Louisville Magazine is Louisville's city magazine, covering Louisville people, lifestyles, politics, sports, restaurants, entertainment and homes. Includes a monthly calendar of events.
Issue link: https://loumag.epubxp.com/i/250528
food drink the Pizza Donisi 1396 S. Second St. 213-0488 Like a humidifer that steams moist and unsanitized, the Mag Bar basks in a reliable funk, all sweat and beer, residue of dive bar decadence. And I write that with much love for this watering hole catering to weirdos, metal heads, gutter punks and Southern belles since 1982. Tat said, it makes sense that when owner Dan Fitzgerald decided to bring food to this Old Louisville corner, he opted for a wall between bar and kitchen. Walk next door to Pizza Donisi and a clean, compact space stirs with the irresistible smell of baking dough and melting mozzarella. Open since last October, Donisi ofers large slices that demand a two-hand hold as well as whole pies (along with appetizers like wings and fried ravioli) every day from lunch until early morning. With just one table for three wedged inside and one table outside, Fitzgerald wants the Mag Bar to act as an extension. "Tat's been the plan all along," he says. "Sit in the Mag Bar, have a beer and we'll bring your pizza right over for you." On a recent Friday afternoon I order a slice ($3.25 for cheese and $.50 per topping) with spinach, tomato and artichokes. Its goods delivered in a cardboard triangle box, Donisi feels a bit like a pizza joint you might fnd in New York. But grease doesn't lube my grip and the spinach and thick tomato slices taste out-of-the-produce-bag fresh. Donisi, named for Fitzgerald's Italian maternal grandmother, typically ofers a pizza of the day. A very drunk-looking Big Bird etched into a chalkboard holds a sign for today's: arrosto di pollo salvia — pizza with sage-roasted chicken, smoked Gouda, red onion and pancetta. Housed in a nearly 100-year-old storefront that sat neglected for years, Pizza Donisi will surely satisfy neighborhood hunger and sop boozy ounces sloshing in guts next door. — Anne Marshall 68 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 2.14 Photos by Aaron Kingsbury DISH