Bite Me Pizzeria brings brick-oven pizza and bold flavors to Midland
After trying brick oven pizza for the first time while on a trip, Christopher Mendoza said he couldn't find anything close to what he called the best pizza he ever tried in Midland.
The only solution, he said, was to start making his own pizza.
Now, nearly eight years later, he has opened his own brick-and-mortar pizza shop, Bite Me Pizzeria.
Mendoza was in Denver taking a car detailing class when he first tried brick oven pizza.
He said he had never envisioned himself making pizza, but he was on a mission to find something similar.
"I didn't get into this pizza thing because I wanted to make money," Mendoza said. "I made it because I was chasing my pizza. The pizza I wanted to eat, I couldn't find it anywhere."
While he has tried similar pizzas in different cities, he said it was still hit or miss. He then decided to start making his own pizza.
"I hired a guy from Naples, Italy to train me on how to make the dough and the sauce," Mendoza said.
"For a whole week I learned, I picked everything up and took notes."
He described making pizza as a science, explaining that everything from how long the dough ferments to the temperature inside the shop can affect the quality of the pie.
In 2024, Mendoza bought a food truck and started selling pizzas from it. However, he quickly outgrew the space.
A year later, he found a space for his pizzeria and began renovating it, which he said was not an easy process.
"It took me about six or seven months to get this place going," Mendoza said. "I did it all by myself, and only had a few people help me."
He said five "angels" supported him in opening the shop.
Before opening the shop, Mendoza said, he wanted to give back to his loyal customers and the community.
"About a month ago, I gave away 243 pizzas and 30 meatball sandwiches," Mendoza said. "I wanted to give back to the people that were waiting for me to open for a whole year."
A unique menu
Mendoza's menu at Bite Me Pizzeria is built around West Texas-inspired flavors and original creations.
"If you look at other menus, no one has pizza like mine," Mendoza said.
He said he understands that everyone has different preferences, adding that customers can request their own kind of pizza.
"If you walk in and say, I want this then we will do it. At other businesses, you get what is on the menu, but we break rules here."
One thing that makes the shop stand out is the homemade marinara sauce.
"I make my own marinara sauce every time," Mendoza said. "Every time you get a pizza, it's fresh. You aren't getting sauce from a can or jar."
He said he also makes his own hot honey. He added that his ingredients are high quality, the cheese is low moisture and low sodium, and the meat is low sodium. He can also make a pizza with a cauliflower-based crust.
A customer-favorite pizza is the Texas Heat, which includes pepperoni, house sausage, red and green jalapenos, mozzarella, jack cheddar and hot honey.
The Sassy is another favorite, which has pepperoni, mushrooms, crushed red pepper, honey and ricotta.
In addition to pizza, Bite Me Pizzeria offers 10-inch meatball sandwiches.
The menu also includes dessert pies, like Blueberry and Nutella. The shop also will have tiramisu, cheesecake, German chocolate cake and other pastries.
Bite Me Pizzeria is currently open for pickup. Mendoza said his ultimate goal would be to open a shop where customers can sit down and enjoy their pies.
He added that he is working toward opening a second location in Odessa.
Bite Me Pizzeria is located at 3405 Thomason Drive in Midland. Customers can call in orders at 432-994-2886.
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