Murfreesboro certainly has its fair share of pizza places, each with its own special spin on the popular pie.

When Mike Botros, founder and pizza chef at Mike’s Pizzeria, realized that none of them were doing wood-fired style pizzas, though, he decided to open his own place on Memorial Boulevard and pay homage to the traditional Neapolitan-style pizzas, adding yet another option to the wide range of Murfreesboro food options.

“Some in the U.S. have brick-oven [style],” Mike says, as he takes sticks of wood from a large pile of kindling on the floor and loads them into his oven, “but Neapolitan should be wood-fired.”

This method results in pies with a thin crust, displaying a wood-fired crisp on the outside with just a hint of char from the oven but a fluffy and light bready texture inside.

The outer rim of each pizza puffs up substantially in the oven and the Neapolitan style uses sparse cheese and toppings compared to its American counterparts, but with the thin amount of crust towards the interior of the pie, each warm slice has a fantastic, soft bite and topping-to-crust ratio, particularly when eaten hot, just a few minutes after leaving the company of the fire.

“Mike and the crew serve up the best pizza in the ’Boro,” said one pleased customer, Andrew Bailey. “If you like fresh ingredients and wood-fired greatness, don’t hesitate to give Mike’s a try. My personal favorite is the meat lovers. I also really enjoy the spicy salami with the hot honey. So good! I would suggest dining in for the best pizza experience.”

The margherita—a popular, simple Italian pizza with fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, marinara sauce and olive oil—hits you with some herbaceousness, highlighting the flavor of the basil.

The small, cupped pepperonis pack some boldness, and the Mike’s Pizzeria menu has a whole section of white pizzas—many of these with no sauce at all (which those who expect Alfredo sauce on a white pizza should note, lest they find them dry for their taste).

The chicken pesto makes a delicious choice, with a good amount of pesto to add flavor and texture and both mozzarella and shaved Parmesan cheeses.

Once the pizzas cool to room temperature, the outer rim of the crust—the “pizza bones”—can become a bit tough. But many suggest dipping these in the homemade ranch.

Nearly everything in the pizzeria is house-made: the dough, pesto sauce, marinara, the Caesar and ranch dressings, and it is surprising how much love the ranch gets from customers. The bold, herby dressing has developed a strong fan base of its own.

“Maybe the best ranch I’ve ever had,” said Terrence Reed, who also recommends the spicy salami—“Outstanding pizza!”

Caesar Salad

The Mike’s dining room is somewhat plain and “low key,” nothing flashy, with the blazing hot oven as its centerpiece and the pizza itself clearly the star of the show.

“The crust is perfect—great chew, a little char flavor from the pizza oven, and not too thick or too thin. Eating the crust dipped in their homemade ranch sauce was a must,” said another diner,” Hayley Craig, who said her group wanted to sample a few options—“the mushroom [the Tartufo, topped with mozzarella, mushroom and truffle cream] and salami were our top favorites.”

Mike keeps the oven temperature between 800 and 900 degrees, he tells some guests. This means the cooking time is super fast—three minutes, maximum, and that’s for a crispy request. Standard pizzas bake for less than two minutes in the blazing hot oven.

“Would recommend eating the pizza fresh out of the oven, as it did lose some texture after we got home 20 minutes later,” commented Lin Wu, who added that she doesn’t “generally use ranch for pizza, but the homemade ranch on the pizza was a delicious combination.”

The place has eggplant and zucchini among its toppings, and offers provolone and Gorgonzola cheeses in addition to fresh mozzarella and shaved Parmesan.

“100% recommend if you’re looking for real deal Italian style pizza. The dough is fantastic,” Matt Seamon said.

Many from Italy are very glad to see prosciutto—not the most common pizza topping in the U.S.—as an option at Mike’s, as well.

“Prosciutto is the number one meat in Italy,” Mike says.

The pizzeria’s prosciutto pie is a simple cheese pizza, with the arugula, prosciutto and shaved parm added cold, after the pizza bakes.

Mike’s will soon experience some business changes behind the scenes. Botros, the restaurant founder who studied the art of Neapolitan pizza in New York City for over 10 years, says he is in the process of selling the restaurant to other investors (Hany Gerges, Karter John and Mr. Noshey), but will remain on board with the business as pizza chef with plans to help grow the brand into more locations. He adds that customers shouldn’t expect changes with the food.

Mike’s makes its own bread for its sandwiches, using the same dough it uses for the pizza crusts. Botros says he under-bakes the bread, removes it from the oven, slices it, places the sandwich toppings on, and then places it back in the oven to cook fully, melding the bread and its contents into one delicious creation.

As far as drawbacks that local customers cite with the pizza place, there’s no soda fountain (bottled drinks for sale, only), only one size of pizza (all are 12 inches) and it offers limited alternatives for those not craving pizza (or similarly made sandwiches or calzones) other than the salads, which are made with all organic ingredients.

With the pizzas topped with a minimal amount of cheese and toppings, the meats thinly shaved, crust not incredibly substantial and some of the 12-inch pizzas going for $21 or more, many diners feel the value doesn’t always line up with portion size.

“It’s pretty expensive for what you get,” one customer reported.

Shane Haynes said the “Pizza is delicious!” but did add that “the dough is so thin you have to eat a whole one by yourself” and feeding three people would be a minimum of $50, perhaps more.

But plenty of Murfreesboro pizza enthusiasts feel the quality justifies the cost.

“A simple place with good ingredients for a delicious pizza,” commented Sherri Greene.

Plus, as a special offering for February, Mike’s Pizzeria will make its pizzas heart-shaped the week of Valentine’s Day.

Mike’s Pizzeria
1612 Memorial Blvd.
Monday–Saturday: 11 a.m.–9 p.m.; Sunday: 1–8 p.m.
629-899-1818
Margherita pizza: $14; Chicken or meatball Parmesan: $14; Quattro formaggi (four cheese) pizza: $17; Caesar or arugula salad: $10; Prosciutto pizza: $20; Pepperoni, meatball or sausage pizza: $16
mikespizzeriawoodfire.com