A couple months ago on the KGSR morning show, Andy told me we were going to taste the best pizza in Austin. He said it was from his neighborhood sandwich shop, a place called Little Deli, and they had been serving pizza for the past couple months. I’m not sure I had ever heard of Little Deli before, but Andy showed me that it is tied with a handful of other restaurants at the top of the Yelp Austin ratings with 4.5/5 stars.

When owner Tony Villani showed up that morning with a stack of delicious pies, a big smile, and his infectious enthusiasm, I “got” why the Little Deli & Pizzeria has such a following. Below is Bryan folding up a slice and taking a bite.

This past Friday night my friend Ilyse hosted me and three other girlfriends at her house for an old-fashioned 80’s slumber party. She lives a block from Little Deli in Crestview and I offered to pick up two pies for the group.

I ordered a Rollatini and a Margherita. The rollatini is made with roasted eggplant, ricotta, Pecorino Romano cheese and roasted garlic. The margherita has fresh mozzarella, cherub tomatoes, garlic and fresh basil.

While I was there Tony gave me a tour of the place. He took over from the original owners three years ago and added pizza to the already popular sandwich menu a few months ago. At the same time, he expanded the hours until 9 p.m. and spiffed up the atmosphere by added more picnic tables and a string of lights. Little Deli is open only on weekdays right now and will be adding delivery and plan to open on Saturdays sometime this fall.

The Little Deli is in an adorable 1950’s shopping center in a residential neighborhood that includes a beauty parlor and barber shop, pharmacy, and a grocery store. This is the type of place where everyone knows each other and greets you by name and Tony has made a point to get to know his customers personally and make everyone feel like a special guest. Here he is proudly showing off his product:

Tony was chatting with some of his regular customers (below) when I walked in. They were enjoying his company and the pizza while cooling off with sips of the beers they had picked up cooling in ice-filled buckets that Tony and his staff are happy to provide (love BYOB).

As I was about to leave, I ran into photographer and all around great guy Wyatt McSpadden (pictured below with Tony) who had ordered a pie to bring home to enjoy with his wife Nancy. I’ve never tried the sandwiches but Wyatt says they are amazing and suggested trying the Philly Cheese Steak — a dish that his Philadelphia-based friend loved so much that he sent Tony a thank you letter.

Tony lived down the street from the original owners and offered to buy the place when they were looking to retire. He had big shoes to fill but Wyatt says that Tony has definitely brought his own personality and flavor to the operation.

After enjoying dinner at home with the girls, we walked back to the center to check out the IGA grocery — I wanted to take pictures of their new walk-in beer refrigerator. Sadly, the IGA closes at 8 p.m. — something that they will hopefully change now that Tony stays open until 9!

As we wandered up, we ran into Andy Langer and Dave Shaw (yes, The Real Dave Shaw), enjoying a pie. Two of my friends knew other people eating there that night and we all agreed that there is something special, neighborhoody and magical about Little Deli.

I’ll leave you with my favorite pic of the night — Ilyse greeting me as I was arriving decked out in all of her 80’s finery (including big hoop earrings with “Ilyse” painted on them).