Howie’s Artisan Pizza

I’ve eaten at Howies multiple times in my life but never have I experienced service this bad. My group and I ordered a normal sized pizza but received a small. We told our waiter who assured us we would not be charged for the regular size. however we received the check we noticed that we were charged 19 dollars instead of 12. The manager would not listen to us and treated us extremely poorly. Customers come first but clearly Howie’s does not understand that concept.

I’ve been to howies in the past and haven’t had a bad experience there before. today, I went to howies with two friends and we ordered a margarita pizza. our waiter never asked us what size we wanted and we received a small pizza that was a significantly different size than the regular pizza I’ve received in the past. when we received the bill, we were charged $ 19 for the pizza, the price of a regular pizza. we mentioned this to our waiter who agreed that this was a mistake. a woman who we assumed was the manager came up to us and treated us extremely rudely and made it seem as if we had made this all up. although we explained what happened to the manager, she rudely told us that they wouldn’t fix the check for us. the difference in price is $ 7, but instead howies just lost 3 loyal customers. the mediocre food is not worth the terrible treatment we received. would not recommend.

You might be asking, «Howie do it?» At this gourmet pizza café, they start with first-​class toppings such as prosciutto, salami, fennel sausage, scalloped potatoes, arugula and olives, to be paired with northern California craft beers and red wine from high-​sought vineyards (you’re kindly welcome to get buzzed in the afternoon). Yet for all that’s good about this place, the cheese pile-​on is too much of a glop and the fine toppings a little too carelessly thrown on. It’s certainly better than your average American pizza chain, but I’m hoping one day «Howie’s» can be more generous, and caring, about their preparation. As is, my would-​be howling enthusiasm is only an affable murmur. #questforpeace

I don’t come here often, but when I do, I truly enjoy my meal.
I made a request for a heart shaped pizza from the person that was in charge on 12÷17÷15 around 5:30pm. This was the best anniversary dinner idea I could think of. The person who helped me I believe was named Matt. Anyways, they made the heart shaped pizza without reluctance. I was surprised how strong «Matt’s» customer service was before and after the order. He kept checking on the order to make sure it turned out well.
I was very pleased with the end result. I will definitely be coming back soon!

Very salty pizza. Halfway through a cheese pizza we tasted the unmistakable scent of hog — which we absolutely do not eat. The manager was incredibly rude about it. «We assure you there’s no pig juice on your pizza» «Why didn’t you say something before eating half the pizza?» — because the first half of the pizza didn’t taste like swine!
Completely lost my appetite for Howie’s after that experience. They didn’t even offer a discount on the pizza after it became inedible. Offering to remake it doesn’t mean much when my appetite is ruined by the taste of boar.
Howie’s, get a handle on your pig juice. And be nice to your customers before they all disappear.

Okay, I have been to Howie’s many times before. I went this week. Did you change your pizza crust recipe? It is definitely not the same, and the quality and texture have gone south. Would appreciate a response from Howie on this before I consider returning.

Every time we’ve been here the service is wonderful and the food fresh and delicious. Always surprised how good the service is with how busy the place always seems to be. My only complaint is the noise level — all hard surfaces really amplify the noise level. Fortunately they have a wonderful outdoor patio.
Great beer and wine selection. They have some really creative combo pizzas. Also a fantastic topping list so build your own is always a great experiment. Always fresh. The best part is the crust. Crisp, light, textbook perfect.

Artisan pizza the place has a bar and they also serve pizza by the slice. They have a corkage fee for wine. They do have outdoor seating which is nice. I tried their Thai Style Wings which is very good in flavor and well cooked some places would under cook their wings but this is place cooks it right. A little messy for the wings but worth it.

We went here to get dinner last night at 7:30pm and they turned us away because they ran out of dough. What kind of a pizza place runs out of dough before 7:30 on a Saturday night???

Is Little Caesar’s too flavorful for you? Then have I got a pizza place for you!!!
Seriously, though, this place looked great and when my bf and I popped in a few weeks ago and saw the $ 6 slice and a coke deal we were stoked. We chose the veggie slice and while it was a generously sized slice, it was nearly tasteless and super dry! No sauce at all! WTF?! And the veggies were just green peppers sliced thin, some other kind of green pepper but chopped very oddly and onions. No tomato, no artichoke… the cheese was okay I guess, but with no sauce with these massive and dry slices we each needed drink refills. Sad. The people behind us were eating big plates of pasta with wine which looked nice but it was early afternoon and we had things to do, no time for a food coma!
Very disappointed in this place. Who knew pizza could be so bad?!
The service was okay. The place was kind of dead and it did take awhile to get the server’s attention for refills and our check, but they were very nice.

Am so happy we decided to give Howie’s a try! Thanks to some of the Unilocal reviews we decided to try the Chinese Chicken Salad and let me tell you — I will have that alone any time! Love their dressing — it’s got that spicy mustard vinaigrette that is typical of a more authentic Chinese Chicken Salad… and love that they add bits of cucumber for the extra crunch along with the tender chicken bits… This is a definite MUST try salad!
We then had their Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza and another pizza that was ½ Marguerite and ½ sausage and red onions! So glad we did that… EVERYTHING was so good… the Marguerite Pizza had SO MUCH flavor and the sausage and red onions — with those sweet onions was flavorful and delicious — I did wish they put a few more sausages on though.
And then there’s the star PIZZA — the Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza was AMAZING — can’t remember what kind of cheese they use — it’s like a white cheese/​sauce — so rich and creamy with the saltiness of the prosciutto and the tart of the arugula… If they added bits of fresh fig it would be out of the park! but regardless it was still pretty amazing!
Want to definitely give it another try — though Howie’s is definitely more for special occasions — it’s a bit pricey for what you get but definitely worth it!

Big, clean restaurant located at the Town and Country Plaza in Palo Alto. I ordered to-​go and shared a garlic prawn (appetizer) and chopped salad with a colleague. The garlic prawn was very garlicy and came with about 8 big prawns, and cheesy bread. It was very delicious and I would definitely order that again. The cheesy bread dipped in the sauces was so good. The chopped salad was pretty good as well, portion size was pretty big for one person so I’m glad I shared. The salami cubes were a fairly generous portion for a salad and everything tasted very fresh. Only down side, all that cost me $ 25. Ehhhh for Palo Alto, I guess it’s reasonable.
Next time, I should probably try their pizza, since they are known for their artisan pizzas… oops!

I have been to Howie’s many times. I love their salads and their pizzas. Usually their service is friendly and efficient. Today, I experienced some of the worst service ever.
It started off innocently enough: Today, my friend and I walked in to a partially-​filled restaurant. The employee (the bar guy) at the bar told us to sit anywhere. We sat right next to the ordering stand, located directly across from the bar area. Ten minutes went by and no one came by to take our order. I went to the bar and told the bar guy that we were ready to order. He apologized and he came to our table and took our order himself.
When our order arrived, my friend did not receive what she ordered. She had asked for the personal size pizza and she received the regular size. The bar guy informed us that the pizza he gave us was the regular size. He also said that this was what we had ordered and he walked away. So we had to pay for an item that we didn’t order. Also, we were reprimanded by an employee. He reasoned that it was our fault that we received the wrong size pizza even though he took our order himself.
After that, we enjoyed the food, but no one came back to check on us. Servers were walking around the dining room, but no one stopped at our table. We wanted refills on our drinks and had to flag down a server who happened to be placing an order at the stand next to our table. He begrudgingly got us refills. When he returned to our table, he looked at the drinks (we had a water and a Sprite) and he said he couldn’t remember which glass was which and walked away with our drinks. He went over to the bar and talked with the bar guy. Then he brought us the refills.
We finished our lunch and then proceeded to wait to see if anyone would offer to bring us the bill. Several minutes went by and none of the servers came to our table. My friend tried to ask the refill guy if she could have a pizza box. He held up a finger to her and then walked away to take care of something else. I went back to the bar and told the bar guy that we needed a pizza box and the bill. I told him that I really enjoyed the food at Howie’s so it was disappointing that we were have such a poor experience today. He didn’t say anything back to me.
The refill guy came back to the table just as the bar guy was dropping off the takeout containers and the bill. The refill guy said «Did you call me?» and I said «We got some help from someone else. Thanks.» As the bar guy dropped off our paid bill he said «Sorry about that.» And that was the end of our lunch.
It really wasn’t clear who was in charge today at Howie’s. We never had a dedicated server at our lunch today and it was frustrating to have to go to the bar to remind the bar guy twice that no one was helping us. I have always enjoyed the food at Howie’s, but I don’t see the point in spending money at a restaurant that does not provide even the minimum level of service.

Charred/​borderline burnt pizza crust with a topping of mean server is what I received during my recent trip to Howie’s. Skip this pretentious, so-​called «artisan pizza» and try out some real pizza places down on el camino real.

After 2 trips to Howie’s I can totally give this place 5 stars. Everything was just as good the second time as the first. We ordered a veggie (Veggie Works) on both trips and received the same excellence twice. The veggies were fresh, the amount of cheese was perfect, and the crust was just the right crispy. The first time we ordered the polenta (YUM), the second time we ordered a chopped salad. I am a HUGE fan of that chopped salad! I would get that over the polenta for sure. The meat eaters ordered some meatastic pizza (Meat Works) and demolished it. Ic an only assume it was really good from the cloud of dust and empty pizza tray…
The customer service was delightful on both trips. So it really seems like great food and service are par for the course here.
Totally recommend this joint!

We went to Howie’s after a very long week! There was a ready supply of good beer, which was important after such a grueling time. There’s lots of variety from the super-​hoppy IPA’s to more malty fare.
The star of the show, the pizzas and combinations of things you can do with pizza dough, sauce, and cheese. Suffice it to say, the sauce, while heavily garlicky still packs a depth of flavor making it sublime. We had cheese bread with sauce, meatballs with sauce, and a variety of different pizzas. Every one was tastier than the last.
We’ll be back for sure!

Not really the experience I was hoping for. Artisan pizza is such a vague idea, Howie’s take of artisan pizza is thick crust, with a lot of fresh ingredient toppings. However, it’s soggy in the middle, and the thick crust feels like eating thick biscuits.
Beer selections are decent with craft beers in the local regions.
I don’t think it’s worth $ 20 for a vege soggy pizza and $ 18 for a margarita pizza

Another one of those long overdue reviews. I been here so many times, but I never shared my experience so here it goes…
Whenever we go here, we always order three things:
Chinese chicken salad — we love this salad and it’s huge! Stacked with refreshing lettuce, tons of chicken, and topped with crispy won-​ton skins. The mustard vinaigrette just puts it over the top good!
Flat Bread — Awesome pieces of baked dough drizzled with olive oil. Get a side of the mustard vinaigrette to dip, and you’re in heaven.
Thai Chicken Wings — I’m not much of a wings person, but the way they make it here is delicious! The sticky Asian sauce they use coats the wings makes it so good. It comes with a side of peanut sauce that makes for good dipping.
Whenever we sit here, we eat at the bar. The staff is attentive and the food comes out quickly.

I remember when Howie’s opened because I was working at Town and Country at the time. I went a lot, loving the chopped salad, which is still one of my favorites, despite the amount of cilantro included. (I know that some people enjoy this).
Because I don’t work there anymore I don’t get to go to Howie’s as often which is unfortunate. This last trip, boyfriend and I shared the chopped salad and 2 pizzas. The proscuitto was ok– had better but its a nice serving and great crust. The second was good also.
Howie’s is great for relaxing with family and friends with good food and wine. I am also excited for their new location in RWC to open soon!

Howies has over 300 reviews ranging from mediocre to good, and most of the recent reviews have phrases like «not very impressed» and «used to love this place.» You know what you’re getting here: a solid, if not great, meal at potentially inflated prices. So if you are coming, what should you know?
I’ve come for dinner multiple times, and I have to say their appetizers are underrated. I know it doesn’t scream «hummus place», but their hummus and tahini ($ 9) is right up there with other places (it’s not quite as good as Oren’s, obviously, but it’s good). You’ll especially like the hummus if you like radishes. The hummus has sliced radishes on top that give it a little bit of a spiciness that I enjoyed. They don’t give you traditional pita either, but they give you crispy pizza dough — try it in addition to your regular pizza entrée as the coolness of the hummus offsets the warmth of the pizza.
The pizza here is thin, and can sometimes be a bit sloppy. As such, I tend to shy away from some of the heavy ones (e.g. baked potato) and lean more towards the lighter ones. The margherita pizza ($ 18) is my favorite, but I tried the sausage and fennel one too and that would also be a good option. They also have a good selection of beer and wine (pints for $ 5.50), and their service is attentive and quick. The waitstaff checked up on us multiple times.
Overall, you can have a great meal at Howies if you choose wisely and keep a level head. Though the reviews aren’t especially glowing, when Howies does something right they do it very well. Try a few things, experiment, find what you like (the margherita pizza + hummus combination is one I get a lot), and don’t try to listen too much to Unilocal in this case. I think this is a «personal preference» kind of place.