The Observer Tries Big T Plaza’s Pizza, Sha’Carri Richardson’s Go-to Dallas Spot

Track star and 2024 Olympic silver medalist Sha'Carri Richardson is a virtual household name around these parts (and for anyone following the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics), so when she speaks, we listen. And recently, Richardson spoke to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth and revealed her go-to food spots around town.

Richardson named her favorite pizzeria in Dallas, and it's a virtually unknown (unless you're acquainted with Big T Plaza) hole-in-the-wall pizza spot deep inside the sprawling Big T Plaza shopping center in Oak Cliff, just west of I-35 and north of Loop 12. As Richardson said, "If you know, you know."

Finding the place can be an adventure for those unfamiliar with Big T Plaza. First, we're still not sure what the name of the pizza place is. If you google Big T Plaza pizza, there's a Big T Restaurant that pulls up in the search results (with the same address as Big T Plaza), but the DoorDash menu for Big T Restaurant doesn't have any pizza on the menu, so this is clearly a different Big T Plaza restaurant. We also came across a dated, barebones Big T Plaza website that lists a Big T Pizza in the directory, so this must be the one. But even then, there's no phone number or hours listed.
As you make your way into Big T Plaza via the main entrance, locating this mysterious pizza spot can be like navigating a maze. (Big T Plaza is lined with shops, corridors and wrong turns heading away from the pizzeria if you don't know where you're going.) The best we can tell you is it's on the far east side of the building, and the easiest way to get to it is to park closest to the A1 entrance (and not the main entrance). From the A1 entrance, it's the first shop you'll see upon entering. There's no restaurant name, just a sign that says "Pizza."
The space itself is as no-frills as it gets. It's clearly a takeout-only spot, though there is a single table with a few chairs where you can sit down and eat – provided the table isn't occupied. Most people stopped in to buy individual slices and then headed off to shop. Look elsewhere if you're searching for wood-fired artisan pizza with goat cheese and black truffles. But for a simple, old-school pizza with zero pretension, this is your place. There are five pizza options: cheese, pepperoni, sausage, hamburger and all meat. The pies come in just one size (large) and range from $23.10 to $25.90. Individual slices are $3.47, and you can score a two-slice deal with a canned drink of your choice for $7.40.

We opted for a whole sausage pie, and after a roughly 10-minute wait, our pizza came out piping hot and dotted liberally with sausage (we were getting sausage with every bite). The cheese was excellent, and these New York-style slices were perfectly foldable. You really don't need anything with this pizza outside of maybe a dash of crushed red pepper and parmesan. The crust was on point, too.
Whe we asked the cashier about the hours, she responded, "Usually Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to evening." So there's a tentative schedule, but it's not set in stone. We also asked if word had reached the pizza spot about Sha'Carri Richardson's shoutout on the local news. She smiled and responded, "Yes, someone sent us a link to the video."

Credit card charges are subject to a 20% surcharge, so bring cash to avoid that surcharge.

"If you know, you know," Richardson said. We didn't know — but we're glad we do now.

Richardson, meanwhile, still has an opportunity for another medal later this week in the women's 4 x 100-meter relay.

Big T Plaza Pizza (just inside the A1 entrance of Big T Plaza), 4515 Village Fair Drive. Hours vary, but typically Wednesday – Sunday, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.