LIGHTHOUSE PIZZA & FRIES
Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★
District: Aksarben
Gigantic Pizza Slices
Perfect For: Lunch; Casual Dining; Takeout
Standout Dishes: Create-Your-Own Pizza Slice; The Sparky; Beef & Bleu Fries
It can be a bit of a red flag when a restaurant chooses to market its signature item based on its size. Pictures of quadruple-patty burgers and 72-ounce steaks draw plenty of attention on Instagram, but what are the odds that item’s quality matches its quantity? Generally speaking, menu items that deliver shock value rarely tend to match that thrill in flavor.
This isn’t the case at Lighthouse Pizza and Fries, which has a location in the Capitol District and another just off 74th and Pacific. The restaurant prides itself on being the proud creators of the nine-inch slice, a massive helping that eclipses the large tray it arrives on. Luckily, the restaurant doesn’t rely on size alone to make its food stand out.
Oversized slices aren’t all the makes Lighthouse unique. It has a drive thru, a true rarity among pizza joints, while also allowing customers to order at the counter.
Lighthouse’s menu is defined by customization and inventive offerings. There are signature slices that get expand to all corners of the pizza spectrum (even some that haven’t been discovered yet), including the Mac & Cheese (roast chicken, bacon, macaroni, alfredo sauce), the Ed and Sal (bacon, parmesan garlic fries, Lighthouse sauce), and the Thai Chicken (roast chicken, green peppers, onions, sweet chili sauce, Thai peanut sauce). If you want something wild, Lighthouse is the place to come to.
You can also create your own slice from two crusts (original or honey wheat), eight meats (bacon, Canadian bacon, hamburger, pepperoni, roast chicken, sausage, spicy chicken, chorizo) and 15 vegetables, six drizzles (basil pesto, BBQ, buffalo, sweet chili, Thai peanut, Alfredo) and three different cheese crumbles. The options are seemingly endless.
Lighthouse doesn’t joke around about the size of their slices. Each literally spills off the tray they’re delivered on, and if you picked it up it would eclipse your face.
The crust provides a great base to start your slice. It’s cooked quickly at a high temperature–pizzas can arrive within five minutes of ordering–creating little burned pockets to add texture and just the right hint of bitterness. There is a lot of crust left at the end, but this is where the side of Lighthouse sauce (complimentary with each slice) comes in. This creamy cajun ranch is the perfect partner for the crisp crust.
The Sparky is one of Omaha’s most special slices of pizza. Adorned with huge pepperoni discs, sprinkles of Italian sausage, and little cream cheese asteroids, this pie would be great with a traditional red sauce base. But Lighthouse swaps that out for Sparky’s sauce, a mild wing sauce with just the right amount of sugar to create a slice with near perfect sweet/heat balance.
The BBQ Chicken Pizza, one of Lighthouse’s traditional slices, represents a completely different flavor profile. The sauce is quite sweet and smoky and dominates every bite. But the bacon and chicken add salty, savory elements that keep this option from being a sugary mess.
Each slice costs about $8, which to this writer more than fair for the amount of food and quality you receive.
Pizza is the main attraction, but Lighthouse also offers a creative selection of french fries. Like the pizza, there are traditional options like the Garlic Parmesan or the Pizza (topped with Italian seasoning and served with marinara dipping sauce). But if diners want to go extreme, they can order the Outlaw Fries (topped with pulled pork, cheddar jack cheese sauces, coleslaw, and BBQ drizzle), poutine (cheese curds and brown gravy), or the Tiger (roast chicken, bleu cheese crumbles, cheddar jack cheese sauce, buffalo seasoning, buffalo aioli drizzle).
The fries themselves are OK, though they’re a bit soft and limp, a status that only becomes more pronounced when a mound of toppings are placed upon them. But the flavors Lighthouse achieves in its topping combinations are extraordinary. You’ll be hard pressed to find many loaded fry options better than the Beef & Bleu, which is loaded with cuts of tender brisket and sharp bleu cheeses crumbles and spattered with a zesty parmesan peppercorn drizzle.
While the size of a Lighthouse slice might originally entice customers and get them in the door, it’s the flavors pumping out of these pies and fries that’ll keep them coming back time and time again.