Driftwood Oven started as a mobile pizza oven in 2015, serving up fresh pies topped with ingredients that are sourced from local farms and change with the season. Now, it’s a beloved Pittsburgh restaurant in Lawrenceville, still serving the same, carefully created pies, in addition to salads, desserts, and beer and wine to go. All the pizza starts with dough that’s been hand-mixed with organic flours and sourdough culture, which makes the dough rich and flavorful.

In Lower Lawrenceville you’ll find Morcilla, where you can stop for small bites and a cocktail or a large-format dish such as smoked beef short rib; Driftwood Oven, a destination for naturally leavened pizza and pastries; and Pittsburgh Italian classic Piccolo Forno and its adjacent bar Grapperia. Central Lawrenceville, meanwhile offers cool destinations like the chic The Vandal for modern American and the Cantonese hot spot Parlor Dim Sum.

If your first instinct in a new city is to scout out the best pizza, get to know this perennial fixture on Pittsburgh Magazine’s “Best Restaurants” list. Chef/owner Neil Blazin’s sourdough starter finds its way into everything from perfectly charred pies (available in Roman-style square cuts or 16-inch rounds) to a pastrami sandwich on house-made marble rye, not to mention the croutons in a brilliant salad of mixed lettuces with chevre, seasonal veggies and herb vinaigrette. On weekend mornings, stop by for a carb fix in the form of sourdough croissants, cruffins, snickerdoodles, rosemary focaccia and other fresh-baked goodies.

MANY OF YOU ALSO GAVE A SHOUT OUT TO LULU’S PIZZERIA IN PLUM AND WHEN IT COMES TO THE NEWER PIZZA SCENE, ONE FAN FAVORITE BRINGS US TO PITTSBURGH’S STRIP DISTRICT. THIS IS, I THINK, ONE OF THE ONLY PLACES TO GET THIS KIND OF PIZZA WITH DETROIT STYLE PIZZA AT IRONBORN. YEAH, THAT’S WHY I LIKE IT. PEOPLE THINK IT LOOKS COOL, IT TASTES GOOD, OR SOURDOUGH BASED PIZZA AT DRIFTWOOD OVEN IN LAWRENCEVILLE AND NOT FAR AWAY ON BUTLER STREET IS V3 FLATBREAD PIZZA, CALLING THEMSELVES THE CHIPOTLE OF PIZZA. YOU CAN GET A LOOK INSIDE ALL OF THESE KITCHENS IN OUR DIGITAL XTRA RIGHT NOW ON THE WTAE APP

Though I hesitate to recommend a doughnut you can only get on the last Saturday of every month, trust me when I say, you’re going to want to set a calendar alert for Driftwood’s (and follow their Instagram for updates). Made with naturally leavened sourdough, these beauties are what my homemade pacski can only dream of becoming — pillowy but toothsome, generously rolled in crunchy sugar for a perfect balance of dough to sweetness. As I was taking photos, a guy passed me on the street and asked if they were any good.

driftwoodoven.com While they are best known for their pizza, Driftwood Oven also has a robust supply of delicious, crusty bread loaves, which makes sense considering they’re known for their sourdough crust. Driftwood has individual loaves for sale, as well as a Bread Share program, which functions like a CSA with a new mystery bread loaf available for pickup every week, ranging from mixed herb to cinnamon raisin, to simply country loaves. Speaking from experience, it’s a great treat to receive as a gift.

The sourdough crust is the rightful star and earned Neil Blazin and crew James Beard recognition, but I love the commitment to Roman-style pizza: a thicker focaccia-esque crust. Try A Mason’s Best Friend with mortadella, spicy pickled peppers, herbed ricotta, mozzarella, fresh garlic, and a drizzle of marinara. Along with stalwart Piccolo Forno and upstart Pizza Lupo, the trio help Lawrenceville match the Strip District as Pittsburgh’s best pizza neighborhood.

On weekends, Neil Blazin’s stellar pizza shop Driftwood Oven adds fresh-baked pastries to its menu, serving up regular croissants, chocolate croissants, ham and cheese croissants (topped with a mustard glaze), sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls, and a rotating list of cruffin flavors, including tasty options like orange curd with vanilla, lemon curd and meringue and raspberry-chocolate truffle. (3615 Butler Street)

The folks at Driftwood Oven were one of the first in the city to take a woodfired oven mobile to local breweries and events. Their pizzas were stellar, but the owners wanted more and opened a brick and mortar location in Lawrenceville in 2018. The permanent location offers up solid iterations of the Driftwood Pies we know and love- namely a perfect crust and locally sourced ingredients for the toppings.

On weekends, Neil Blazin’s stellar pizza shop Driftwood Oven adds fresh-baked pastries to its menu, serving up regular croissants, chocolate croissants, ham and cheese croissants (topped with a mustard glaze), sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls, and a rotating list of cruffin flavors, including tasty options such as orange curd with vanilla, lemon curd and meringue and raspberry-chocolate truffle.

What started in 2015 as a food truck whipping up woodfired pizzas at local breweries quickly became a brick and mortar in 2017. Today, Driftwood Oven offers a unique artisan sourdough pizza and baked goods at its home in Lawrenceville. Featuring an eclectic menu, choose between thin, New York-style pizza or thick, square-cut Roman Style, both made on a sourdough crust.

Driftwood Oven is bringing the art of baking to Butler Street in Lawrenceville!. They make their sourdough pizza pies in a wood-fired stove leaving the crust the most perfect shade of golden brown. While they do feature traditional pizza shop offerings (pepperoni, cheese, etc), they also make a specialty pie for vegans!

This Lawrenceville pizza joint is known for their wood-fired pizzas made with locally-sourced ingredients. Their flavorful crust and creative toppings make them a must-visit. Driftwood Oven is located at 3615 Butler St., Pittsburgh, PA (Lawrenceville) You can visit Driftwood Oven’s website here.

Many of us have a sourdough starter living somewhere in the back of the fridge. But none of us thought of making a James Beard-nominated pizza with it, like Driftwood Oven co-founder and chef Neil Blazin did. He helms the only place to get sourdough pizza and pastries in the city.

One of the fairly new kids on the block, Driftwood Oven has perfected the perfect pie recipe. Seriously, each and every one of their pizzas is oozing with flavour. They focus on crafting naturally leavened neo-Neapolitan-style pizza, and they do it to damn near perfection.

The pizza sourdough in the crust is made from organic whole grain, fresh meats for toppings and mozzarella, ricotta, and provolone are grass-fed at Caputo Brothers Creamery. Try one of the house pies like pepperoni or a specialty toppings combo like corn and peach.

I am going to try Driftwood, but it is kind of hard to get over $22-$28 pizzas that if as small as what they served out of the truck are really for one person!. We had to each have one from their truck. Hope they are for two people now.

Experience cozy vibes and deliciously crafted dishes with a unique twist that keep guests coming back for more. I am gluten-sensitive, but realized I can have sourdough, so my boyfriend and I tried this place out for Valentine's Day!

Dan is still wistful about Pizza Taglio, which closed its East Liberty spot in 2020, but recommends Driftwood for its family-friendly atmosphere, Mercurio’s in Shadyside and Fox Chapel, and Gus Franco’s in the Alle-Kiski Valley.

Located in the Lawrenceville neighborhood, Driftwood Ovenis a popular pizza spot. It serves pizzas built on sourdough crust; the pies are naturally leavened. It also offers sandwiches and soups.

But one of our favorites is Driftwood Oven, featuring house-made sourdough crust and a broad range of locally and ethically-sourced toppings.