Apr 12

Apr 12 The Best Pizza in Running Springs: Neo's Pizza

Overall Rating = 🍕🍕🍕🍕 (4/5)

On your way to Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead, you’ll drive through the little town of Running Springs. And if you’re in the mood for pizza, Neo’s Pizza House is where you should stop!

Neo’s pizza in Running Springs offers a variety of specialty pizzas, salads, pasta, appetizers and sandwiches at reasonable prices. My girlfriend and I took a weekend trip to a stay and relax at a friend’s cabin, and we took the opportunity to scope out the pizza offerings around town (there aren’t many to choose from!).

Neo’s stands out on your drive into Big Bear, you can’t miss the bright red sign! We ate inside on a Friday night, it wasn’t too busy (a few booths were occupied) so I felt safe sitting indoors for those with COVID concerns. I noticed a few people waiting for takeout. There are a couple of TV’s so you can hangout and catch your favorite game.

Pro Tip: Into playing pool? Go downstairs to eat and play a game.

The menu is quite extensive — we came for pizza but also ordered a specialty Caprese salad. I’d love to come back and try one of their pastas or another pizza — they had so many different options!

My girlfriend ordered the Margherita pizza and I went with a Build Your Own two topping pizza with pepperoni and black olives (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, it’s one of my favorites!). We both ordered small pizzas which were about 6 slices each for around $13. Not bad! We also ordered a glass of wine each — chardonnay for me, white zinfandel for my friend.

Pro Tip: Order a draft beer if you’re undecided between wine or beer. The cheap wine ($5.99 a glass) will probably give you a headache.

We added a salad after we ordered our pizzas and everything came out at pretty much the same time. The service was friendly and I felt at home there!

Now for the details on the pies! The crust was a little thicker than I usually like, but it was delightful. Crispy on the outside with a doughy center — not overdone but not too crunchy. It had just the right amount of cheese and the toppings were plentiful. I’m a huge olive lover, so I was in heaven with the pepperoni to olive ratio. Perfection! My friend enjoyed her Margherita pie as well. We ate almost all of it!

We also ordered the Caprese Salad. It was alright. Not the worst I’ve ever had, but definitely not the best. I’m used to a balsamic drizzle on top and they used some sort of pesto sauce, so I was a little thrown. I’d still give another one of their salads a try. They have a wide variety from a Caesar and House to an Antipasto and Warm Baby Spinach Salad.