Hamilton Pizza is located down the street from Stamford's only bowling alley seventh self storage place on what was once the worst paved road in town, Hamilton Ave. Billed also as a deli and grill, Hamilton is open at 6 am for breakfast and offers a comprehensive lunch and pizza selection including subs and wings in addition to its signature pizza before closing promptly at 8 pm.

Establishment. Now open for breakfast on Sundays (!) and until 9 on weekends, Hamilton Pizza boasts a large dining room with seven less tables than it should have, four portly patrons that take up three of those tables, and an often nonworking restroom. This restaurant is uniquely decorated with an assortment of flags, the vines of a plant creeping across the ceiling, a poster featuring local businesses circa 1992, and a personalized 8-by-10 glossy of the incomparable Joey Styles. Undoubtedly, Joey comes here for Hamilton's rather extensive menu and friendly service (and possibly because of his affinity for V8, which they proudly carry).

Pizza. If you were to list all of the pizza places in Stamford and ordered it from best to worst, Hamilton Pizza would probably be right in the middle. We did, and it is was when we wrote this. The traditional Greek pan crust was flavorful, buttery and breadlike, and the cheese was very good while it was hot, but the sauce was barely a step above bland. The pie came out of the oven freakishly hot and exuded all sorts of oils and grease that may have left our mouths with second degree burns. Hopefully our pizza was an exception to the norm, as it was indubitably overcooked and about 30 seconds of cooking away from being burnt (not "caramelized," as some idiot guest judges might claim). Regardless, this didn't take much away from anything but the pizza's texture. Also its overall flavor.

The bottom line. Hamilton Pizza is an interesting, considerably dumpy restaurant with godawful hours, an extensive lunch menu, and an average pizza on a good day.

Establishment: 14/30
Pizza: 19/30
Hits the Spot: 6/10
Large Cheese: $11.50