Ever heard of a Mac and Cheese pizza? How about Baked Ziti pizza? Spam Pizza, anyone? Maybe Spam doesn't sound so appetizing, but I do have to give the cooks at BOP - Brick Oven Pizza - credit for originality.
BOP, one of the most innovative pizza restaurants I have found in Baltimore, has been a mainstay in the Fells Point area for the past 12 years. It's located right on Broadway Street, in the middle of a popular nightlife area.
Better yet, BOP is open late - until 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, making it the perfect post-barhopping destination.
Outside, BOP resembles an old-fashioned pizza parlor, like one you might find on a New York City street corner. Inside, the tabletops depict cartoon-ish maps of Fells Point, and the walls are colorfully illustrated with sites from the Fells Point area.
BOP satisfies every kind of pizza craving, whether for a Mac and Cheese pizza or just a traditional Margarita pizza. All the pizzas are cooked in a brick oven between 750 and 900 degrees Fahrenheit and can be ordered by the slice or as a whole pie.
The menu can be a bit overwhelming, as there are so many different toppings to choose from - artichoke hearts, basil, broccoli, eggplant, mushrooms, pineapple, potatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, meatballs, cream cheese, gorgonzola cheese, crab meat, shrimp and more. BOP also offers customers the chance to concoct unique, sometimes daring new breeds of pizzas.
For the less adventurous, or those too hungry to select from a bevy of toppings, BOP also offers pre-designed, specialty pizzas.
The Cheese Steak pizza is topped with sirloin steak, cherry peppers, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. There's also the Meat Lovers pizza, which comes with beef, bacon, pepperoni, sausage, Canadian bacon, salami and mozzarella cheese.
For those who aren't in the mood for pizza, BOP also has salads, pasta and overstuffed wraps. The wraps sounded appealing because they contain the same dough as the pizzas.
If you're really feeling bold, try the Chocolate Pizza for dessert. It consists of a puff pastry topped with raspberry preserves, dark and white chocolate, which is then baked in the brick oven. It can also be topped with strawberries, bananas or kiwis.
While you wait, feel free to waste some quarters on the arcade-style Cruisin' USA or Pac-Man games. Talk about a blast from the past.
I decided to order my pizza by the slice, spontaneously ordering a slice with mushrooms and prosciutto, an Italian ham. I wasn't sure if mushrooms and Italian ham would go together, but I was pleasantly surprised! The salty flavor of the prosciutto blended nicely with the mild taste of the mushrooms.
The rest of the pizza's ingredients were also a hit. The tomato sauce was light and not too acidic. The crust, warm and toasty with a hint of cornmeal, was my favorite part. The cheese was a little sparse, so be careful not to pull it all off in one bite (like I did multiple times)!
I ordered another slice with spinach and ricotta cheese, a combination I had never tried before. There was just enough ricotta cheese on the pizza, saving it from being too rich.
My companion ordered a slice of four-cheese white pizza, which he thoroughly enjoyed. I'm not usually a fan of white pizza (I've got to have the tomato sauce), but BOP's has a nice combination of ricotta, mozzarella, provolone and white cheddar cheeses.
BOP's pricing is also very reasonable: I only paid $15 for the four very large slices we ordered, which was more than enough food.
Overall, the food at BOP will suit nearly anyone. Its more traditional offerings will satisfy cravings for a classic pizza, while the options for nearly endless customization are enough to keep a true pizza aficionado fed for weeks.
