Frequent commenter 416RM was the first one to give us the heads up on Minsky’s coming to town and JKulp42757 wanted a review – so – here it is.
Minsky’s is a Kansas City based outfit and I have eaten there many times when I lived in KC. That was some time ago now and don’t remember any details except that we liked it. Since Minsky’s opened I’ve been twice – first with Steve then again with Steve and Danny.
Then menu at Minsky’s is pretty standard for a pizza place, with appetizers, salads, sandwiches, a few pasta dishes and of course pizza. A link to the printed menu is below. The official Minsky’s web site doesn’t list the Springfield location yet nor does it have an online menu for Springfield. The Springfield menu lists 13 “Gourmet” pizzas. There are three types of crust; original, thin and wheat and honey. There is a list of 38 available toppings including some unusual ones like sliced pickles, sauerkraut, slivered almonds, carrots and cream cheese (I wonder what that pizza would taste like).
On the first visit Steve and I split a medium Papa Minsky’s on original crust ($15.99). The Papa Minsky’s has Italian sausage, pepperoni, salami and sweet roasted red peppers. On the second visit the three of us ordered a small Philly Cheese Steak pizza on thin crust ($11.99) and a medium Jumbo Combo on original crust ($15.99).
Minsky’s uses a really good tasting sauce and they manage to get the crust nice & crispy. Of the three pizzas we tried, my favorite was the Papa Minsky’s – it had a nice mix of meat toppings and the roasted red peppers really made the pizza sing – loads of flavor here.
While I liked the overall taste of the other pizzas, there were some issues with both the Philly and the Jumbo. The onions and the steak on the Philly pizza were not cut small enough – the onions didn’t get enough time to cook and were still a bit crispy-raw. The steak was cut into large chunks leading to some of the pieces being tough. I think the steak should have been thinly sliced (like on the namesake sandwich) making it easier to chew as well as easier to bite off without dragging other toppings off the slice.
The Jumbo Combo also suffered from the ingredient size issue. Like on the Philly, the onions didn’t cook all the way. The mushrooms while fresh were cut into very large pieces and therefore not cooked all the way though either.
The ingredients themselves were, in my opinion, a notch (or two) above most other places in town. The meats were excellent and the veggies fresh.
The mozzarella cheese on each of the pizzas is put on top of the other ingredients and came out to the table very nicely browned adding a nice flavor element to the overall taste of the pie. We didn’t notice much if any difference between the original and thin crust. We asked about that and were told that it is the same crust recipe but the thin crust is rolled just a little thinner. Both were crispy across the bottom and the edges had a nice flakey-crispy texture.
The (almost) last thing I’ll say about the pizza at Minsky’s is that they are substantial. The pizzas we ordered were really loaded with toppings & cheese. On my first visit I could only eat 2 pieces of the medium pizza. The second visit I only managed one piece of the medium and 2 pieces of the small. From that second visit with Danny and Steve (1 small & 1 medium pizza) we had almost ½ of the medium pizza left over and none of us are light eaters.
The service was good both times we visited during lunch time but it wasn’t very busy on either visit. I thought it was interesting that there was a photographer taking pictures of the food during our second visit. Perhaps the News-Leader or some other publication is working up a review. Minsky’s also has a limited delivery area – mostly the area north of Republic Road up to Sunshine then east to 65 and west to Kansas I think.
Minsky’s occupies the old Kaldi’s coffee space just down from Buffalo Wild Wings on Battlefield. I don’t know what if any remodeling may have been done, but the interior is a step up from generic strip mall with dark painted walls. There is a line of booths along one wall and quite a few 6 top tables for groups along with the regular 4 top tables. The restroom was clean.
There is one other thing worth mentioning. Minsky’s has a pizza eating challenge. The challenge is that if 2 people can eat an entire 24” monster pizza (selected from the Gourmet menu) in less than 1 hour – the pizza is free – otherwise you will be forking over the $43 regular price. Steve, Danny and I all thought it would be an impossible challenge for any normal human being.
Overall I enjoyed the pizza on both visits to Minsky’s with the “Papa Minsky’s” being a real winner from the Gourmet menu. Prices seem a bit higher than other places, but once you see and experience the heft of the pizzas and factor in the left-over potential the price isn’t as much of a factor.
I will be going back to try the wheat & honey crust to see how it compares to Wheat State and McSalty’s. Minsky’s is now near the top of my list when I’m in the mood for pizza.
900 E Battlefield St # 128 - (417) 887-4000
Corporate Website: http://www.minskys.com/
I went to Minsky’s a few days ago, and ordered a small “Prime Cut” on regular crust. The toppings were Pepperoni, American & Italian Sausage, hamburger and bacon strips.
I could only eat a little more than half of a small. As Bob mentioned, this is substantial pizza, a good amount of toppings & cheese. There was a strip of bacon on each slice of pizza, so it was very filling. Very good though, and I would rate it right there with my favorite in Springfield (Wheat State).
Had the prime cut last night. Not usually a fan of that many meat toppings on a pizza, but it tasted really good. The toppings were piled on about two and a half to three times thicker than the crust, but it still held up to them. I will be back with a friend to attempt the challenge. If it is made the same as the other pies and the math I did is correct, it should be the equivalent to around three and a half large pizzas.
Caleb: Good luck with the challenge, no way I could eat half of that Monster!
Don’t do it, Son! Pizza should be savored for
all of it’s glorious flavor. Stick to Hot Wings and Hot Dog eating contests.
Mom, it will be great practice for the 10 lb. pointersaurus pizza up near stl that pays $500 when finished in an hour.
I signed up for their email list when I first heard they were coming to town, and received an email for a free appetizer, so my daughter & I gave Minsky’s a try last week. We got the standard mozzarella sticks for our appetizer, but in my opinion, they were better than the typical mozzarella sticks at other places! We ordered “mini” pizzas, the smallest size on the menu. I had pepperoni, she had meatball. We were both pleased with the amount of toppings and cheese, and I thought the sauce was particularly flavorful. I was hoping for a thicker crust with the original, but it was still very good. Our server was excellent. I’d love to see someone try the challenge! Even the mini pizza was VERY filling!
Got the philly today and it was really good! I agree the steak should be sliced instead of in chunks, but it didn’t take too much away from the pizza. I was curious on whether I would like the cream cheese or not, but it was definitely a winner. Now I really want to try the combination of sausage, cream cheese, sweet red peppers and sauerkraut with mustard instead of tomato sauce, since that is close to how I like to dress a bratwurst.
Had lunch here on Monday. Since I was with some others, we all ordered smalls and then traded pieces so we could try a variety.
I selected the Prime Cut, which I have reviewed before, and it’s great.
I also got to try a piece of both the Tostada (Refried beans, mild sauce and beef topped with Monterey Jack cheese. After baking, it’s crowned with lettuce, tomatoes and onions and served with taco sauce.)
and the Philly Cheese Steak (Sliced green peppers, sliced red onion, sliced steak with special Italian sauce, topped with cream cheese, Swiss and provolone cheeses.)
Both were very good, and I wouldn’t hesitate to order either one of them.
It’s a close call, but I think Minsky’s is now my favorite pizza in Springfield, with Wheat State a very close second.
Bob, I like the new design! Very nice!
Minksy’s: I signed up for their email list, and I received an email coupon for a free small pizza when you dine in with at least 1 other person. That’s an $11 coupon, not bad for taking a minute to sign up!
Ate at Minsky’s tonight! I highly recommend signing up for emails on their website. This week we got a coupon for a free small Papa Minsky ($12) or 2 large 2 toppings for $20 to celebrate their anniversary. Their pizzas are very filling. A small plus an order of breadsticks was plenty for 2 of us. We got the Papa Minsky on regular (vs. thin) wheat crust minus the salami. Delish!
Since I’m a member of their email list, they mailed me (regular postal mail), a coupon for a free small 2-topping pizza for my birthday (no strings attached, no additional purchases needed) That’s an $11 coupon, so I had to take advantage of it!
With the coupon I got pepporoni & italian sausage, it was very good.
My table also ordered a Chicken Cordon Bleu pizza: Chicken with alfredo sauce, sliced ham, mushrooms, topped with Italian bread crumbs, provolone and Swiss cheese.
It was very, very good, one of my favorite pizzas from ANY pizza place. I’ll be ordering this again on my next visit.
Had the chicken cordon bleu pizza tonight, along with some fried mushrooms.
Pizza was very good, and so were the mushrooms. My favorite in Springfield now, as Wheat State seems to have went downhill a bit, from my latest experience with them.
Stopped by Minsky’s and had a sausage, pepperoni and onion on the original crust. Really good pizza. Next time I’ll try the thin crust and compare it to the original crust.
The waiter arrived at our table and mumbled something to us. He was asking what we would like to drink, but he had a mouthful of food (Skittles). I responded with a stern look and asked, “What are you eating?” Using the same inflection that I use when I find one of my dogs eating something during our walks in the woods.
They gave me a free promotion card which is good for two dollars off any large pizza (card is good for the rest of this year). [Don't know if that was an apology for the waiter or if everyone gets a card].
Other than that, I thought it is probably the best pizza in town.
My friend and I became the first team to complete the Monster Challenge tonight. We had the BBQ chicken and finished with only 3 min. left. We had practiced once prior using what we considered to be the hardest pizza, The Philly. It helped to go in with a strategy, but it came down to just not stopping or giving up to finish.
Caleb: Congrats! I can’t imagine doing that!
I received a 25% off your entire food order coupon in my email today. So if you are signed up for their email offers, look for it.
It’s good Sept 3-6.