If you want to get the full experience out of Iggie's on North Calvert, you had best bring a bottle of wine with you.
With traditional and gourmet toppings, their perfectly crisp thin crust pizzas are a Baltimore favorite.
Their BYOB policy saves you money, as does the self-service style, which means you won't even have to supply a tip. Simply place your order, grab a glass, borrow a corkscrew and wait for your name to be called.
The menu is focused on mouth-watering pizza, but Iggie's also offers three choices of salads and three pastas.
Their mac 'n' cheese is reported to be an experience in itself, but I have not been able to tear myself away from the fabulous pizza.
Pizzas range from $6.95-9.95 for an individual to $13.95-16.95 for a large.
I highly recommend the Funghi, whose leeks lend sweetness to the rich mushroom flavor just as the goat cheese's tang creates a perfect balance atop a thin and crunchy oven-baked crust.
I also loved the Anatra, with duck confit, asparagus, red onion and blue cheese, but this is also the most expensive pizza on the menu, so make sure you're willing to pay the price.
More traditional options like the Margherita and the Quattro Formaggi are also available and popular.
A recent addition to the menu, the Patata, featuring potato, rosemary and pancetta, was an interesting peasant-inspired contrast to the more gourmet Anatra, but our pie was rather salty and overly peppered.
If you order a large and just can't choose between two, Iggie's let's you just go halfsies. Still unsure? Create your own perfect Neopolitan slice of perfection by handpicking your toppings separately.
In lieu of tips, Iggie's chooses a different charity each month to which the customers have the option to donate, but there is no pressure to chip in if you'er running a bit low on cash.
Dogs are perfectly welcome, but smoking is not. Take-out is an option, as are pre-made but uncooked pizzas you bake at home.
Once you've ordered, choose between the tightly knit four-person tables or the communal center island with stools.
The atmosphere is casual but vibrant and often noisy, with warm lighting, red painted ceilings and walls where art and hanging pots mingle.
I would highly suggest going with a small group, splitting some wine and a pizza, and finishing off with the Pera Sapporita of pears, gorgonzola and balsamic reduction.
Plan to sit back and stay a while, because Iggie's is the perfect place to linger a little longer over your drink of choice.
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