The Cosmos Wood-Fired Pizza

We drove 100 miles to come here and it was worth it! In all reality we were looking for a half way point between the Detroit area and West MI for Father’s Day. We were delighted that it was a sunny day so we sat outside.
They had an outside patio and had a live band playing «summer» music. The waitress came right over and told us about the specials. We ordered some drinks and the grilled vegetable skewers to start.
The drinks were delicious and served in good portions. The vegetable skewers had a good flavor but the presentation could have been better. The redeeming factor was a tasty side of taziki sauce.
We then moved on to the strawberry salad and the duck fat fries. The salad was perfect for summer and had a good amount of chicken and strawberries. The fries were crunchy and full of lots of potato. The sauce it was served with was delicious.
For pizzas we had both the pepperoni and the runny egg pizza. The crust was doughy and tasty and the flavors were spot on!
The total bill for 3 drinks, 2 pizzas, 2 salads and an appetizer was just under $ 100 and we were stuffed! Overall awesome experience.

Tried the corn fritters based on a recommendation from the waiter… they were excellent, crunchy on the outside, surprisingly moist on the inside and had great flavor. The two pizzas we ordered were both great as well, including the crust. At the end of our meal the waiter brought over complementary donuts as it was our first time in! The only thing keeping Cosmos from 5 stars is the awful music they play… and unfortunately it’s too loud to tune out.

Hands down the best restaurant in the Lansing Area. Not for pizza purists, but rather a mecca for those who believe in the greatness that pizza can be when we dream. This is one of the few restaurants in mid-​Michigan that would be competitive if transplanted to a foodie town like Austin or Durham. My only request is more IPAs on tap (pizza is simply better with a good IPA to accompany it).

6 of us went for dinner and got 6 unique items. Everyone loved their pizzas and we did a bit of «I’ll share one with you» so I was able to try a few different ones. I got the «trust us» surprise and the kitchen whipped up an amazing concoction of meats, feta, chimichurri sauce and I can’t even remember everything else anymore. It was wonderful. Someone else got the pizza with sunny side up eggs cracked on it when it comes out of the oven, I tasted one with fresh tomato slices and mozzarella. I could go on and on but it was wonderful. Sat outside, ate great pizza, drank some good beer, and had a very relaxing evening.

Unique pizza options. Very good Bosc pear and runny egg pizza. Duck fat truffle fries are a must. Missing out if you don’t pick some up.

Great pizza and beer selection. Staff was super friendly. Ordered the «Trust Us» pizza. You don’t know what they are going to bring.
I got a steak chimmichurry pizza. Wow it was good.
Crust on the pizza was perfect.

Recently, I paid a visit to The Cosmos with a few members of my family. I will start by saying that while I very much enjoyed my meal, I was the only person at the table who left happy. Of the two pizzas ordered by others at my table, I had the chance to try a slice of one of them, the very basic heirloom tomato pizza. I found it adequate but unremarkable.
For my meal, I ordered the Michigan Morel, a pizza made with taleggio cheese, morel mushrooms, duck sausage, charred ramps, stewed heirloom tomatoes, and a roasted garlic cream sauce. On the whole, I found this particular pizza quite excellent, probably among the top five I’ve ever had. But I do have a few criticisms of it. First, the tomatoes that went unmentioned in the actual menu description were an unwelcome distraction and added nothing positively to the flavor. Second, with an ingredient as delicate as morel mushrooms, I think cooking them on top of the pizza is a travesty — they get too well done. Just as their eggs are cooked separately for the Runny Egg pizza and then added on top before serving, the mushrooms should be added after the pizza has been taken out of the oven. And third, the pizza was either in for a bit too long or not rotated properly, because there was a higher level of char than should be acceptable for a well executed wood-​fired pizza on one side of it. Great as the pizza was, at $ 26 for what was a rather small dish, these sort of mistakes really aren’t appropriate.
In addition to the pizza, I tried the duck fat fries with truffled parmesan. While you generally cannot go wrong with duck fat fries, I wasn’t wowed by what they offered. Duck fat fries are best when they have a shoestring cut, so that the duck fat really infuses into the fries and imparts a deep flavor. The Cosmos uses steak fries, and seems to do a single rather than double or triple fry, so the flavor is a little bit lacking. The truffled parmesan helps greatly, but it is rather sparse. And the «cosmic sauce,» which nearest I can tell is just really bad quality ketchup, shouldn’t even be served.
The beer list seems decent because it is handled by Zoobies, to which it is physically connected and owned in common, but the actual knowledge of the servers regarding their product is deficient. There was, for example, one beer listed on the menu when I visited which had no brewery listed. At the time being virtually certain I’d had the offering, I asked to confirm that it was made by Moonlight Meadery in New Hampshire. The uncertain server came back and told me that it was made by «Vermont Meadery,» which doesn’t exist, much less make the beverage in question. When I then requested a sample of a particular cider I was considering ordering, my server returned to tell me that the keg had kicked and been replaced with another cider by the same company, and he offered me a pour. The problem with this is that he told me he was giving me (and which was not listed on the menu) Blake’s Farmhand… which does not exist. What he actually served me was Blake’s Flannel Mouth. A patron less well informed about beer would find themselves compromised by the lack of staff knowledge.
I’d consider returning if they offered up something else as unique and oriented towards my preferences as the Michigan Morel pizza, but given the high prices, mediocre non-​pizza offerings, and staff training problems, I’m in no great rush to have lunch there again.

Really enjoyed the atmosphere and food at Cosmos. Server was helpful. The trust us pizza is worth trying!

As much as I wanted to like this place, it just did not do the trick. Everything is over-​priced.
$ 6 for the fries which are NOT «shareable» and another $ 1 for «loaded» parmesan truffle, when there were just a few shavings on top.
The pizza is one-​size and quite small — 6 medium sized slices.
Also — $ 5 for a CAN of beer?!
I don’t think so. I’ve worked in hospitality long enough to know that everything there was too overpriced.
It would have been a better experience if the service was fun or friendly or exciting but the service was VERY awkward. The waiter just stared at us while waiting for us to order and when he poured my beer, he didn’t even pour it against the glass so I had this huge head on my beer, which I didn’t appreciate since I was already paying $ 5 for the 12 oz. can.

The pizza is wonderful! We always get the runny egg and man, it’s like a perfect pizza. Crusty not too thick, nice and saucy, high quality toppings. We also like the spinach salad and goat cheese salad — again very high quality ingredients and very consistent. We crave this food and go back often.
We did try the truffle fries today because of other reviews but we weren’t impressed. They are way too thick (and therefore dry) and the truffle flavor was hardly noticeable… I’m still not really convinced it was there. Also extremely skimpy on the cheese. I don’t even like much cheese but in was like super super light. So, not ordering those again.
Service was good this time. Had a guy last time who was neither attentive nor friendly. Female today was great.
The big thing though… Is the music!!! Argh absolutely horrible. I know it’s a mid-​Michigan specialty to have God-​awful music but I really hoped Cosmos would be hipper than that. READ: the late 90s and early 2000s was a terrible time for pop/​punk/​rock music– stop making us re-​live it! I heard 10 songs in a row I was truly hoping to never hear again (red hot chili peppers, blink 182, and on). Please, pay for Spotify, type on Kurt vile, Jose Gonzalez, or hmm maybe even something smooth like Jamie xx and let to go on playlist. so much wonderful music has been made it would really boost the ambience. If popular rock/​punk it is, for Christ sake as least play us the white stripes instead of rhcp. I mean your poor employees ears must be bleeding at the end of their shift.
Okay — your food is wonderful and we come regularly, just would love to see you music be as cool as the interior, people, and menu.
We will be in with more people soon…

Best spot in town for pizza. If u want dominos go to dominos. If you want a new outlook on the way pizza could be then this is the place for you. Please no substitutions. The pizzas are made that way for a reason. We got the runny egg the trust us and the applewood bacon. Big city flavored in a small town setting.

I have to preface my review by saying that I’ve only ordered pretty adventurous pizzas here. I’ve never once ordered just a standard heirloom tomato or meat and cheese pizza. I truly appreciate what they do in terms of creativity, but sometimes they flop. For example the last pizza I ordered had goat cheese, mozzarella, Brussels sprouts, kale and beet pesto. It sounded great but not enough of the sweet from the beets came through and too much of the earthy taste from beets, brussels and kale made the pizza kinda taste like dirt. That being said, I’ve ordered a variety of bruschettas and have never been disappointed in that regard. Next time I visit, I’ll stick to the bruschetta and try a plain pizza.
The service tends to be pretty good. Some people feel like this restaurant and its adjoining neighbor, Zoobies, are too hipster. I don’t find that at all.
Their beer could use some help though. Almost every time I visit either establishment the beer that I wanted’s keg is out. That is always so disappointing to me as they have awesome looking options that I’d like to try. The price of beer can be a little outlandish too, but I think that’s typical of Lansing. I’m not a fan of paying $ 6+ a beer. Those kinds of prices won’t have me staying for more than one.
Long story short– it’s good!

Excellent pizzas and amazing truffle fries. The price is decent for the quality of the pizza they provide. The portion meant not be up to par for some folks, but I feel the quality make up for the portion (I am a big portion person). Beer selection is very nice.
The SERVICE is the ONLY thing that was very bad! The gentleman we had that day was lacking in all kind of ways. This young man was not attentive. Water ran dry throughout the whole experience. Proactive-​ness of the waiter was out the window. If the service can be on the same level as the food, it would get a 5-​STAR!
PLEASE ADDRESS THE SERVICE!

I went there with a friend for the good reviews. It is located at the edge of the old town Lansing, which makes their parking lot something worth mentioning. The ambience is unique and laid back. They have my favorite beer on Tap.
We ordered the duck fat fries with parmesan cheese. It is very good, but my friend and I think it is not THAT good. Don’t get me wrong. I do like it A LOT and I do recommend anyone to try it. It is obviously better than any fries from fast food franchises such as five guys. Probably we were expecting something even more surprising because everyone loves the duck fat fries so much. For the pizza, we «trusted them» and ordered the «trust us» pizza. We were happy we «trusted them». Our waiter and waitress are super nice too. I cannot wait to visit the cosmos again!!! It is a little bit expensive though.

Best pizza joint in the area. Unique outer space inside with delicious speciality pizzas. Cannot go wrong with any of them! One pizza is perfect to split with another person. My personal favorites are the runny egg and the Boursin cheese!

Delicious! Cool atmosphere and great food.
The chef must have a serious sweettooth because there are crazy amounts of sweet going on in every dish, which can be both good and bad. The strawberry salad is a tad overwhelming with sweet but the pear pizza is to die for.
I recommend this place for anyone looking for a cool lunch place. Good service and great good. Bruschetta is also a great choice here — I personally love the Brie and pesto. Lots of great beer options here too both on tap and canned.

The definition of a dive, The Cosmos is as good as it gets! Looking for out of the box? This pizza place is the spot.
Connected to Zoobies Old Town Tavern, this place is very unique. My girlfriend and started with Duck Fat Fries with the parmesan truffle topping with a homemade ketchup.
We also ordered two pizza’s, the Heirloom Tomato Pizza and The Runny-​Egg Pizza. The Heirloom Tomato Pizza was simple but delicious. Probably not going to be on the menu for long since the chef changes the menu seasonally.
The Runny-​Egg Pizza was a amazing blend of cheese, sauce, spinach, oven roasted, pancetta all topped with 3 poached eggs. Words cannot describe how great this pizza.
Definitely a hidden gem in the Lansing area!

Fries were delicious. Ceviche was so-​so. Runny Egg, Pepperoni, and Crispy Prosciutto pizzas were all amazing. The crust and dough were perfect, toppings were flavorful, prepared correctly and fresh.
Desert was great too. Cinnamon donut holes made to order with a side of a chili peach ice cream. Looking forward to coming back, great addition in the Lansing food scene.

4.5, so rounding up. Only recommendations would be to increase the space size, for more seating and less overhead sound. But given that this is a start-​up, the it’s impressive that the current location is pretty much always busy.
Really liked this place a lot. It’s a gem in an otherwise dull neighborhood. Food was incredible. There were so many great pizza options, and we couldn’t make up our minds, so we ended up ordering the «Trust Us» pizza. It was a delicious Brie, prosciutto and apple pizza. It was delicious. The duck fat fries with shredded Parmesan and truffles is also definitely worth getting as well. We didn’t drink but Cosmos has a full page of beers and wines.
Atmosphere was clean, bright and fun. You have a full view of the kitchen, and I always appreciate watching my food being made. You can sit at regular tables or at a bar.
I’ll definitely be back to visit Cosmos next time I’m in Lansing.

I’m kinda sad that I have to write this review; Zoobies is (has been) my favorite bar in Lansing for quite awhile now. I was the first person to review Zoobies and I’ve been a semi-​regular there since the week they opened (even though the staff has never bothered to give any hint that they might recognize me). Even when Zoobies prices increased I hung in there because Zoobies is a communal bar and the Magic of Zoobies was the fact that everyone there was essentially there to be social. Only popcorn and mostly bar height tables meant that you got to talk to all sorts of people, and it’s a delicate phenomenon. So changing the formula and adding a pizza joint seemed like a risky venture to me (atmosphere wise). Cosmo’s is that venture.
I’ve said it before in my reviews, wood oven pizza is the go-​to food of breweries and craft beer bars these days. It’s just the fall back option when they don’t know what else to do (who knows why). There are some places in Michigan that do it really, really well: Motor City brewing (in Detroit) and Harmony Brewing (in Grand Rapids do a great job. Kuhnhenn Brewery (Clinton Township) and Arcadia (Battle Creek) do it okay. And, I say that with great prejudice, if you look at my other reviews you’d see I’m not a big pizza fan. I only like great brick fire oven pizza; pizza is the worlds easiest, most boring, laziest thing you can make make. It’s just flat bread, SAUCE and cheese; yet somehow it’s usually done poorly, that said I still had high hopes for Cosmo’s before I went.
My fiancé and I ordered pizza, duck fries, and beer. The beer (Zoobies’ contribution) was great as always. The duck fries were completely unexciting. Tavern 109 right down the road in Williamston makes truffle oil and Parmesan french fries just like it (minus the duck fat) and they taste far, far better; so this is a bad appetizer to call a house «specialty». The truffle oil popcorn at Zoobies is more memorable (and generally better). Seriously though, to all the people raving about the fries in their reviews, take the short trip to Williamston for Tavern 109’s fries and then tell me what you think, because this is a bad knock off… And the Pizza wasn’t even just, «meh,» like the fries were.
The pizza we had was horrible, and again. I’m not a huge fan of pizza but, I’m pretty sure to be called pizza it has to have a sauce on it; ours did not. Otherwise it’s just cheese bread with toppings. In addition to that our pizza was so salty it was not palatable… I mean, who makes a salty pizza? Salt is not what a pizza should taste like… It should have a full flavor; some acid from the tomato sauce, some savoriness from the meat, some salt from the cheese, some smokey-​ness in the crust… After all, I paid $ 17 for the 6 slice pizza we ordered, and at that price it should taste damn good! We couldn’t even eat all of it because it was plainly bad… we drained our beers trying to wet our pallets from the salt and then just paid our bill quietly and left our pizza alone.
Seriously, all we tasted was salt; just salt, salt and more salt. Coincidentally our duck fat fries had no salt on them, despite the fact that you would expect french fries to be salty. Maybe it was a fluke but, God it was bad. I would consider trying a different pizza again but it would require some coxing (and beer).
Our waitress must have sense our disappointment; she kept our interactions limited to the basics and avoided eye contact. Obviously, it wasn’t her fault.
I’ll come back to Zoobies, I might try the other appetizers while I’m there. But I seriously hope that Cosmo’s steps their game up and doesn’t ruin the only half decent bar in Lansing with this misguided foray into pizza.
With that in mind Zoobies should consider, not serving pizza in the bar proper and restricting Zoobies menu to appetizers. If half the bar is eating pizza then that means those people aren’t rubbing elbows with the strangers at the tables next to them. And frankly that was the one thing that made Zoobies stand apart from the crowd. I’ll still wait for Cosmo’s to mature before I pass judgement on it’s effect on Zoobies. But, Zoobies should keep that fact in mind, I’m sure I’m not the only person that feels that way.
I rated it ²⁄₅ but, frankly one of those stars is due to it sharing a wall with Zoobies.