Blue Rock Pizza & Tap

Located at 1529 North Main Street in High Point, Blue Rock Pizza and Taps specializes in pizza and beer. It is open for lunch and dinner (and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday), and under normal operating conditions, offers a full bar with daily drink specials as well as a patio for outdoor dining. Delivery and online ordering are available.

As noted in previous reviews, declaring anything the best pizza is a dicey proposition given the variance in pie preferences. Blue Rock, however, is certainly High Point’s most interesting pizza purveyor.

Like Sticks n Stones in Greensboro, Blue Rock offers a music-themed menu and a wealth of creative toppings and combinations. You can get a traditional red sauce and mozzarella pie here – or build your own – but the specialty Headliners are something to behold. From the Little Red Rooster (sausage, bacon, crawfish tails, fried egg, and pepper jack) to the Stairway to Freebird (chicken, prosciutto, figs, arugula, gorgonzola, and a cherry-balsamic reduction) and from Southern to Tex-Mex, there are plenty of creative options to be found here. But pizza is not the only draw: apps include a commendable variety of wings and an appealing selection of fried things while the sandwiches are almost as eclectic as the pizzas (though fewer in number).

Our first (takeout) order consisted of fried pickles, The Last Waltz (alfredo sauce, chicken, prosciutto, sundried tomatoes, artichoke, mozzarella, and basil) and the Zydeco (red sauce, crawfish tails, andouille sausage, and peppers with pepper jack and mozzarella). The pickles were cut to chips, suitably crispy, and came with an addictive chipotle ranch dipping sauce. Both pizzas tasted as good as they sounded on paper. The Last Waltz was like getting a forkful of a favorite pasta dish in each bite while the zydeco offered heat with a touch of sweet. Only the bland, utilitarian crust failed to impress, another attribute that Blue Rock shares with Sticks n Stones.

As expected, prices for the fancier pizzas run higher than your typical chain offerings. Ours were $15 apiece for two mediums (larges would have been $20 each): highway robbery for pedestrian pies, but a reasonable premium for the novelty of the toppings offered.

High Point has no shortage of solid pizza options, and where Blue Rock ranks among them depends on largely what you value in a pie. However, for the adventurous pizza connoisseur, Blue Rock is, at the very least, a must-try.