Joe Squared

   What We Ate:

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Jack- 4.6 out of 5 stars

Alec- 4.75 out of 5 stars

Nate- 4.5 out of 5 stars

Deep Fried Beef Ravioli

Jack- 4.2 out of 5 stars

Alec- 4 out of 5 stars

Nate- 4 out of 5 stars

Approaching Joe Squared Pizza on North Avenue, the understated brick building does not scream "Best Pizza in Baltimore."  This is Joe Squared's style, though.  They know how to make an excellent pizza and do not need to flaunt it with a fancy exterior.  As we entered the restaurant, a large space at the front of the dining room is left empty for the weekly live musicians that come to perform.  No one was slated during our time at the restaurant that night, but this is just one more feature of the relaxed atmosphere Joe Squared creates for their customers as they feel welcome to enjoy some of the best pizza in the area while listening to some great free music.  Sitting down, I noticed the large square pies.  I listened to the chatter of other diners who looked delighted to be enjoying their meal.  Its a small space inside but a cozy one.  Young and old, families and friend flock to Joe Squared.  After we ordered Deep Fried Beef Ravioli and a 16 inch BBQ Chicken Pizza, I gazed around the restaurant to see t-shirts with a different print for each a Joe's pizzas.  Retro designs decorated the black t-shirts and soon after taking in the designs, the Deep Fried Ravioli arrived at our table.  I was ready to eat.

-Nate

Original Joe Squared T-shirts line the walls

When a restaurant showcases a dish on television like Joe Squared featured their deep fried beef ravioli on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives, you know its probably going to be good.  It is safe to say we weren't disappointed with this one.  I don't know about the Jack and Nate, but I really didn't know what to expect since I hadn't had anything like it before, besides perhaps mozzarella sticks.  What the waitress placed in front of us was about as unique as the restaurant itself.  The first thing I could say after biting into one of these bad boys was, "That's the crunchiest thing I've ever eaten," and for a deep fried food, this assertion of mine was probably correct.  The numerous layers of breading around the ravioli (you can order it without breading as well) gave the ravioli a shell-like outer casing which housed a juicy, pillowy pocket of ground beef inside.  The marinara was a perfect accompaniment to these flavors.  The first thing you taste is the acidity of the sauce, followed by the richness of the breading.  Finally, the tender, juicy beef falls apart in your mouth and all you can think about is that next bite.  Unfortunately, for $7 there's seven raviolis that come with an order, which had the three of us fighting for the last one. 

- Alec

Yeah, it's big

We heard that Joe Squared has a mean thin-crust pizza, and so we decided to order the monstrously large 16-inch BBQ-chicken variety. For about $23, it came with not only the expected BBQ-chicken, but also avocado, onions, parsley, and at least three different cheeses. The thin crust was done perfectly with a slight char on the edge but nice soft doughy texture towards the middle.

 Split three ways, this pizza was still a challenge to tackle but we made it through to the last slice.  It wasn't your average Friday night greasy fix of 'za, though: this stuff was golden. You bite into a slice expecting nothing but greatness and the expectations are still shattered. At first sight, I was a bit disappointed to not see a mountain of chicken and BBQ sauce covering the canvas that we call dough, but the taste truly made up for it. It was a perfect balance of mouthwateringly tasteful chicken accompanied by sporadic patches of avocado and cheese to cool the whole thing down. The barbeque sauce was pleasantly sweet, a nice contrast to the charred crust and creaminess of the avocado and cheese.  The onions and the cilantro were just a whole other shock of flavors to go along, and together they had us unable to stop eating. The fact that Joe Squared prides themselves on growing fresh herbs on the roof of their building really shows through with the product.  This was an exceptional dish at an exceptional spot that I'd recommend to anyone looking for a new yet strange twist on their city pizza outings.

 -Jack