Backstage Pizza Cafe

My family and I are fro California and we don’t have a great pizza place like this one. We had a pepperoni, sausage pizza and a Hawaii pizza. Both pizza were delicious. If we ever come back to Connecticut, we will definitely be back.

Love this place! Cozy vibe and great staff. Got the vegan cheese pizza with vegan chicken and broccoli. My mom isn’t a vegan and she was happy with the non vegan options as well. Only suggestion would be to put a little less cheese because Daiya is so potent! Will be back.

Cutest little pizza café, perfect for a date night or get together with girlfriends. Lots of options for pizza toppings and a good selection of wine and beer on the menu. I had the Hawaiian. It had pieces of sliced ham and a good amount of pineapple on it. Sauce and cheese were delicious. Definitely going back for more!

Thin crust which I like although it was burnt a bit. We normally get one large at a pizza place but Backstage is small, especially for the price. Good for trying once.

great place to have a meal. the vibe inside is very welcoming. owner/​staff are friendly and helpful. great location. great food. Worth checking out when walking through the center.

This is the best pizza I have ever had! I got half cheese and half the white pie. They have vegan options and gluten free! The staff was great, funny and nice. This will ruin me for all other pizza!

Loved it! Modified the «Adam & Eve» a bit by subbing the bacon with ham. Never thought I’d find room on my tongue for pepperoni, ham, pineapple and feta at the same time but what a combo! My girlfriend conjured up a blend of veggies and sun dried tomato and chicken. Great crust (thin) and a fine namesake salad that was big enough for two. Happy to tote two boxes of leftovers for the next day. Great outside seating without the fumes or pedestrian traffic.

I was so disappointed! I read the reviews to make sure My group wasn’t making a mistake. There were four of us in our group. The menu looked appetizing the reviews were great, however, that is not what we experienced. When we arrived it was not super busy, but steady. When we sat it was fast to get waters, but once we got the waiters we waited a good 15 minutes for our waiter to return to take out order. The pizzas were great, but we ordered two pizzas and waited for an hour twenty minutes for just one pizza because the other pizza wasn’t put in. They rushed the 2^nd order and we got that pizza within 30 minutes.
The waitstaff were friendly and polite so that is a big plus, but I felt bad for our waited because he told us they were down a server or two, which you could tell. I also felt bad because they had two other people (who looked like the owners) that were not very helpful to the servers by assisting them with taking orders or reliving drinks/​food. Someone in our party ordered a salad they brought that salad out about 20 minutes before we got the pizza which was unfortunate for him because he had to watch the rest of us eat when the pizza (s) arrived.
It would have been a better experience if something was offered to hold us over while we waited for our pizzas. We were uncomfortably hungry for sometime while waiting.
In addition, the pizzas were smaller then what you’d normally see and were more expensive then you’d also see.
It’s sad to say, but I don’t believe we’d be going back. It was not worth it. If you visit, I hope you have a better experience than us.

This is my favorite pizza place in CT! We went there initially because my boyfriend is vegan and they serve pizza with Daiya cheese. However, I would choose that place over many others. The crust is perfectly toasted in a brick over, they use extremely fresh veggies and cheese, and I absolutely love their staff. They even got to know is because we always ordered one vegan pizza and one regular pizza and they would greet us as if we came in everyday. I would recommend the sun dried tomato, spinach, and mushroom pizza!

I love pizza. Coming to backstage makes me love it more. AWESOME staff– Mike is so accommodating and pleased to serve you. The pizza is great and ingredients always fresh. Very casual and cozy inside seating. Also outside seating is a major plus! You won’t go wrong here!

I lived in West Hartford for 11 months, and Backstage was our favorite spot by far. Pizza is amazing (the bomb is … Really great) and the backstage salad is exceptional.
It’s the place you want to have dinner. Lovely people, lovely food, lovely location. I couldn’t recommend it higher if I owned the place myself.

Saw the sign for vegan pizza so decided to go on the journey to find this pizza place even though it was out of the way.
The server, Mike was very nice while I was asking a lot of questions since I am allergic to dairy. I got convinced and order the small pizza with vegan cheese, sausage, broccoli and mushroom. I wanted the homemade meatball but it was made with cheese today.
Mike the server was very nice. He keeps checking up on me seeing how the pizza was and if I need more water.
Warning: the wait for the pizza was a little long.
Overall the pizza was very good! Only wish that it didn’t cost $ 1 for each topping. My pizza got cold as I ate it so wish that there’s a way I can make it warm while I am eating it so the cheese is still melty.
Note: I wish they give the option of half a pizza for one person hahaha

Love this place! Great pizza and a great atmosphere. If the weather is nice, the outdoor seating is fantastic and occasionally features live music.
Beer list is short but decent. Pizza has a great crust and the sauce has a nice sweet flavor. The homemade meatballs make the Mama Mia pie a great choice.

Looking for a low-​key, relaxed alternative in way-​too-​crowded West Hartford Center? Duck down an alley and discover this slightly out-​of-​the-​way-​in-​the-​best-​way spot. You’ll find a quiet, shady courtyard and an atmosphere reminiscent of the way the Center used to be… where you can unwind with some very good pizza and a couple of drinks. Service was great, and my wife and I enjoyed a mellow meal without fighting the crowds and shouting to be heard.

This review is based only on takeout orders for the time being.
My significant other eats gluten-​free, so we often try to find places that offer both options, or at which I don’t mind the gluten-​free options (which I often don’t, since I’m not a big bread person anyway, and sometimes go on paleo kicks for short periods of time). Pizza tends to be the only type of food we struggle with, since I don’t eat it often, and when I do I want it to be really satisfying. It’s always disappointing to treat yourself to a pizza night, then to end up with a sub-​par experience because you picked up a gluten-​free pizza that was just OK, but didn’t really hit the spot (those who periodically crave real pizza will understand).
Living in West Hartford, there are a decent number of pretty OK gluten-​free pizza options around, including the option to just make it at home with one of a variety of crust options we can pick up from Whole Foods or local bakeries. However, sometimes you’re just not in the mood to cook, and for those nights, Backstage has definitely become a go-​to for us.
After having now tried a total of three different gluten-​free pies from Backstage, I have decided this is (in my opinion, of course) the best tasting gluten-​free option in the West Hartford area. The crust stays thin and tastes more like real pizza crust than any other I’ve tried in this part of the state. The texture matters more than you might think, and while it’s not exactly the same as a regular pizza crust, it gets pretty darn close. It doesn’t detract from the overall experience, which is what’s important. And backstage clearly uses fresh, high-​quality, tasty ingredients and a delicious sauce, all of which matter a lot. I’ve tried 2 of their specialty pies, and look forward to trying even more (the spicy hawaiin was very good).
I’ve seen that many of the negative reviews mention service problems, which I can’t speak to since I’ve always ordered takeout. I will say that service has always been very friendly on the phone and when we’ve gone to pickup.

The best pizza I’ve had anywhere. I’ve tried most all of NYC pizza, all of CT, and lived in Boston for four years… It’s fresh here, great ingredients, thin crust, and I tried their «Adam & Eve» pizza, my new favorite. Their signature salad is to die for. Get a Guinness with it, they’ve won the perfect pour award! I’ll be back many many times.

I got a tomato and basil slice to go. The pizza was okay, but nothing to go out of the way for (and this place is hidden out of the way), but decent. It was empty when I got there. That wasn’t the problem. The issue I had was that I was there for a while before anyone seemed to notice. I walked around looking for someone trying to figure out if they were really open or not. When the owner found me, she said that someone was supposed to be out front that wasn’t. She seemed a bit frustrated with the person. Rightfully so. You can lose business if you are open and people walk out thinking you are closed. I was going to order the vegan pizza, but was only given the option of the slices on display. So I grabbed a slice, and left.
I will give this place another chance, anyone can have an off day. When I try them again, I will update this review.

Had the chicken pesto and plain cheese full pies. tasted great, and when I asked them that I wanted to get extra crispy crust — they waited till I got there and immediately popped the pizza into oven. Took maybe about 3 min to get the pizzas.
Talk about service :). Would definitly eat here again.

I had high hopes, but mixed feeling about backstage pizza. Pizza is one of those foods that tough to review becaue its reallllly about personal preference, so ill just give some general feedback.
Pros:
— I love that it was tucked away in west hartford center, behind the main drag, away from some of the hustle
— To be able to sit on the patio and listen to live music on a saturday night is awesome.
— the beer selection (mainly local crafts) is great
— toppings werent skimpy, pizza was covered
Cons:
— the wait for a pie is a little lengthy, even though i didnt think it was that busy
— the «large» to me, is what every other pizza place considers a «small» the size of the pie is not what you expect for the price. (unless you read Unilocal reviews and know to expect it)
— i thought the crust and pesto of our chicken pesto pie was a little bland. Not totally tasteless, but it didnt really cut it. Pesto need more garlic and olive oil, maybe some salt.

1.) Just to warm you up:
I eyed this place for some time. They had me at «Vegan Pizza.» Not to mention they also had some pretty fine lines of bottle beer, especially Gluten-​Free beer. So I had to come in.
2.) What your eyes may see:
Approaching here you’ll see a nice sized patio to eat outside with umbrellas on most tables. The inside is nice, but on a nice warm day, why sit inside and be exposed to heat. I guess that’s when this place comes in handy during the fall and winter times. They have several taps of beer, and equally the same amount in bottle.
3.) Food:
I ordered the Vegan Pizza. I had to try the base before I went onto anything different for next time, and more importantly to gauge this place on their quality of cooking. They use 100% Whole Wheat Flour, Tomato sauce from scratch, and DAIYA Vegan cheese. I’ve been putting DAIYA cheese in my Vegan Macaroni and Cheese, as well as my Vegan Chicken Quesadillas, and I must say what a wonderful non-​dairy product that melts just like cheese. This is absolutely recommended for those who are lactose intolerant, and want to try to do as the Romans do… which is go to war with phalanyx shields and throw babies off cliffs who didn’t make the cut as up and coming warriors.
All jokes aside, this is some good stuff. Try it out.
4.) Service:
The last time I went there just to ask about the Vegan pizza. Lemme say the woman who I talked to was the Notorious B. I. T. C. H. After that I was tempted to say «I’m going going… back back…(nah)…I’m Outtie Outtie!» Then I gave the place a chance, and decided to come back today.
Meet Lauren. What an awesome waitress she was. A confessed vegan for several years, she gave me an inside scoop on what I was getting into, as well as being a totally relaxed and attentive sweetheart. I ordered an Omission Pale Ale, which was Gluten-​Free. Perfect add to the pizza. It’s great to know that they serve regular pizzas by the slice, to all of my New York wannabes.
5.) Impressions:
Vegan Pizza. Gluten-​Free beer. If you liked either of those two ideas, I’m just going to change my tone into Ben Stiller’s voice and say… DO IT.