Fast Break: Johnny’s Pizza

Though still relatively new on the pizza scene in Baton Rouge, Johnny’s Pizza is a staple in north Louisiana, known for its rectangular-shaped slices that are almost all toppings and leaving barely any room for doughy crust.

As someone who was born in West Monroe (sorry), I was always curious if the Capital City location at 8873 Highland Rd. got it right and tastes like home (outside of my mother’s cooking, Johnny’s was really all we had). Thankfully, for this northerner, it does.

Since I’m an experienced customer, I usually skip a lot of the specialty pies. They aren’t bad, but a Johnny’s fan knows that the Sweep the Kitchen is where it’s at.

Piled with 11 toppings (no, seriously), the Sweep the Kitchen pizza slices fold under the weight of generous helpings of pepperoni, mushrooms, ham, black olives and more when you pick up a piece.

If all those toppings aren’t your style, you can’t miss with a 12″ pepperoni and sausage. And if you’re really homesick, Johnny’s offers build-your-own Take & Bake pizzas.

Johnny’s is open Sundays-Thursdays 11 a.m.-10 p.m. and Fridays-Saturdays 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Call 763-9797 for more information. —Matthew Sigur