The Martin Street Pizza Remix

Many popular music tracks on the radio are also the ones that generate the most remixes. Sometimes, it’s just the opposite, with a remix becoming the hit and not the original track. At Martin Street Pizza in downtown Raleigh, it seems to be a combination of the two, continue to remix the menu until something sticks.

It is understandable for restaurants to take the first couple of weeks to figure out the shape of the menu, ingredients and even the decor of the space. Dos Taquitos Centro is a perfect example. Upon first visit, the food was a bit over priced and they seemed to have a handful of kinks to work out. It is one thing to attempt to solve all of your problems alone, but the restaurant was very interested in feedback from customers from the beginning. Comment cards and conversations with customers were used to get this feedback. Listening goes a long way. Prices and ingredients fluctuated for a bit, but a steady medium was reached and it is now one of the busiest lunch spots in Downtown Raleigh. Even the decor has become better over time.

During its first month open, Martin Street Pizza seems to have fumbled around its menu, not on the account of customers feedback, but from internal strife. In the beginning, there was lots of hope and buzz that surrounded the restaurant. The food was fabulous and the 2 year wait for something to open in this space was well worth it. That was trip one to the restaurant.

Each additional visit to the space, over seven now, was a bit confusing. One time we were told that dinner and lunch had different menus. The next time, things had changed again, and there was one menu for both. The pickled vegetables disappeared, as did the delicious risotto balls that were “truck-stop snacks in Italy”. Sometimes there were sandwiches, other times there was pasta of the day. The pizza was one of the constants, but recently that changed too. Handmade sausage balls have turned to a pre-sliced version and other ingredients have disappeared all together. While variety is a good thing, consistent quality is well respected…just ask that mega coffee company that so many love.

That said, it looks like Martin Street Pizza is here to stay. It is a great addition to downtown as it does offer a variety in their food options. Its (newest) menu is very parallel to that of Moonlight Pizza. In fact, there are lots of similarities between the two, being that they are two of the only places in downtown to offer slices of pizza at a great lunch rate (Vic’s and Sam & Wally being the others). While Moonlight Pizza has established a quality slice over time, Martin Street Pizza’s is simply a slightly better version of I Love NY Pizza on Hillsborough Street. The remaining sandwiches may be their saving grace, but once again, the much loved Martin Street (with fries on top) also is no longer on the menu. Even the punk lettering on the new menu is in conflict to the beautiful and simple logo that has been attached to Martin Street venues for years. Confusion all around.

Quality over quantity is always key in these situations and the fact that the food has suffered because of differing opinions between chef and owner seems to show that Martin Street may simply want quantity. The lack of vision for the interior decor is more evidence of this quality conversation. Maybe its not about quality. Maybe its just about being another restaurant on the block serving simple slices of pizza. It sure didn’t start out this way.

One of these many remixes may be a hit in the long run, but we’ll always love the original tune. Let’s hope another meltdown doesn’t happen anytime soon.