Baker Boy Pizza Company could become your go-to place for pies | Grub Scout

I’m always excited about a new (to me) pizza place. However, my visit to Baker Boy Pizza Company was more stressful than it needed to be (through no fault of theirs). The Grub Spouse and I were trying to squeeze in a quick lunch between other time-sensitive commitments, and our window of opportunity was narrow. A traffic back-up on Interstate 40 certainly didn’t help, but at least we were able to call our order in while en route to Baker Boy’s North Cherry Street location.

I’ll back up a little first and talk about what’s on the menu. Shareables include fried ravioli and chicken wings, the latter of which are available with seven different sauces and are served with celery sticks and a choice of ranch or blue cheese dressing. We were intrigued by the Rolling Pins, BBP’s giant mozzarella sticks, which are served with marinara. We got a half order (two sticks) for $14.

Their 12 signature pizzas (aka the Baker’s Dozen) are made in either 16- or 24-inch sizes. Examples include Parkridge Pep (pepperoni), Italian Stallion (sausage, ricotta cheese and honey drizzle), Pineapple and Proud, Saint George (gyro meat, feta, black olives, etc.) and the Atomic Veggie. (The cheese-only pie and the Parkridge Pep are also served by the slice. And the solo slices are huge.)

We decided to try a 16-inch meatball ($26) pizza. The crust is topped with chopped-up meatballs, mozzarella and provolone cheeses, crushed red peppers and red sauce.

Among the remaining pizza choices are the Ricotta or Notta (sausage, red onion, ricotta and honey), Something in the Orange (a Buffalo-sauce-based pie) and a cinnamon dessert pizza. There’s also a create-your-own option that lets you build a pizza with your choice of proteins and vegetables, or you might do the $15 lunch special: a slice of cheese or pepperoni plus one cheese stick and a Boylan soda.

Our pizza was just coming out of the oven when I walked in. I did have to wait just a few more minutes for our order of Rolling Pins, but I was soon headed back to the Grubmobile with hot food in hand. By the way, the staff I interacted with while on the premises were super cool, friendly and helpful. They also did not hesitate to express their appreciation for my visit. I also thought the dining area was funkily cool as well, although the tunes (Blink 182-ish) were cranked up pretty high for a restaurant space.

The Spouse and I had already decided to dine in our vehicle. We started with the Rolling Pins, which — no lie — were close to a foot in length and about 1.5 inches in diameter each. The cheese was still hot and gooey on the inside and the breaded shell was both crunchy and chewy. We ate on those things for days.

The pizza was also no slouch. There was a generous amount of cheese and meatball bits, but unlike many red pies, the sauce was administered in dollops on top of each slice’s cheese layer. The slices weren’t as big as those served with single-slice orders, but they were still quite substantial. We both ate our fill in the Grubmobile and, like the cheese sticks, had enough to nosh on for multiple meals.

Flavor-wise, this pie was solid and actually reminded me quite a lot of my favorite Jaboni’s order — the Grandma’s pizza. The main difference between the two is that Grandma’s is built on a thick, square crust, while BBP’s meatball relies on a much thinner (though chewy) and round crust.

It’s unlikely that I’ll be a frequent flyer at Baker Boy Pizza, but that’s based on geography alone. If I lived within a reasonable drive, I’d definitely make it one of my go-to pizza places.

Baker Boy Pizza Company

Food : 4

Service : 4

Atmosphere : 3.75

Overall : 4

Address : 701 N. Cherry St. #103

Phone : 865-444-5989

No alcohol service

Hours : 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays and Mondays; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Baker Boy Pizza Company could become your go-to place for pies | Grub Scout