alto and I am very seldom onsite. After work this past Wednesday, I decided to venture around downtown Palo Alto. I stopped off at Howie's and loved the welcoming staff! I don't know the gentleman's name but he asked me if I had been there before, walked me through the menu, very pleasant!I decided to get some pizza and ordered the rigatoni with the spicy vodka sauce and sausage. I also got a side salad and when it came out, I was blown away! The salad was huge! Had lots of left overs. The pasta was fully loaded as well and the perfect amount of sauce. Pasta cooked well. Wish there was a tad more sausage. I did ask for it on the side because I wanted to taste it without being covered in sauce since I hasn't tried it before. I liked the home made dressing a lot. Have to give a shout out to my waitress Natalie! Absolutely adored her! We had a great conversation (I was close to the last one leaving). She was attentive and had awesome energy.

Howie's is a happy pizza place. Their pizzas are on a different level of flavor. I've had many pizzas from hole-in-wall joints, frozen, chain restaurants, homemade ones, to indie-artisanal creations. Howie's is one of those truly artisanal pizzas. The ingredients may be the same as any other place, but you'll notice a level up when it comes to their sauce. I think that's where the difference is, aside from the distinct flavor that comes from the meats that they use. Each bite is a hearty mouthful. The only way to really tell is by going there and ordering one. I always get "The Works" and it has become my happy food, if you get what I mean. Their salads are also quite good, fresh and savory; a perfect complement to the pies and pasta fare that they offer.Service is friendly and efficient. That keeps me coming back, aside from the food. When you come in, it's like being welcomed by old friends in the Cheers bar, (if you get the reference, you're old). My wife and I were even lucky enough one time to have our food prepared by the owner Chef Howie himself. The pastas are also very good, going from mild, familiar tastes, to bold, earthy flavors that make you understand what comfort food really means. Each bite gives you that satisfying deep breath of texture and umami goodness. If you haven't been here yet... well I'm just going say, come on over.This location is quite busy with many different establishments around. Walk around and see for yourself. Lots of parking around the buildings in this town center, lots to see and try around here. It's worth it!

Refreshingly human and non-pretentious restaurant experience.I have lived at Stanford for 6 years and been to T&C many times. Gott's could build a new wing with the dollars I've spent there. Yet I'd never popped into Howie's. [Side note: this is true for many businesses at this outdoor mall; there are way more than meets the eye and it doesn't matter how many times you go - you can always find something new.]Thanks to the 3rd annual Yelp Treasure Hunt event last night, I stopped by to taste a sample of their homemade focaccia. It was being served by none other than Howie the owner and namesake of the business. He started by offering me water. I didn't even realize I needed water. And the bread itself was noteworthy. A great hum of garlic fills the air of the place, but not in a repelling way (I'm no vampire). He and the bread were approachable, as was the bartender.After the event, my friend and I were going to stop by because she wanted to bring a dessert home to her family; something about the dessert menu caught her eye. But when we came back, we were welcomed warmly and realized it would be fun to stay a little while longer. The hospitality continued with the kind bartender who never left my water glass unfilled (again, I had no idea how dehydrated I was but I think I drank more water here than I have in the past, scorching summer week). We had some delicious arancini which are goey, cheesy, rice balls (napkin required!) and papas bravas with a smoked paprika that gave them a really scrumptious flavor. These appetizers are heavy and if I weren't driving, I'd have also joined my friend in a glass of rose - perfectly acidic to cut the heaviness of the dishes. I didn't order a main course this time but my friend ended up taking home a chicken salad which looked fresh and delicious and a chocolate German cake.I want to reiterate that the service was really stand out here. It felt like a family business. It tasted like home cooked food. I really don't know how many places like this (still?) exist in Palo Alto, but the place has soul. And I didn't even try the pizza! I'm going for the potato one when I return.

Walked by and saw the outdoor heaters and smelled the food and it made us stop. We were not disappointed! We had the Margherita and Prosciutto. I thought the Prosciutto had a little bit better flavor but both were good. Very helpful and friendly staff!

I placed a to go order through the DoorDash app today. My mom and I shared a margherita pizza and the chopped salad, she has some dietary restrictions, so I called to make sure that could be accommodated before placing the order and notes. The gentleman who spoke with me on the phone was really helpful and nice to work with. Arrived at the restaurant and food was already ready, and it was the same gentleman who I spoke with, he showed me the notes it shows on their end. Mom and I ate outside because we were going to visit someone at the hospital, he noticed us and unprompted brought out a couple waters on this hot summer day. SO NICE AND THOUGHTFUL - thank you sir!!! Sorry didn't get his name :( Margherita pizza was great ! Very tasty and yummy crust. The chop salad was also good and very fresh. We liked the dressings and very healthy portion size.

We've noticed this place for years and how it seems popular. But we never tried it until a couple of weeks ago. We found the greeter behind the bar to be very friendly. He could only offer two bar seats at the time. Turnovers were quick and the guy just handed out the menus and pointed to the table for walk ins, very casual, felt like home! We asked for recommendations and he promptly gave us the best selling item and his favorite. We chose a half and half pizza with the two toppings. The crust and cheese were good, but I thought the prosciutto was difficult to bite off. The baked potato with bacon was delicious! We saw customers come in continuously, must be because of the college factor. Will definitely go back and try there pastas

Came here for a Sunday evening dinner and really enjoyed our meal. We sat outside, our server was kind and helpful making a few recommendations since it was our first visit. We got the chicken caesar salad and a pizza that was half baked potato and half Mexicali rose. The caesar salad was delicious with amazing croutons, and good quality chicken. The pizza was also so delicious and so well packed with toppings that each piece was so filling that we had plenty of leftovers to take home. The only warning is that the Mexicali rose pizza is extremely spicy! We look forward to coming back!

Great atmosphere and family friendly with a nice outdoor patio. First of all, the service here is always amazing. We had two servers today Mike and, I didn't catch the girls name but she was super nice and both made dining in even better. Best pizza I've ever had! Other pizza places I've been to never fill me up but with just 2 slices here I'm satisfied! You never have to worry about not getting enough cheese on your pizza and the taste is super good! I'll be going here for pizza often! Tried their Arancini and bucatini too and both were also great!

Friendly serviceLoved the chopped salad; crunchy texture and many harmonious ingredientsPasta was served hotPizza dough is medium thickness, not thin nor pan pizza thick; lots of toppingsPasta and pizza are a bit salty for my taste Would go back but not a top pizza stop in PA area