blackthorn pub and pizza

conservative suburbanites beware!. this is not chuck e. cheese! it's abarfirst, pizza place second. don't come here with your kids and expect to be treated like you're at a strip mall pizza parlor in the county. the beer is cold; the pizza is hot and spicy and delicious. and yeah it takes awhile but that's what thebaris for. hang out, drink up and freakin' relax. and if a colorful clientele with colorful language isn't your thing, this isn't your place. it's ours, though and we like it like that.

first this is a serve yourself kinda place with the emphasis onbarstyle. so i have no complaints about the service. time you wait for food is a little ridiculous we waited 1 hour and 11 mins for two pizzas. thier red sauce was good nice sweet flavor but way too much of it on the pizza. way past a classic pizza margarite. crust dough was good, but too thick. that explains why one of our pizzas was clearly burnt. toppings were a nice quality. the cheese was definitely not a whole milk mozella, dry and kinda tasteless is how i would describe it.
overall a bad experience and i will not return or recommend this place. try antinino's or dewys first.

disappointed. i went here once and ordered the chicago style. it was ok, but was just too much dough. went again and ordered the pan style thinking it would be less dough. actually seemed like more dough than the chicago style and also asked myself "where's the cheese?". i think there was maybe a pinch of cheese on this pizza. so as the title says, i was disappointed and won't be back for the pizza. great divebarfor drinks, darts and shuffleboard though.

notice a disturbing trend on my blog lately?  where are all the dive bars ?  i had noticed that too and chose black thorn pub to help balance things out. great divebarstyle curb appeal. black thorn pub is a true dive bar.  it’s slightly dirty and run down, but all in an inviting way.  there is nothing pretentious about this place at all!  black thorn specializes in pizzas; they offer thin and pan crusts as well as a chicago style pie.  as a black thorn virgin, i decided to try the style i have heard the most about: chicago!  i chose three of my standard toppings: pepperoni, mushrooms, and onion. once i had ordered with the bartender, i took a spot at the corner of thebarwith an adult beverage to pass the time.  trust me, you may need a few to pass the time; it took well over an hour to get our pizza.  not a big deal for me since i was in no hurry and had good company.  even if i had gone alone, the people watching at the black thorn is top-notch and the other patrons were friendly.

not #1 but it's up there.. we liked the pizza, music and atmosphere. we were there on a week night and it wasn't busy. the sauce has quite a lot of black pepper and herbs in it, which was surprising but pretty good. they use styrofoam plates and plastic utensils and cups. you seat yourself, then go up to thebarand order. strictly comparing pizza, we still prefer dewey's, though i like the divebarfeel of black thorn better, so it'll be hard to decide where to take our out-of-town friends next time we have a group to entertain.

good pizza - no service. good chicago style pizza with the meat and cheese baked right into the crust. it is, however, every bit of a divebarand since there is absolutely no service (you order from thebarand get your drinks yourself), i did not feel it was imperative to leave a tip; so i'll be watching my credit card statement to see if they took any liberties based on a previous reviewers experience.

great neighborhoodbarwith incredible pizza.

that was good pizza!. have to say i wasn't overly fond of the decor (guess i'm not a "neighborhood dive" kinda person, having outgrown that about 30 years ago) but the pizza was awesome! i called in and ordered it then went to pick it up. was a bit surprised by the hour wait time, but since i wasn't in a huge hurry i just sat at thebarand had a mixed drink while i waited. the crust, spicy sauce and all that cheese, along with the still slightly crispy veggies really hit the spot! if you want good pizza this is a great place to get it. if you aren't into thebarscene like me, order it for takeout. either way, you won't be disappointed in the pizza.

worth the wait. we couldn't not try a place that seems so proud of a long wait time. when does that happen? but the deep dish at black thorn is definitely worth the wait. call ahead, then show up ten minutes early to get a drink at thebarand check out the delicious dive-bar decor.
best part: the pizza
worst part: the wait, so plan ahead

the post dispatch has their heads up their butts. they love writing about the trendy spots and rarely tell you how it really is. black thorn is okay. it's a nice change. by no means does it taste like a chicago pie. it's a good crust. the sauce is over seasoned but it has a nice spicy flavor. the toppings is where they fall short. they tasted frozen. i would rate it a 6 out of 10. the atmosphere is fun so that helps. it's abarso don't start whining because you have to serve yourself. balducci's in maryland heights still has the best chicago pie around.

good but not great..... sat at thebarquite a few times to enjoy a few beers, watch tv and enjoy a small stuffed pizza. the pizza is good: thick and cheesy with a nice sauce...it's just the crust i don't like...it tastes more like white bread! bartenders are great and it's a great neighborhood gathering spot...i wish they would end the smoking thing though...it makes a very good meal just ok.

4.5 stars - divebarserving awesome pizza! black thorn pub is a great divebarthat doubles as a fantastic pizza joint or maybe it’s a pizza joint that doubles as a dive bar...you make the call. if you are looking for a nice pizza restaurant with sup

not all that you'd think it would be. i have been here twice now and neither time was i impressed. the first time i had the icky thin crusty with toppings piled on...not so good. the second time i went, i got the deep dish...being from chicago and not on a date this time i thought i'd order the kind i like. i was there with a gf and we both ordered our own pizza. it took a loooooong time do not go there famished, you will wither away by the time you get it. i am trying to figure out what was wrong with the cheese or the pizza itself. both of us ate our own pizza and the cheese just sat in our stomaches like a rock! not good. not a lot of seating either and not comfortable seating. gave it a second try and still don't see what the big woo is about it. bah its overrated! see review below where they said they waited an hour and 20 min for a freaking pizza! oh yah i forgot that you go to thebarto order...if you dont know this you sort of just sit there and keep waiting till you get ticked and go to thebarand ask, and get told oh you order here...well now you tell me! dont go there hungry folks!

you will wait but it will be worth it. not the place for family dining. it is abarthat happens to serve really amazing hand-made pizza. keep that in mind if you decide to go. no one under 21 allowed and there is no wait staff. you need to go to thebarto get whatever you want yourself. the beer selection, while small, goes beyond the big brands and has a good variety. while we waited for an hour and 20 minutes to our pizza (we went with chicago style) it was worth the wait and we had a blast hanging out and talking over several pints. we will go back to try some of their other styles of pizza.

dive bar. if you like clean, sit down, waitress come take your order places do not come here. but, if your intobarsports like shuffle board, bubble hockey and places that only serve beer, liquor and pizza you've come to the right place. you will wait 45 minutes or longer to get your pizza, but the wait is worth it if your a deep dish/crush fan. with over a pound of cheese and plenty of things for the addbarsports fan to do come to the balckthorn. just don't expect to get waited on hand and foot.