Counter Culture.

It Ain't Just The Pizza That Rocks at Greenville Avenue Pizza Company.

Greenville Avenue Pizza Company
1923 Greenville Ave.
Lower Greenville

Ambiance: 3 out of 4 slices
Food: 3.5 out of 4 slices
Service: 3 out of 4 slices

Almost five years ago, when Greenville Avenue Pizza Company opened its doors along Lower Greenville, it did so because the market demanded it.

It was a different time on Lower Greenville then. Pesky neighborhood associations were more annoying than they were powerful, specific use permits were a problem specific to Deep Ellum and drunken late-night crowds looking for a little beer sop were everywhere, every night.

A lot has changed in five years. Neighborhood associations in the area used their strengthening clout to kick out “bad bars,” the city approved and installed wider sidewalks and cleaner streets, and the drunken crowds have long since receded back to the suburbs from whence they came.

And yet Greenville Avenue Pizza Company has stayed in place. True, it's 2 a.m. crowds have only dissipated slightly, but that market — once GAPC's tried and true base — is no longer the pizza shop's sole strength, at least not in the eyes of its customers.

No, the once-tightly-kept secret on this place — that the pizza is only the tip of the iceberg here — is a long distant memory.

Don't get us wrong: The pizza here is good — great, even, and possibly among the finest pies in the city. Thin-crusted and soft, with tasty and crispy edges, it's a delight, and the secret to this pie is the sauce, which dabbles in spicy but lands more on the sweet end of the spectrum. Combined with a tried-and-true and never too abundant or short helping of cheese, Greenville Avenue Pizza Company has its plain-served pie down pat. Top it with what you wish, but trust us when we say that the cheese pie is the best; anything else simply sullies the better-than-it-has-any-right-to-be-in-Dallas offering.

But for all of the plaudits the pizza deserves, the truth is that it's not even the best thing on the menu. That distinction goes to the shop's meatball sub ($7.95). With homemade meatballs made from the owners' grandmother's cherished and secret recipe, the sub is nothing if not satisfying. You won't cry for lack of substance here, as the sandwich comes in a toasted hoagie roll stuffed to the edges with meatball greatness, all doused in a smoky marinara sauce and topped in gooey, melted provolone. One bite and you'll be hooked.

This thing is heavenly — and devilish, too, when ordered properly. Ask for a side of the shop's soupy, parmesan-based alfredo sauce for dipping, and the sandwich takes on a new, even more decadent identity, as guilty a pleasure as there is in town. It's well worth the colossal calorie count, though. This, possibly our favorite sandwich in town, will keep you smiling for hours and raving for days.

So, too, will the appetizer sampler ($5.95 for a small platter and $9.95 for a large), which features pizza popper, toasted ravioli and cheese bites, none of which are for the fried-fearing, but all of which hit the spot. In sampler form, these offerings are a steal; you get more food in total than you would if you ordered any of these individually. And, if you do things right, you fill yourself up enough so you can keep the second half of your meatball sub in the fridge to be stored for a later meal.

You can't really do wrong at Greenville Avenue Pizza Company. But you can do right: Order here on Tuesdays and appetizers are half off.