Pop’s Backdoor

The title «CLOSED» above is incorrect.
This business moved from downtown Durham to the Shannon Road Plaza next door to the big Post Office — 3710 Shannon Rd. Durham 27 707.
The food is excellent, and they do deliver.

This is the perfect locale for, say, a Monday night grab-​and-​go pizza night. All of their pizzas are delish, especially the ever-​famous granny smith and brie pizza. Mmmmmm.
Don’t order a salad or anything else here and expect to be excited– I was being healthy and ordered a salad with grilled chicken and I spent the whole dinner having food envy at my friends eating perfect pieces o’ pie.
If they expanded and improved the rest of the menu then they would rate a perfect 5 in my book.
Pops could do more with the decoration in the South location– how hard is it to slap some nicer paint on the walls?

For someone who is bored of normal Dominos-​type Pizza, Pop’s Backdoor is very refreshing. You can make your own pizza of course, but I really like their specials. Some of them are a bit odd (salt egg) and so I haven’t tried them yet but I’m hoping to soon, and others are more typical with just a hint of originality. I live nearby so delivery was super fast and convenient and the people who answer the phone and deliver the pizza are always very nice. I don’t mind that it’s only delivery or pick-​up because usually when I want pizza it’s because I’m feeling lazy, not because I want a sit-​down restaurant. I would recommend ordering some gelato along with your pizza, although it’s always a roll of the dice to see what type of gelato they happen to have around. It costs more than your average pizza, but for something different, it’s great.

Yes. I had to do it. Five stars! Pop’s Backdoor has become an almost weekly tradition in my household. The pizza just really is that good. I normally get mushrooms, onion, spinach, banana peppers and their amazing cherry peppers. Mmmmm. Super fresh and yummy. I have been really impressed with their consistency to deliver yummy pizza time after time. I hope the pizza places in New Haven are taking notes ;)
Both the house and Caesar salads are killer and they deliver within the downtown loop. As I write this, my partner and I are waiting patently for their delivery to arrive :)

I’m falling in love with this place and this place is making me fall in love with downtown Durham even more. I’ve had the good fortune of moving into a house not too far away and I can tell that this place will be my food savior. The Mushroom Lovers is my favorite but when I want to «mix things up» I also enjoy the Granny Smith Apple or the Chicken Pesto pizzas. I’m working my way through the menu but I have not been disappointed so far. The crust is perfectly toasted and has a wonderful taste and texture. The cheese is also interesting and flavorful (this isn’t a mozzarella-​only type of place).
Delivery has worked well for us. The pizzas have been delivered within the given time. Can’t wait to get some pizzas from here during the Spring and Summer to have on our deck or maybe over at Fullsteam Brewery.

A few months ago they were talking about closing this one at some point, with the main restaurant location moved and the Shannon Rd. Backdoor on the way. (It’s there now, btw, but haven’t been to it yet.) I hope that never happens. There’s something really charming about a gourmet pizza place with exactly 1 table right off a parking lot. I couldn’t imagine doing this in the winter, but sitting at that table chowing down on pizza, drunk way too early on a Friday summer evening and then stumbling across to Devine’s was one of my fondest 2010 memories. Rock on, Backdoor!
The apple & brie pizza is deeeee-​lish!
(A little spendy, but a nice treat, and best to share.)

Delicious. I am hardly hungry after the hot bread basket (that I pretty much eat single-​handedly) but I find the room for the other yummy eats at Pop’s.

Great pie that is not skimpy on toppings. My husband and I ordered a large pizza: half his choice of #1 (apple, brie, truffle oil, ricotta) and half my choice of #16 (artichoke hearts, olives, peppers, mushrooms). The crust is not thin-​style but more bready with a good chewy texture, and pretty hearty and filling. I especially liked that they pile on the veggies, even though it was a little on the salty side with the addition of the green olives. The one complaint I have is that it is pretty greasy, especially the ricotta/​brie pizza; you can easily see the floating oil on top, and after eating, you notice the grease stains soaked into the box and feel slightly queasy. Definitely one of the best pizza spots in the Triangle for that style of crust.

$ 50 for three medium pizzas stung just a bit. But luckily, the food didn’t disappoint. I was having a gathering of folks at the house and planning to jet over to nearby Tomato Jake’s — but fellow Unilocaler, Susan Z, implored that I go to Pop’s (superior pizza, in her opinion) instead. This involved driving twenty minutes out of the way and showing up nearly forty-​five minutes late for my own party.
But by my guests’ estimations, it was deemed worthwhile. There wasn’t a slice left over. I think the favorite pie was #1 (coincidence, I think not…) with the Granny Smith apples, brie and white truffle oil. It smelled so good, I actually couldn’t help but have a slice on the drive back (don’t know how pizza delivery drivers can withstand the temptation!).
I’d recommend calling ahead and picking up about 30 minutes later. They do have a table and chairs set out, but it’s getting hot and steamy in these parts for that. If you’re having trouble finding them, look in the corridor that faces the back porch of Parker & Otis.

Holy yum. That’s really all I have to say. I’m so happy with Pop’s pizza that I don’t even feel pressured to eat inside the actual restaurant. The different types of pies they offer are creative and really showcase the local ingredients they use. The crust is on the thinner side which I love, two people could split the small size easily, and they use lots of garlic! If you get the pizza for a date night, you need to realize that there will be no making out later on.

Delicious pizza w/​great ingredients and oh so flavorful! Their white pizza has big chunks of brie and roasted garlic on it — nuff said :)

Ordered 3 smalls: Apple w/​cheese, tomato lovers (w/​roasted garlic), and mushroom lovers.
DELISH!!! The poor guy sitting outside in the snow w/​only a sweatshirt was funny and personable, despite the fact I called like five times and refused to place my order until exactly 30 minutes before they closed. He could’ve been a total ass about it, but he only poked some gentle fun.
Thank you, Pop’s Backdoor guy!

Pop’s Backdoor is a new takeout counter the Pop’s (and Rue Cler I believe) people have opened in the back of the parking lot adjacent to Pop’s.
I’ve always found Pop’s (the eat in portion of this place) to be consistent and good. Not great, but good. And I’ve always found the pizza’s very good and creative (I love the big olé salty fried egg pie). It’s a great place when we want a place that is not too expensive and where we as a family can all be happy.
So when they opened this take-​out area in back, I was thrilled. One of my favorite things is to go order a pie and grab a beer and chill in the little waiting patio they have at the counter. There is an aesthetic to this little nook in Durham that I just love — all that major iron work alongside the Fowler’s (Parker and Otis) porch has a really heavy comforting feel. Like there is extra gravity there keeping you grounded.
Anyway, to the food. What they sell are takeout pizzas, calzones, and salads. The first time we went, we ordered a pizza, and the kitchen made a mistake and sent me home with a calzone, which I only realized once I was home. Well, what a mistake that was. Ever since then, it’s been nothing but calzones for me. When you take home a cut pizza (hint: always order your take out pizzas uncut), it’s just a soggy mess by the time it hits your plate. But I now realize that a calzone is a pizza that designed for takeout. It stays hot. The sauce is on the side. And it’s uncut.
So far, my favorite is the broccoli rabe, meatball, garlic, and cheese calzone. Not sure how this is as a pizza, but it’s near perfection as a giant Italian empenada.