TNT Bar and Vi’s Pizza

We waited an hour for a pizza that arrived cold. The Margherita pizza had what seemed to be Miracle Whip on it. There’s no reason to put such a thing on a classic pizza! It’s a very popular spot in the area and was recommended to us but we can’t recommend it and won’t go back.

Mix up on the order tonight… which happens, no big deal. But when the proprietor comes to the table, for what I think will be a «hey sorry, we’re on it and we will take care of you» kind of thing… instead we get, and I quote, «she, (the girl in the kitchen) never makes mistakes like that, we’ll make you a new one, but I’m going to have to eat this, I mean, not actually eat it, but take the loss».
Now mind you, my party of four dropped about 70 bucks there tonight, as we do quite often. Have actually word-​of-​mouthed how great the pizza is for years now.
I have never been guilt-​tripped by an owner like that before.
Hey guess what Vi’s, your pizza is really great, but your table-​side manners are atrocious!
Poor Gary’s pizza is just down the street… guilt-​free!

If you are a townie maybe you can get polite service but vacationers — go to Poor Gary’s down the street.
The short of it: extremely poor service, mediocre pizza.
The long of it:
Our group made a reservation the day ahead with no problems. Upon arrival, the waitress smiled sweetly and said that they thought the reservation was for the day we called. She further advised that in the future we need to make sure that we give the date & day and not just ‘tomorrow’. OMG really?
That being said seating for us was pulled together in another room that looked like the space reserved for families with small children.
Pizza orders have to be paid for at the time of ordering so the waitress had to have a credit card before taking the order. She managed to drop the credit card on the floor between our table and the order counter. She came back looking for it without so much as an apology. It was like our fault that she had dropped it!
Given the crying children & 30 minute wait it was decided that the group would return to our lodgings leaving a couple of volunteers to bring the pizzas when they were done.
20 minutes in we checked the status of our order. It would be ready in 10 minutes we were told. 15 minutes later we checked again to make sure we hadn’t missed it. Nope — it would be ready soon advised the brawny, brassy waitress. After all, she tersely explained, they were busy, other people had put in orders, and we had taken a long time to order (again, really 15 minutes is a long time to decide & order 7 pizzas?).
We had been told by the hotel staff that this was the best pizza place for miles. We were anxious to enjoy the special pizza but were majorly disappointed. Yikes, if the locals think this is pizza heaven their life experiences are extremely limited.
Biwabik is a tourist area having the Giants Ridge Recreation area a few miles away. The State of Minnesota developed/​purchased & owns the ski areas & golf courses in an effort to bring jobs to the Iron Range after the mining industry collapse. The State needs to train the workers on customer service so we tourists who provide their livelihoods will come back.

I think this place is a diamond in the rough. WARNING: they do take their time to prepare food so do not expect fast food. But it is some good pizza. Having lived around the border I am in love with their Hotsy Potsy pizza with its jalapeños, banana pepper and hot sauce. But the meat lovers pizza is great too. They are open everyday and late into the night. It is inside a bar, and drinks are separately ordered at the bar. Something about separate establishments. Enjoy the pizza with friends as it is cut party style into squares. They will do slices upon request, but do not expect such.

Love the pizzas here. Reviewers mentioned about the burgers. Yes they season them somehow and prob taste like meatloaf. Be aware. Get an order of their jumbo wings. Meaty and good! The raviolis deep fried are a decent little snack. So far we have had the chicken Alfredo pizza, sausage pep, and hotsie Potsi. Really all good pizza. They could improve with more dinner salad choices however, the wedge is ginormous and hard to eat in a bowl. Please get romain mix. Ice berg lettuce is just blah. I will be a regular of their pizzas and try out some of their other new menu items.

If you are in a hurry don’t come here. If you are expecting great service, this place might not be for you. If you just want to relax with your friends and just enjoy the finer things in life (pizza!) then this is probably the best spot in town. It does take a while, the staff are dismissive and rude. But who cares? Get a drink and enjoy the pizza. The vi’s special and Hawaiian are both solid choices.

As far as pizza quality and taste goes, this place gets 5 stars. Unfortunately, it’s all the other things that bring the overall rating down. First and foremost-​the wait time. They have a huge kitchen, but I’ve never had a pizza done less than 45 minutes. Usually, it’s over an hour. They also don’t accept cards. If you don’t have cash, there is an ATM next door. The bar and pizza orders are separate, which is another drawback. They don’t deliver either. If you go there on a night someone is having a birthday or retirement party, etc. you probably won’t get pizza. The wait can be 2 – 3 hours. Vi’s pizza is great, but the business itself is run half-​hearted. That’s a disappointment.

Years ago, we used to stop and pick up a pie on our way to the cabin (their old location), and tried it now in new location and was very disappointed. It didn’t appear to be homemade crust any more. Also had to wait long, as we were eating their. Probably won’t go again.

Friendly staff, locals and fresh hand tossed pizza. Cold beer featuring a gamut of Leinenkugel’s finest crafts.