Pizza Katerina
635 N. 9th StreetStop me if you’ve heard this one before.
It was Friday night. And I was hungry for pizza.
I was actually alone on this Friday night. My weekly overtime has come to an end and this should have been the first week we were all home on Friday night.
Except the kids had a synchronized skating competition..that we host…and J is on the organizing committee for. She and L spend almost the entire weekend at Wings Event Center starting Friday night.
B was at my in-laws because I couldn’t get out of work in time to get him from daycare and J had to be at the arena pretty early in the afternoon. That meant, I was on my own for dinner.
I knew I was going to get pizza but I had kinda settled on just going cheap with Dominos…then I got an e-mail with a coupon for a place I really like and don’t eat at nearly enough.
That place is Pizza Katerina on 9th Street in Oshtemo. If you’re thinking, you’ve already blogged about that place (twice), you’re right, but they’ve moved, so new blog.
The new location is actually just two doors down from the old location in the Sunset Plaza strip mall in front of Walmart on 9th Street just south of West Main. They’ve moved down to the corner of the building that used to be part of Oshtemo Pharmacy. The new location gives them more room to share with another business…but I’ll get to that.
I had a coupon in my e-mail and I tried to use it but I don’t read good. The coupon didn’t actually start until the following Wednesday. I was already in the cart and now I really wanted Pizza Katerina so I put the order in anyway. I got myself a Sweet Heat Pizza and an order of the Focaccia Sticks. The total cost was around $35 before tip.
The kitchen takes up a majority of the space inside this new restaurant. There is a large counter right as you walk in the door.
There is still a little bit of seating even though this place is mainly a carry-out pizza place. There is some lunch counter style seating looking in to the kitchen on adjacent to the order counter.
And there are a couple of tables brought over from the old restaurant which seem to be mainly used by people waiting for their orders.
In addition to Pizza Katerina, this space is also home to Good Batch Popcorn. There’s a large display case and production area along the outside wall to the business. There was no one at the popcorn shop when I was there on a Friday night but there was a sign to pay for popcorn at the pizza counter.
My pizza was ready when I got there to pick it up but the Focaccia sticks were not. I had a few minutes to wait but not very long.
When I got everything home, I opened up the Focaccia Sticks first. I don’t remember ordering them with the extra cheese and garlic but that’s what I got. The Focaccia sticks from Pizza Katerina are one of the most craveable bread sticks I’ve ever had. They’re so different from typical bread sticks made with pizza dough. These are made with focaccia dough instead. They’re light, airy, crispy and so full of flavor. These are usually the thing everyone fights over in our house but since I was home alone, I got first dibs. It’s weird but I actually like these better without the cheese on top. I never though I’d like anything better without the cheese but that is definitely the case with these sticks.
The pizza at Pizza Katerina has always been something truly unique in Kalamazoo. They only options are a 14″ hand stretch New York Style crust or a 10″ Gluten/Keto Friendly Crust. This standard crust is truly thin near the middle with a large outer handle. It doesn’t crisp up quite like the NY slices you’re thinking of that sit under heat lamps all day but it’s the perfect type of pizza to fold over into a little sandwich.
It’s so hard to describe just how good Pizza Katerina pizzas are. It starts with the sauce which is made in house. On the Sweet Heat pizza, they add Sichaun crisp and agave to the already delicious sauce. Those additions make it slightly sweet and slightly hotter than the standard sauce. The rest of the pizza is their standard pepperoni with large, crispy pepperoni slices and fresh mozzarella slices. I also added sliced Italian sausage to my pizza because I like a good sausage and pepperoni slice.
Pizza Katerina is by far one of the most unique pizza places in Kalamazoo. There is no one that even comes remotely close to the taste and texture of their pizzas. This isn’t a standard carry-out/delivery place. They do their own thing and stand out and shine on a crowded playing field.
SW Michigan Dining 