Between the plethora of pizza joints in St. Louis, the smoky, blackened crust of A Pizza Story’s wood-fired Neapolitan style pies satisfied my craving for a simple, yet flavorful slice. Nestled in with the restaurants of Manchester Road, with the homey dining atmosphere, the friendly staff and the fresh ingredients, A Pizza Story tells the tale of what pizza is meant to be: effortless and tasty.

The simple, yet high quality ingredients of the Fantasy, a pizza layered with prosciutto de parma, fresh burrata cheese, a style of mozzarella, and arugula left me feeling satisfied from the balance of flavors. The prosciutto provided a salty bite coupled with the rich burrata, which was then contrasted with the slight sweetness of the tomato sauce and peppery bitterness of the arugula. A Pizza Story’s take on the pepperoni pizza, the Thriller, provided a salty, spicy jolt  with the help of fiery Spanish chorizo sausage sliced into pepperoni-sized circles. The main thing that caught my attention about this pizza was the ingenuity of a simple topping swap. Rather than piling copious amounts of fixings on the pizza, the Thriller unapologetically stands alone with sauce, mozzarella and chorizo. No frills, all flavor.

However, with gourmet flavors come gourmet prices. These prices range from $12-16 for a pizza barely larger than a dinner plate. On the bright side, this size squashes any potential threat of having to share the pizza with someone else and will significantly decrease the amount of pizza-related fights to the death. Overall, from foodies to average Joe’s, A Pizza Story will satisfy any cravings for an honest to goodness pie.