Rockin Tomato Gourmet Pizza - $

Located: North, Lakeline Area
13729 N Highway 183 # 690, Austin, TX 78750
www.rockintomato.com

Overall Rating: B
The Rockin Tomato is a locally owned pizzeria with a popular lunch and dinner buffet. The location we visited is located next to the Alamo Drafthouse at Lakeline. You sure get a lot for your money even if its not a buffet time. It's not mind-blowing. It's not bad. It's just pizza, and certainly for a buffet, this pizza blows Gatti's or CiCi's out of the water, but there are better places to get Austin-born pizza in this town. We had originally planned to visit a new pizza shop at the Arbor Walk called Red Brick Pizza, but then we found out it was a California franchise. We're not as interested in the out-of-towners as we are in what Austinites have to say with their food. Oh, another note, we found out that due to some unfortunate domain-ownership dispute, their website hasn't been updated in years and there is NO Rockin Tomato in the Northwest Hills anymore.

Jessie Says:
Food - We ordered the Hall of Fame, apparently a sampling of their "best" pizzas. A quarter of the pizza was dedicated to a different menu item: a veggie, a meat-eaters, a five-cheese, and a supreme type. We also ordered garlic cheese sticks to start. The appetizer had tons of cheese, but barely any garlic flavor. They should change the name of that dish to just "cheese on bread". I have to say that their sauce is awful - something completely evident when you try their cheese pizza which is surprisingly bland. I loved their meats, but you can't go wrong with bacon which they include in a heavy dose. For me, the veggies on the other two types of pizza were definitely fresh, but too crunchy for me. I kind of felt like the veggies were never properly introduced to the rest of the pizza and were hanging out as outcasts at the party. The original crust was buttery and tasty - like better, fresher version of Gatti's crust. Nothing we got screamed "gourmet" to me. I could see myself coming here again for a buffet when I'm really hungry because quantity, in this case, could make up for quality.

Service - It was OK. We walked up and ordered at the counter. It was slow when we arrived, but it still took about 20 minutes to get our cheesy garlic strips, which was then followed immediately by our pizza. So, the starter really didn't really get a chance to start anything.

Decor - I like they way they kind of branded the whole place with "Rockin Tomato" paintings and tomato sauce cans. It looked like a pizza place on the inside. A little dark inside and a little unfinished looking maybe.

Cleanliness - Not a gleaming example of tidiness. It's definitely one of those places where the employees maybe don't care if they haven't cleaned completely around a table after the customer leaves. There was trash and food on seats and on the floor. There was a clear "no-ownership" of space.

Neil Says:
Food - Our appetizer did lack any real sense of garlic flavor; however, the crust was well cooked - crispy on the outside, warm and soft on the inside - and I rather liked the overall taste. I agree that there could have been a greater level of complexity to the flavor, but I thought that the dish was fulfilling. The "Hall of Fame" was not bad. I will concede that the five cheese sample was a little bland and that the sauce needed more. But I felt that the other offerings were good. I liked the freshness of their vegetables and I did really enjoy the all meat slices. So, to summarize: well made well priced and fresh, albeit short of spectacular. I can imagine that the buffet is one of the best pizza buffets in town.

Service - The food did take a while, but was served hot. I would have liked more time to enjoy the starter before the pizza hit the table. The staff was friendly though and the dynamic is engineered so that after ordering, you are left to your own. Hence the multiple TV's and selection of local papers. Frankly, nothing goes better with pizza that the Chronicle...except maybe beer.

Decor - Homey. Bit sparse. It felt like a solid neighborhood pizza joint. I liked it. I liked it just fine.

Cleanliness - No complaints. No more dirty than say a nice Gatti Town, no less dirty than any busy restaurant.