I was invited here before I looked at the reviews and wasn't expecting much.  Let me say that after reading the reviews, and as a first time customer I think the trick is what you order.  

We ordered several pizzas, including the COB, the fisherman's platter, the breaded wings, and calamari.  The BEST pizza  was the works.. salami, bacon, tomato, peppers, sausage, mushroom and extra cheese.. wow.  I typically don't love pizza (long story short I OD'd on pizza when I worked at a pizza place in college) but I ate this deliciousness the following day for breakfast and lunch.  The French fries were undercooked, but the clams in the fisherman basket were amazing.. as was the blue cheese I can only assume was homemade.  The service was good, our server was accompanied by a few others and they were working hard.

Oh and even for a little "hole in the wall", they still carried Prosecco.. winning!!!

The best part- the prices were very reasonable for this pizza feast- I will be back fo sho.

Read Maggie S.'s review of Red Front Restaurant on Yelp

Back in the day, Red Front was our favorite place to go for pizza after hockey games. I grew up eating their sheet pizza, which has a soft doughy crust with tasty toppings, cheese, and sauce. Different styles of pizza are offered including cheese on top, cheese under sauce (COB), or white pizza (butter, cheese, & garlic), in 6-cut, 10-cut, and 24-cut sizes. 

Besides the great pizza, they also serve appetizers, chicken wings, salads, Italian dinners, steaks, seafood, prime rib, subs, sandwiches, hot torpedoes, and Pepsi beverages. The prices are moderate, most dinner entrees range from $8.50 to $18.95 and several dinners come with vegetable and potato or pasta.

The restaurant has a very classic/old-time atmosphere and is divided into a bar area (handles takeout orders) and separate full-service dining room. The bar area has several TVs at and around the bar showing sports, horse racing, and Quick Draw.

Before I left Troy last night, I made a stop at Red Front for a sausage pizza to bring back to NH. Their pizza still ROCKS and brought back those good memories once again.

OPEN Tuesdays-Sundays, CLOSED Mondays

Read Ian W.'s review of Red Front Restaurant on Yelp

This is your typical Troy hole in the wall Italian joint.  I hadn't been inside in 20 years and my mom hadn't been in since college, but she said not much has changed since she visited 40+ years ago.

It was kind of dark inside, very casual and a bit of a dated look.  This probably isn't the spot to go if you are looking for a swanky and romantic ambiance.    

Red Front is famous for it's COB (upside down) pizza.  I have not had that style pizza since my visit years ago, so I was very curious to try it.  My dad and I split a 6 cut pizza, this was plenty for the two of us. 

The COB pizza had the cheese on the bottom and sauce on the top.  The sauce is really tasty and a bit sweeter.  The crust had a nice texture to it.

My mom wanted the antipasto salad and it was HUGE, probably something you could split as an appetizer between 4 people.  

My husband and I used to pick up the regular pizza (cheese on top) from here in 2014 before we moved and we LOVED it.  So delicious!  

Red Front has a really nice selection of Italian-American classics on the menu.  I think most vegetarians will be happy with the food choices.

Read Kara M.'s review of Red Front Restaurant on Yelp

"A Pizza for the Generations"
by Josh K.

"98.6" by Keith was playing as we entered the crowded, local establishment last Friday night.  A weird, soulful song from a different generation, it somehow fit our environs.  

Why? Why did I not know about this place sooner?

How is that I had never been to The Red  Front Restaurant and Tavern before?

Walking in, I felt like I was time traveling.  It could be the 1960s, as a Yardbirds song came on next.  Or it could just have easily been the 1970s judging by the restaurant's eclectic decor.

This is a true Troy Italian-American red sauce establishment.  The kind of place I live for.  Low key, working class, and absolutely incredible.

The pizza, oh the pizza.  I could write love ballads.

This is the old-fashioned grandmother's Tomato pie where the sauce is on the top.

Yes, you read correctly.  Yes, the sauce is on top.  The cheese is melted over delicious, upstate New York style crispy, square cut pizza.  Then it is covered in some of the richest, sweet and tangy marinara sauce I have ever had.

I have never been a pizza traditionalist.  A good pie can come in all shapes, sizes, and styles.  As long as it is done right with a lot of life, then I am a fan.

At Red Front Restaurant Tavern, this style of pizza really captures the essence of the Italian-American community in the Capital Region.  This is how grandma would make her pizza at home, using bread instead of the expensive Italian dough, and the traditional and recipe have all but disappeared.

Go to Red Front Restaurant and Tavern for a uniquely Troy institution and a nostalgic trip back in time.

I will be craving this pizza for a long time.

I already can't wait to go back.

Read Josh K.'s review of Red Front Restaurant on Yelp