By Denise Ortuno-Neil
East valley pizza lovers take heart, because we no longer have to make the long trek to Palm Springs for scrumptious Bill’s Pizza…as they are now in Palm Desert too!
Opened in 2010 at their Palm Springs location, Bill’s Pizza has been satisfying pizza cravings for years. However, for those of us who live east of Palm Springs, we have had to either drive the distance (really only 25 min or so), or go without their award winning pizza. But we can all breathe a sigh of pizza relief now that we have Bill’s Pizza in our own backyard.
I have heard about Bill’s Pizza for years, and last December when I saw the “Bill’s Pizza Coming Soon” sign smack dab in the middle of Palm Desert, I was delighted. The building that houses the new tenant has had many lives, from a former Chinese restaurant, to the Village Lounge, Produce Market, and even another pizza place before Bill’s Pizza.
Upon entering Bill’s Pizza Palm Desert, you are greeted by an almost dizzying red brick floor and appetite stimulating aromas. It is an inviting space and offers indoor and outdoor seating. Their menu offers pizza many ways. Like most pizza joints, you can either create your own concoction with a myriad of toppings, or try out one of their own tried and true specialty creations.
What is not usual however, is their Fast Slice option. This menu choice allows customers to get a large slice “on the fly” and for an awesome price, from $2.75 to $3.25. Fast Slice standard selections vary from a cheese slice, pepperoni, combo (cheese, sausage, pepperoni, olives, onion) or the Elton John ( garlic infused olive oil sauce, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, cooked spinach, red onions, & four cheeses plus feta) and a specialty pizza slice that changes daily.
On our visit to Bill’s Pizza, my boyfriend and I decided to share one of their salads, a 10” specialty pizza and a Fast Slice. For the salad we ordered the Orange Chipotle Candied Pecan salad with mixed greens, candied pecans, jicama, mandarin oranges, avocado, and orange chipotle dressing. The salad was crisp and refreshing with sweet tones from the mandarin oranges and candied pecans. The avocado provided creaminess and the jicama a snap, it was a leveling salad to the upcoming carb fest that we were about to ingest.
It was anything but easy to decide on our specialty pizza. The choices were extensive ranging from items such as The Coachella Pizza (Alfredo sauce, smoked bacon, roasted zucchini, red onion, Italian dry salami, mozzarella & parmesan cheese), Bacon Me Cray ( Garlic infused olive oil sauce, cooked spinach, light four cheese, feta cheese, pepperoni, roasted garlic, smoked bacon, diced tomatoes, chili flakes, asiago & parmesan cheeses), Mooselini ( Red sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, Sicilian sausage, chorizo & topped with asiago cheese), the Charlie Sheen (Red sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, salami, smoked bacon, chorizo meat balls, and shaved asiago), plus so many of their most popular pies. With the assistance of our kind and informative server Raphael, we chose The Charlie Sheen, which delivered big time with big flavors, much like its namesake. The toppings all worked well together, achieving addictive lavors ( no pun on Charlie intended) all floating on a well baked sour dough crust (imported Italian pizza flour). Our slice selection was geared towards their specialty slice selection for the day, Malot’s Favorite (Bill’s sauce, which is pesto and red sauce, mozzarella, salami, Sicilian sausage, onion, tomato and pineapple). It was fantastic!!With both pizzas on the table, we were overwhelmed….but in a happy way. Both pizzas were absolutely delicious and shined from their creativity and fresh ingredients.
Since I wasn’t driving, I indulged in a couple of Stella beers, which because we went on a Monday, and Mondays are Cheap Drink Days all day, I got my beers for only $2.50. It’s quite a deal, and if you like Bud Light, it’s only $.75 for your first one…but only on Mondays.
The prices at Bill’s Pizza are not over the top by any means, specialties range from about $12.50 for a 10” and $25.50 for an 18”. They are open for lunch and dinner from 11am to 9pm and until 10pm on the weekends.
It is so great that Bill’s Pizza has come to Palm Desert and made it easy for east valley residents as well as Palm Springs residents to partake in their awesome pizza. Thanks Bill!
Bill’s Pizza Palm Desert is located at 73-196 Hwy 111, Palm Desert 92260 * 760-834-8476.
For more information visit www.billspizzapalmsprings.com
