Hog Father Pizza Shop brings pizza back to Butchertown

[Robin Garr]

Hog Father Pizza Shop brings pizza back to Butchertown

Smoked crimini mushrooms and black olives add umami to a build-your-own Hog Father pizza. On the side, spicy brussels sprouts pack a flavor punch.


When one door closes, another opens, the sages say. And this simple wisdom appears to be true, at least insofar as the city’s pizza scene goes.

It was sad news for local pizza lovers when Butchertown Pizza, one of the city’s best, closed its doors in September 2019. Then more bad dining news struck when Couvillion restaurant shut its doors last November.

But then those fabled doors started opening. The space that had housed Butchertown Pizza, nicely renovated, became home to Hog Father Pizza Shop last month. Better still, WLKY-32 reported on its opening day, Couvillion’s head chef Crosby Reasor came on as Hog Father’s top chef, and brought many of the Couvillion crew along.

The restaurant’s name and its logo, a grinning hog with dapper hat and cane, puzzled me at first. Wouldn’t a personified pig be more suited to a barbecue joint than a pizzeria? Then I got it: Butchertown! What’s more, JBS Swift, the giant bacon makin’ plant, lies right across Story Avenue from the pizza shop.

As it turned out, I can see that Couvillion touch in creative and well-made side dishes and a salad that were all really top-notch. I wasn’t as whelmed by the main dishes we chose. A pizza and a smash burger were decent but uninspiring. Still, taken as a whole, I give it at least one and a half thumbs up, and would definitely go back for more. ...

Read the complete article on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/hog-father-pizza

You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly's Food & Drink section today.
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/

Hog Father Pizza Shop
1301 Story Ave.
409-6180
http://hogfatherpizza.com
Facebook: http://bit.ly/HogFather

I got delivery from here last night. I never got a chance to eat at Butchertown Pizza, so I can't compare, but this looks to be a solid place. The appetizer list is interesting, with the "snack bowl" and pork rinds on offer, as well as a more upscale-sounding brussels sprouts dish. I got the pretzel bites, which were liberally coated in poppy seeds and sesame seeds, and came with a generous portion of beer cheese as well as sweet honey mustard, both of which were very good. Also got a beer can chicken pizza, which was really good, but I felt like the tobacco onions it is topped with really overwhelmed the other flavors it had going on. That particular pizza omits red sauce in favor of the beer cheese--I'd like to try another one of their pizzas that has sauce, as well as sample the other appetizers. Coal's is still my favorite, but Hog Father has potential.

[Robin Garr]

Coal's is still my favorite, but Hog Father has potential.

Nathaniel, Coals is right up there for me too, although MozzaPi earns my undying affection. Lupo is really good too, and so is Legacy Pizza in N'Albany. Oh, heck, I've met a few pizzas that I didn't like, but not many.

I haven't had Hogfather, and didn't love Butchertown...but, have always felt it's unfair to order a Small pizza for a review - even my favorite NYC style pizza places wouldn't be nearly the same experience if ordered as a 10".



Large should be the standard.

[Robin Garr]

Interesting point of view, Adrian. As an occasional NYC resident (in the '90s and in the Jurassic Era), I know my pizza, and that's not even talking about eating pizza in Italy. But I just don't see it. Everything I need to judge a pizza competently is just as apparent in a well-made small pie as it is in a giant pie. (Which, as I recall, was the only option at Butchertown Pizza. )

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hogfather
Terry Pratchett

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hogfather
Terry Pratchett

My first thought as well!

Tried Hog Father a week and a half ago. Good pie; my only gripe is that there's a lot of sauce on it relative to other similar-style pizzas I'm familiar with. The sauce is not too sweet, though, so that helps.

Another oddity is that, unlike what BPH did previously and other places like the Post do now, there's no lunch slice deal on the regular menu. We asked if we could order by the slice, and they said they normally do that only for JB Swift workers as a special deal for them. But the server asked and got permission for us to order that deal, and he brought a separate slip of paper menu with the details on it. The slice was a full quarter of a pizza, so it was huge. Big 2-2.5" pepperoni slices.

All in all, I'd happily eat there again if friends wanted to go, but I miss BPH by comparison and I'd probably choose The Post over Hog Father if it were up to me.

[Robin Garr]

Good review, Jeff. Sounds like we're in agreement on the toppings.

It was generously spread with a thick red sauce flavored with a little too much Italian herb mix for my liking, and heavy blanket of melted mozzarella and Parmesan.

Also, yanked from the oven a little too soon for perfect crust.

And yet, I liked it.

Well, according to social media, Hogfather Pizza is ceasing service.

Well, according to social media, Hogfather Pizza is ceasing service.

I hadn't heard that, thanks for posting. That will certainly be a loss for the area.

[Robin Garr]

That's a shame. Second decent pizza in a row to fail there. I wonder if it's the location, landlord/lease issues, pandemic ... or what?

[Robin Garr]

Okay, they say the closing is temporary, but the wording sure sounds like it's serious to me:

Hey Hog Father friends and family! We wanted to let everyone know that effective today we are temporarily closing due to issues outside of our control! We will miss you all greatly and want to thank you for the outpouring of support from the community and our guests! We look forward to serving you again soon!

https://www.facebook.com/hogfatherpizza ... 4164866040

https://m.facebook.com/papalinosnypizzeria/

Papalinos is back?

[Robin Garr]

Woohoo! I'm sort of wait-and-see, though ...