Midway is the perfect name for this place. Not only is is physically halfway between Jefferson and Napoleon, but the pizza is halfway between New York and Chicago. It's a deep-dish job, with a crust about twice as thick as you're used to. However, it doesn't hold a two-inch stratum of tomato sauce, nor does it take an hour to bake the way a real Chicago-style pie does. But a thin, crisp layer lines the bottom of the crust, just like a good New York pizza would have. Anyone who remembers The Deli's pizza in the 1970s will find this somewhat similar. And better.
The old commercial stretch of Freret Street between Jefferson and Napoleon Avenues was bubbling with trendy restaurants when Midway Pizza opened in 2011. It was just in time for the fall term at nearby Tulane and Loyola, and it greeted the students with exactly the menu and premises they seek. This never seems to change, somehow; my college circle frequented just this kind of place forty years ago.)
The old commercial building gave the restaurant a long front on Freret, with a correspondingly lengthy dining room. At the far end from the corner is the combination kitchen, bar, and buffet. The latter is in use at lunchtime on weekdays, when you get a salad and all the pizza you want to eat for $9. The bar is not perfunctory; they really can make a good cocktail.
One small pizza, plus a salad or a starter, is easily enough for two people. The lunch buffet is so busy that the pies are about as fresh as if they were made to order.
| Attitude | 2 |
|---|---|
| Environment | 0 |
| Hipness | 2 |
| Local Color | 2 |
| Service | 1 |
| Value | 1 |
| Wine | 1 |
