That’s a testament to the hard work and diligence of Zoli’s pizza master Lee Hunzinger, a New York native who started making pizzas as a teenager in his parents’ restaurant more than 30 years ago. He’s been with the restaurant since its original life as a small, snarky, by-the-slice joint in Oak Cliff renowned for its wild inventions, like meat wreaths, a caloric Christmas catering tradition. That location, given the boot by money-hungry developers, is now reborn in Addison in a blaze of deep-fried, marinara-slathered glory.
As much as Zoli’s projects a sassy, saucy attitude, Hunzinger takes his vocation extremely seriously. Yes, it’s funny to sit under a massive painting of the Last Supper with Star Wars characters instead of apostles, all of them eating pizza instead of breaking bread, and yes, the menu descriptions are lighthearted. (“All pastas served in a bowl as big as your face.”) But without Hunzinger and his crew turning out great food, the Zoli’s attitude would be a gimmick.
Choosing a favorite Zoli’s pizza is a little bit like taking a personality test. I’m especially fond of the Lil’ Troy ($15 round, $17 square pie), with spicy, craggy meatballs, thin racing stripes of cherry pepper, vodka sauce and a generous blizzard of breadcrumbs that toast up nicely in the blazing-hot oven. (Another sign that Zoli’s does things right: The sauce and cheese, by some miracle, don’t get the breadcrumbs soggy.)
![](https://media2.dallasobserver.com/dal/imager/u/blog/10255927/dal_food_20171219_zoli_snypizza_kathytran_img_1839.jpg?cb=1694468764)
A now-infamous Zoli's painting shows Star Wars characters feasting on pizza for the Last Supper.
Kathy Tran
On the other hand, maybe my favorite is the chicken bacon ranch pizza ($16), on which Zoli’s balances chicken, pickled jalapeños, a dusting of parsley, a spiral of ranch dressing and pieces of bacon so huge that some of them are better described as pork belly slabs. The ingredients play perfectly together: a tug of sweet, a stab of spice, the fragrance of parsley, a bomb of fatty pork. And the crust, coated in sesame, caraway and poppy seeds, is another reminder that not enough pizza places are thinking creatively about topping the edges of their pies.
![](https://media2.dallasobserver.com/dal/imager/u/blog/10255929/dal_food_20171219_zoli_snypizza_kathytran_img_1859.jpg?cb=1694468764)
Zoli's Christian Pescroni ($17, or $15 for the round version) is generously laden with thick-cut pepperoni and jalapeño pesto.
Kathy Tran
Into every life a few vegetables must fall. Luckily, the salads here are terrific: generously loaded with ingredients but dressed with restraint. Whether we ordered the “big” salad with mozzarella, cucumbers and Italian dressing (small $5, large $9) or the chopped salad that adds salami and red peppers to the mix (small $6, large $11), the salad always compelled second helpings. Zoli’s uses darn good mixes of greens and knows just how much dressing is enough without going overboard.
It doesn't overthink the appetizers, either. It knows just what we want. Mozzarella sticks? Yes, but in ball form, with the kind of softness that frozen sticks with bad cheese will never have ($9). The zucchini fries ($9) are perfectly tender, crisply breaded and oh-so-unhealthy.
![](https://media2.dallasobserver.com/dal/imager/u/blog/10255933/dal_food_20171219_zoli_snypizza_kathytran_img_1978.jpg?cb=1694468763)
The CBR pizza is topped with mozzarella, roasted chicken, bacon, pickled jalapeños, parsley and jalapeño ranch on an everything-bagel crust.
Kathy Tran
![](https://media2.dallasobserver.com/dal/imager/u/blog/10255936/dal_food_20171219_zoli_snypizza_kathytran_img_2015.jpg?cb=1694468763)
The Big Shirley ($14) is packed with Italian deli meat, cheese and vegetables on a sesame roll.
Kathy Tran
It feels almost silly to be reviewing a pizza place this beloved, this celebrated and this willing to poke fun at itself. But there is still subtle room for improvement — in more consistently hitting al dente on the pastas or adjusting spiciness levels on some of the pizzas. The Cattleack brisket, for instance, fights against a mighty onslaught of hot peppers.
But reviewing Zoli’s is also sensible because not everyone in Addison knows and loves this place the way Oak Cliff does. I hope the good people of Addison like meat and have elastic waistbands in their pants.
Zoli’s Pizza, 14910 Midway Road, Addison. 469-754-9654, zolispizza.com. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.