Vinnie Van Go-Go’s

317 West Bryan Street, Savannah

912-233-6394

The dogs and I decided to go to Vinnie Van Go-Go’s for a very important reason. If you ever need to get Hefner and Charlie’s attention, maybe to get them to come to you or to perk up their ears for a photo (my most common usage), there are several effective words you can use:

• “Cheese”
• “Treat”
• “Bedtime”
• “Go outside”

The most powerful attention-grabber, however, has to be “pizza.” I just have to mention the food to get the dogs salivating for the crusts, which I give them in a misguided attempt to save carbs. I had sampled Vinnie Van Go-Go’s pizza before and was quite impressed, and I was pretty sure the dogs would be, too.

Vinnie Van Go-Go’s is at the corner of City Market

Vinnie Van Go-Go’s is located at the corner of City Market in downtown Savannah, a two-block stretch of restaurants, bars, and shops that is usually full of tourists. Often, there is live music or some other event going on in the area to keep customers occupied while they wait for a table. Also, for the dogs, there’s a branch of Woofgang Bakery, the perfect place to find unique treats and accessories.

The pups enjoyed the cool brick on a hot day!

I have to say, though, after this visit, Vinnie Van Go-Go’s can only really be considered dog-friendly because they have an outside area for eating, and they allow dogs to stay there. However, actually eating with the dogs is a little difficult.

Hefner really perks up when the pizza shows up

Charlie tries to look adorable when he’s begging for food

The tables and chairs are very lightweight plastic or metal, and they are crammed together on the sidewalk patio outside the small inside dining area. Therefore, there is no good place to tie the leashes and keep my pizza-hungry canines out of other customer’s laps. We had to resort to holding the leashes with one hand and eating with the other. Since the tables are small, and the pizzas quite large, it was a bit of a balancing act.

Sometimes Hefner takes up way more space than is necessary

Though we tried our best to keep our tails out of the way of restaurant traffic, the hostess came to us shortly after we were seated and asked us to move the dogs out of the way, though that meant placing them out of the shade. Though it was conveyed in a fairly unfriendly way, she seemed to just be having trouble with people in her way that day; a few minutes later, I saw a customer unwittingly walk in front of her, and she rolled her eyes and then closed them for a few seconds, as if praying for the strength not to kill someone.

Pizzas in picture may be larger than they appear

The pizza at Vinnie Van Go-Go’s is made on a Neapolitan crust, which is fairly thin in the middle with thick, fluffy edges around the perimeter of the pie. Build-your-own pizzas can be bought whole or by the slice, where customers choose their base and then add toppings by the up-charge. The pieces, either as part of a whole pizza or individually, are huge, so you won’t leave hungry. The menu also has spinach salads and calzones, the latter of which can be built by-the-topping like the pizzas.

Even one piece fills up the whole plate

We chose one of the “white” pizzas on our visit, which has no sauce but is covered with ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses. We added spinach and roasted red peppers to the whole pie, and I accented my half with feta cheese and mushrooms. The pizza was very cheesy (a positive, in this case), and the crust around the edges was just as chewy as I wanted it to be. Hefner and Charlie thought it was pretty tasty, too.

We chose a pitcher of Bud Light (for the record, there were two of us drinking this)

Vinnie Van Go-Go’s doesn’t have an extensive drink menu, but they offer a couple of wines and some bottled beers. They also have a couple of beers on draft that you can get by the glass or pitcher. Those unable or unwilling to consume alcohol can choose from bottled water and a few other non-alcoholic choices.

Customers should know that Vinnie Van Go-Go’s is cash only, so a trip to the ATM beforehand is a must. Also, the restaurant doesn’t take reservations, so a long wait for a table in the cramped dining area is always a possibility. Vinnie Van Go-Go’s offers pizza to go, though, for customers who are in a hurry to continue their tour of downtown Savannah. There are also some other “rules” on their website that customers should heed.

Pizza is always a good choice for a hot day, right?

For unique and custom pizza, Vinnie Van Go-Go’s is a must go-go to. However, it might be easier to leave the dogs at home for this one and just bring home some leftover crusts for them.