Come for pizza, stay for atmosphere at Iggies

On a Friday night around eight o'clock, Iggies is bustling with customers enjoying a night out for a great pizza dinner.

The restaurant is busy, yet the service is efficient and helpful, which makes one's wait pleasant.

Customers can choose from a to-go line and seated tables (actually, Iggies even offers "Take n' Bake" pizzas that you can make yourself at home!), but the restaurant remains family style.

Basically, there is something for all types of customers as long as they are craving delicious pizza!

Lit up with Christmas lights, Iggies sends off a festive glow even as you approach the restaurant from the sidewalk. It is located on a small street in Baltimore's Mount Vernon area, a pretty historic district and just a JHMI ride away from campus.

It's the ideal distance away from Homewood—a convenient ride on the JHMI or a short cab ride—but it's just far enough away to satisfy the need to get off campus and get out into Baltimore!

Inside, the restaurant is decorated with plants and dog prints, as well as photos of local pooches on the wall. The dog paraphernalia along with the communal tables and BYOB option all contribute to the warm, homey vibe at Iggies.

We love that they have a sense of humor there; on one wall hangs a blackboard with the words, "Unattended children will be given an espresso and a free puppy!"

As soon as you walk in the door, someone comes over to help you. Iggies does not take reservations, so be prepared to wait during prime time on a weekend night.

Iggies caters to all sorts of pizza lovers, and they even offer salads and cheese-free options for those seeking alternatives.

Easy and accessible for families, the restaurant features a relaxed and funky atmosphere that also attracts young groups of people and Hopkins students for a night out.

It's a noisy, self-serve pizza joint, and it is the perfect thing for a low-key dinner in a familial atmosphere.

This homey vibe is only accentuated by their no tip policy; instead, Iggies accepts donations to a local charity of their choice.

We took our starving stomachs to Iggies at this past Friday night. Being Iggies newbies, we relied on the lovely upperclassmen who introduced us to this pizza paradise for ordering advice.

Upon our arrival, we took note of the diverse crowd. To our right was a birthday party for a sixty-year-old woman and her enthusiastic friends; to our left was a girl sporting a long pink ball gown and rain boots. Needless to say, don't worry about fitting into the crowd at Iggies—all customers are united by a deep love of pizza.

Deciding to settle with the to-go option, we ordered three different pizzas: Pizza of the Year '10 Italiano (artichoke pesto, mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, castalvatrano olives and parmigiana), Alice (basil pesto, mozzarella, fresh tomato, garlic spinach, goat cheese and parmigiana) and the Verdura Fresca (garlic spinach, roasted red peppers, yellow squash, red onion, pecorino, mozzarella and balsamic reduction).

The toppings on each colorful pizza were extremely fresh and the thin crust was impossible to leave behind (even for those of us, ourselves included, who don't usually eat it).

Pizzas comes in two different sizes, small and large. The smaller one was definitely enough to satisfy each of us (if you are a football player, please consider the latter option).

The small pizzas are priced around 10 dollars each, while the larger ones cost about 15 dollars a pie.

Although this may seem a tad pricy (compared to your Maxie's slice that costs about $2.50), at Iggies, you are paying for an experience.

The people watching, the dog pictures, and the surrounding neighborhood make the extra dough out of your pocket worth it!