One of our favorite spots for grabbing drinks with friends, catching a ballgame (Yay Cubs! #FlyTheW) or a “there’s nothing in the fridge, let’s go out” night, is Ernie’s Bar & Pizza. It is THE BEST neighborhood pizza & pasta joint.

That means it was a must for the Gluten Free Pizza Club. I am also obsessed with their large table on the patio. While it would have been awesome in the summer with the window’s open, I am thankfully they are able to use the space year round and also thankful they take reservations which helped accommodate our large group.

We also had the pleasure of having Polidori Sausage‘s marketing guru join us! Polidori is the best sausage in Denver and is used by Ernie’s in a number of their dishes! You can find their product in quite a few Denver grocery stores – check out the map here.

If I am not having pizza, I order the Italian Baked Ziti with Polidori Sausage, gluten free of course. It is so delicious and even comes with a slice of gluten free garlic bread!

I asked our wonderful and patient waitress what gluten free precautions they take and was happy to hear they have a separate prep area, use separate utensils and also have a dedicated oven! There is of course the disclaimer that cross contamination is possible since it is not a dedicated gluten free kitchen. But I would say the separate areas, utensils and oven is a pretty safe bet for me.

Not only is their prep space up to par, their pizza is delicious! The pizza menu has 23 creative options and all are available on the Udi’s gluten free 12″ crust. We ordered 4 different varieties and here’s how they rank:

Polidori Italian Sausage with Roasted Peppers

Ranked:
LB: #4 – The sausage was flavorful, but the rest was pretty bland tasting.
Anti-Spice: #1 – Classic sausage pizza!
Bread Lover: #1 – Amazing sausage and great combo with the peppers.
Fat Pants: #1 – Add honey to the crust for a sweet treat.
Krispy: #2
No Mush: #2 – The sausage was delicious! Hard to pick between this one and the Pineapple. The sauce was sweet but tasted great with the sausage + peppers. Would order again!
Polidori: #1
CEO: #1 – Loved the sausage and the sweet sauce.

 

The Pineapple Express – red onion, jalapeños, bacon, pineapple and honey-chipotle red Sauce

Ranked:
LB: #1 – Loved the super fresh ingredients and hint of sweetness to the crust.
Anti-Spice: #3 – Delicious but too spicy.
Bread Lover: #2 – Spicy! The bacon was a great add.
Fat Pants: #3 – Jalapeños were a little too spicy.
Krispy: #1
No Mush: #1 – Loved the mix of flavors. The pineapple helped sweeten the jalapeño. It was pretty spicy but the other flavors helped tone it down. Pineapple + jalapeños + bacon = Yum!
CEO: #2 – The jalapeños were pretty hot this time around. All the ingredients were pretty chunky which added good texture.

 

Roasted Eggplant with Goat Cheese & Spinach

Ranked:
LB: #3 – I liked the cheese crumbles, but overall was lacking flavor.
Anti-Spice: #2 – Surprisingly good.
Bread Lover: #4 – Still trying to decide how I feel about it.
Fat Pants: #4
Krispy: #4
No Mush: #4 – Tasty and would order again, but not my favorite. The eggplant didn’t have much flavor but the goat cheese brought more flavor out.
Polidori: #2 – The eggplant and goat cheese is a good combination.
CEO: #4 – The eggplant almost had a watered down and rubbery taste.

 

Roasted Chicken with Caramelized Onions, Fontina & Artichokes

Ranked:
LB: #2 – My favorite part is how the white sauce and artichokes compliment each other.
Anti-Spice: #4 – Kind of bland.
Bread Lover: #3
Fat Pants: #2 – Delicious crust!
Krispy: #3
No Mush: #3 – Flavorful – tasted like chicken alfredo!
CEO: #3 – The flavors complimented each other well and the crust had a good level of crispness.

 

Overall, the crust was a hit and the toppings, especially the Polidori Sausage, was on point! Some of the crusts were a bit burnt on the edges but still tasted great. While the 12″ pizzas are cut into 4 slices we think 6 would be more ideal.

A big thank you to Polidori Sausage for joining us! And a thank you for the sausages & swag! They also brought some fun swag which is proudly presented in this mess of a photo.

I highly recommend you check out Ernie’s for a great atmosphere and delicious food!

-GFPC

Up next: LaLa’s Wine Bar + Pizzeria