Pepper’s Pizza

My childhood image of peppers was shattered when a returned after mutli-​year absence. First impression: dirty. Part of Peppers’ image is alternative, tattoos, leather and to some degree, grunge. When they moved several doors down some years ago it appeared they had lost some of that character in their new venue. The character has edged it’s way back in but it’s not the same.
Despite my positive memories, the pizza was just so-​so. We had the Sarah (spinach, tomatoes, feta cheese and red onions). The dough was as bland as it could be and the thick layer of flavorless mozzarella was also disappointing. Not much more to say except that sometimes it’s better to preserve your good memories rather than risk ruining them.

Decent pizza, great service!!!
We ordered pizza while at the Carolina Inn working during a conference. One of my co-​workers went to pick them up. When she came back, one of the staff members were with her, carrying the pizzas. Totally above and beyond the expected service for a take-​out order.
The pizza was traditional Italian style. It was flavorful and got the job done for a working lunch!

If you only go here for the sausage calzones, you will be glad — so so glad — you did. These seriously are the best calzones I have ever had.
Love the pizza as well. They have more topping choices than you could possibly want, and the medium is good for three of us.

Pretty good pizza. They definitely give you a large portion of your topping choice. The service was good, even right before closing. I was surprised they actually sat a group of girls that walked in after us. like, 20 minutes before closing.
I think the prices were a little high for the quality… but idk, a medium can def feed two hungry people.
I liked the guy with long hair in the kitchen, but maybe pull it back so people aren’t worried about the hair getting in the food…

Pepper’s is a regular weekly spot for my crew. The waitstaff is the best part– they’re always sort of punchy and irate, but once you get to know them, they are all awesome.
The food is standard pizza joint fare. Sometimes the pizza is obviously better than other days– we celebrate this by commending their Varsity cooks.
Cheap pizza, cheap pitchers of beer, great location, awesome waitstaff. We love you, Pepper’s.

Solid pizza, and somewhat of an institution on Franklin St., although I hear it used to be located a few doors down. The place as it is is spacious and almost divey, but not gross. It has character, which may seem surprising given the aforementioned relocation.
I visited here during the summer on a Friday evening, and the tables were full of parents and toe-​headed children eagerly scarfing down slices with smiles on their faces and sauce on their chins. Even the back of the restaurant showcased dozens of crayon colorings of the establishment and its renowned menu items in what looked to be some sort of contest for free pizza that I would have DIED to enter as a child. But I could also imagine a more raucous environment here…
As one who has recently relocated from New York, I’m going to tone down any criticism of local pizza that will never be worthy of the Pizza Mecca, and I will try to be judicious in my review nonetheless and simply review the pizza at Pepper’s per se.
But let’s start with the prices! Great value! $ 14 for a pitcher of some serious quality IPA? Homina homina. A restaurant meal for two for under $ 40? Whaaa? You can’t beat that.
And now the pizza.
Cheese: Pepper’s is very cheesy, thick, clotted with delicious mozza. It’s not so gooey as it is just… everywhere.
The sauce: fairly nonexistent. Trapped under the heavy cheese, which keeps the slices hot hot HOT well into your meal. I might encourage a bit more sauce on my next order.
Toppings: nothing to call home about, but not bad.
Crust: baked over flour, not cornmeal, which can leave your mouth dry (not a bad thing if a giant pitcher of IPA is yawning at you), and rather flavorless. Chewy, hard to fold, but good for fork-​and-​knife eating.
Pepper’s makes excellent leftovers, so order more than you can eat! Great for breakfast the next day, cold and satisfying.

I give this place a 4 for food but only a 2 for service. Like many Chapel Hill/​Carrboro establishments they just don’t seem to care too much for their customers. There is one waitress who has worked here for a while who is awesome but almost everyone else I’ve had that works here is quite bad.
Food: get the bermuda triangle or chicken soup slices… they are excellent. Calzones are good too.
Don’t come with a big group unless you’ve all got cash. They won’t do separate checks even if you just tell them how much to put on a card and you’re all clearly adults and not undergrads. Ugg…

Pepper’s is one of those places on Franklin that I always feel like I’m defending tooth and nail (fork and knife?) I’ve been in numerous times with all sorts of different groups, and for some reason, whenever I mention it, people seem put off. My mother, for instance, said the pizza was great but «thinking about that man with those giant ear piercings making it just gives me the heebie jeebies». As far as a pie on Franklin Street (at least close to campus), I believe that Peppers can’t be beat. Not for quality of ingredients, not for variety of toppings, and not for taste.
The service isn’t always warm and welcoming, but they’re friendly enough and keep our drinks full and our bellies happy with a fairly quick order-​to-​table process.
My favorite pie is the Geddy Lee (Sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts) but I’ve loved almost every slice I’ve tried. I love that you can get all the specialty pizza by the slice, and it always makes for a more harmonious lunch when there’s a bunch of us. They’ve got a pretty solid beer selection, and I like all the funky artwork on the walls. Gives you something to gander at, in case you need to avoid heebie jeebies from looking at widely gauged ears.

Wow. What can I say about Peppers! We’ve been to Chapel Hill 3 times as a married couple and we’ve just tried it this last time! My husband went to UNC and always touts how good it was!
This pizza was amazing! We had a mix of regular slices (marinara/​pepperoni) and White pizza with Feta Cheese, Basil and Sun Dried Tomatoes. I now try to recreate the White Pizza at home, but of course I cannot.
Go out of your comfort zone and try different kinds of pizza while you are here. The fact that they sell it by the slice is so very clutch! Everyone can get what they want! The crust itself is amazing as you can actually eat the «ends» and not need a dipping sauce!

Packing List for Pepper’s
–Childlike sense of wonder
–Willingness to try new things
–Desire to hear Al Green and other great music
Things to not bring
–Comparisons to «real pizza»
–Complaints about the noise or general intoxication level of the other customers/​staff
–Need for excessive cleanliness
Pepper’s is delicious, no other answer is acceptable. It’s not the pizza you once had in the East Village or what your grandma used to make in the brick oven that your grandfather built with his bare hands. It’s round, has pizza sauce, its definitely pizza.
Be careful about saying «the only thing I don’t like on Pizza is anchovies» cause Pepper’s will test that. Not with anchovies, but other stuff. Pepper’s don’t care. Pulled pork, throw it on. Cole slaw, more please. Jalapenos, do it. I can guarantee you won’t find «the Joint» in New York and that is 8,175,133 people that don’t know what their missing. Pepper’s is good but don’t expect what you believe pizza is supposed to be. Go there and try it.
On a side note at Pepper’s I got the best explanation for a tattoo that I have ever heard. Me, «What is that whale tattoo on your arm.» Waitress, «This, I don’t fucking know anymore.»

Now THIS is what I call pizza. Perfect crust. Wonderful cheese. Traditional and unexpected toppings. Deee-​lish!!! I’m getting hungry again just thinking about it.

I’ve had little more than the Joint here, but that alone makes me a fan. I’m a sucker for pulled pork, and nice juicy pieces of pork sprinkled generously over a well made pie is tough to beat. The cole slaw and red onion are a perfect accompaniment too. Can’t give 5 stars because I’m always hesitant to pay $ 20 for one large pizza, especially since I can probably finish one on my own. Also, scrambling for street parking on Franklin can be a real pain since they don’t have any kind of personal lot.

There’s one thing I can say for sure after eating at this Franklin Street institution: Peppers knows how to make a great slice of pizza.
Went here with my sister the other night for dinner. It’s a surprisingly big space with plenty of seating and lots of interesting décor to look at while you’re enjoying your meal.
The pizza was insane. You can get either a whole pie or order by the slice, with tons of toppings available for customization. I got two slices of their specialty pizza’s. One slice was of their «Joint» pizza, an homage to the BBQ joint with pork, cole slaw, red onions and a little bit of hot sauce. Sounds like a strange combination of toppings for a pizza, I know, but somehow they all worked together to make each mouthful a tasty experience.
The star of the show however was the slice of «The Sarah». A white pizza (so olive oil instead of sauce) with spinach, tomato slices, and feta cheese, I was enamored with eating this slice and was very sad to see it come to an end. Could definitely get a whole pie of this one and hang on to the leftovers.
Pepper’s is probably the best pizza experience that I’ve had in Chapel Hill. And beer bonus points, they have Green Man (brewed in Asheville) on draft, which is the only place I’ve seen it on tap around here.
Draft beer and two great slices of pizza, can’t do much better than that.

I moved to Chapel Hill from NYC and thought I would never eat a good local pizza :(…
Then I found Pepper’s and it made me a believer!
This is the best pizza in town, the dough is perfect and the toppings are awesome. My favorite is the Sarah, I was never a fan of white pizza until I found her. The Luau is also pretty phenomenal. Thank you Pepper’s.
The ambiance is also pretty cool and chill and they have good beer selections.

Really good pizza, lots of variety and fresh and tasty ingredients.
I enjoyed the pizza even though the crust was a little unusual from most standard pizza crust. The only downside was the place was a little small and it was really busy so we had to wait for a table and it was noisy with college kids. A definite must try if you are near here and are looking for above average pizza.

It’s been a couple of years. in my memory, this is a 5* review, but as I said, that was waayyy back in 2009, so YMMV.
Nothing but positive memories from this place. On my most memorable visit, a dear UNC grad-​student friend took me here for a bit before a show at Memorial Hall (a modern dance performance, I believe). A great place for pre-​show noshing, as well as just pre-​chillin on Franklin or elsewhere in the Triangle. :)
A lil greasy, but come the heck on. what decent collegey pizza place ISN’T? If this gets your panties in a bunch, do like me when I’m feeling all calorie-​conscious & just grab a few extra napkins to blot that bad-​boy. Nice, floppy (as can apparently only be had on the east coast) thin crust, fresh toppings. mm. Happy, happy, Bex.
Even when slammed, Pepper’s’s (?.. you see why I’m not a grad student) was efficient w the drinks & the pies. Oh. Hellz. Yeah.

If I want pizza in Chapel Hill, I instantly go with Peppers Pizza. I love the chill atmosphere and the pizza that nears perfection! I prefer a pizza to be cheesier than saucier and they do it just right, in my opinion. My pepperoni and pepperoni and sausage slices were awesome and my cousin loved his Luau slice as well.
I can’t even count how many times I’ve been to Peppers now. Tonight’s dinner was awesome. It was a slow Sunday dinner. Nikki was our waitress and she was such a neat person! I really liked how she took the time to connect with us while not giving us too much attention. She was very attentive, but not in our faces despite the fact that it was slow. If she wasn’t watching our drinks, someone else was so our drinks were never neglected.
Peppers Pizza. Delish. Yummmmm…

It’s good pizza.
The smelly old place had more charm.

Pizza, calzones, a few salads, and beer. No frills, but none needed.
We always go to Pepper’s when we’re in town. After watching Tech win in a close baseball game, we were starving from the chilly spring air and the excitement. Nice to be in a college town that has food options other than your typical fast food joints for late night eats.
Their choices are limited, but they’re all good choices. We opted for the Sarah special, with bacon, at the recommendation of our server. While waiting for the pizza to arrive, we admired the NC music hall of fame on the wall. I was particularly excited since Ben Folds was up there, and we’d seen him the night before with the NC Symphony. The pizza was excellent — crispy crust and fresh toppings.
The staff was busy cleaning up to close, and we outlasted the few basketball fans who were interested in the tourney even though the Heels weren’t in it. But the soundtrack was great, and the staff let us linger long enough to savor the pizza and the PBR.

So, I had a Joint yesterday.
No, no, this isn’t a Peggy Olson-​type situation. I had «The Joint», an epic pizza slice with North Carolina pulled pork, cole slaw, and tabasco sauce. It’s a perfect mix of pork and tabasco that’s a little hot, but not overwhelmingly crazy.
Pepper’s is a Chapel Hill staple, and has a wide variety of good pizza slices. Their selections are incredibly diverse, particularly the specials (the Hot Dog sounds particularly interesting). On top of that, it’s relatively cheap considering some of the other lunch options on Franklin Street.
Generally speaking, Pepper’s Pizza is a great place to sit down, have a PBR (12 oz for $ 1.50, pitchers for $ 7), and have a great slice of pizza.