All You Can Eat Pizza Lunch at the HiTone

I’m constantly in search of good lunch specials. They’re more difficult to find than you think – I define a quality lunch special as good food in good quantity at a good price (usually less than $10).  Based on that criteria, the HiTone has one of the best lunch specials in town: all you can eat pizza, salad and soda for $9 from 11:30 – 5 p.m., Tuesday – Friday.

A rare daylight photo of the HiTone, Memphis, Tenn.

It was a little weird to be at the HiTone during the day. Normally, I don’t make it there until at least 10 p.m.  On a typical night, the HiTone is a who’s who of the Midtown scene – there are hipsters, musicians (both on stage and in the crowd), and plenty of beers.

During the day, though, the Hi-Tone is dark and quiet.  It’s easy to grab a seat at the bar, which is the best place to sit if you’re having the all-you-can-eat special. All of the Hi-Tone’s pizzas are eligible for the special by the slice or whole pie.

Slices, Hi-Tone Cafe, Memphis, Tenn.

I ordered two slices – one slice of hot wing, and one margherita (the pizza is New York-style, so the slices are fairly massive).

The hot wing pizza has blue cheese, grilled chicken, red onions, and hot sauce. It’s a delicious combination, but it’s super hot. It took some quick sips of my drink and a few bites of the margherita slice to restore my mouth to it’s normal temperature.  The margherita slice was covered in cheese, fresh tomato slices and shredded basil.

While I ate, I talked to Michael, the guy who had made my slices. He was asking me how the crust was, because he was testing out new dough-rolling techniques. For the record, the crust is amazing. It’s thick enough to grab onto at the edges, but the center is perfectly thin and firm. There was no drooping or sliding toppings.

I’ve heard the Hi-Tone’s lunch referred to as a pizza buffet. It’s not a buffet in the traditional sense – there are no hot plates, and you can’t serve yourself. This is good, though – each slice and pie are made to order, and they show up hot and fresh.

Go There:

Hi-Tone Cafe

1913 Poplar Avenue
Memphis, TN 38104-2654
(901) 278-8663