I have found myself getting picky about my pizza recently. Back when I was pregnant with my daughter, I was perfectly happy with Ci-Ci’s pizza. I could damn near eat a whole pizza all by myself and I enjoyed it. I also liked Pizza Hut and Mazzio’s but now 15 years later I have become a pizza snob. I shed no tears when Ci-Ci’s on NW Highway closed, I can’t stand the taste of Pizza Hut, have no desire to stop at Mazzio’s, and refuse to go back in Pizza Inn. So in NW Oklahoma City, that doesn’t leave many options. Initially, I didn’t want to try Hideaway because it was founded in Stillwater and for a die-hard Sooner (I was also born in Norman, so there’s that as well), it was hard for me to want to stop but my persistent husband finally talked me into it.
I know their pizzas are legendary, but I wanted to try the fried mushrooms to start. The server brought a bowl with a big pile of steaming fried mushrooms along with ranch and marinara for dipping. Honestly, these are the best fried mushrooms on the planet. I was immediately in love with them and have to get them every time we visit. The crunchy batter is fried to perfection while not over-cooking the mushroom inside. The homemade ranch that is served with them is a perfect addition to help cool the temperature for eating, plus you can also save it to dip the crust in after you’ve eaten the rest of the slice.
Now for the pizza, our first visit we got the pepperoni palooza. Three types of pepperoni piled on top of the hand-tossed crust (there is also a thin crust but I haven’t tried it yet). It was wonderful, there was the proper amount of grease from the pepperoni but not too soggy. The crust is almost biscuit like, very flavorful but not overpowering. We got a large and had enough to take home for later. So needless to say we’ve been back many times now, always trying a different pizza. We’ve now tried The Boz, Cimarron, the Capone, and the Sicilian. Every pizza has been great. There are about 20 different pizza’s to select from plus sandwiches and pasta. They also have some deserts that look really good but I’m always too stuffed to try them.
The service is always good and we are seated quickly. Never a problem with cleanliness either. The price is about the same as the chain pizza places but the quality is much better. I know the original location is Stillwater has been around since 1957 but they have been spreading out over the state the past few years. The best part of Hideaway is that there are many locations to try even though I’ve only been to the NW Highway location. I give it 5 strips of bacon plus a couple of fried mushrooms just for fun.
Addresses: 5501 NW Expressway, Oklahoma City; 5950 W. Memorial Rd., Oklahoma City; 5022 N. Western Ave., Oklahoma City; 901 N. Broadway Ave., Oklahoma City; 116 E. 16th St., Edmond; 835 SW 19th St., Moore; 577 Buchanan Ave., Norman; 1701 Shedeck Parkway, Yukon; 100 SW Frank Phillips Blvd., Bartlesville; Several locations in Tulsa, and Arkansas; and the original in Stillwater at 230 S. Knoblock.
The Fat Okie 