With heads held high after a successful thrifting excursion and bellies grumbling with hunger, my friend and I ventured through East Town to find a place to grab a bite to eat.

By looking at the nearby restaurants on Google Maps, we had semi-decided on a taqueria nearby, but on the way, a colorful mural on the side of a building vied for our attention. After oohing and ahhing at the beauty of the painting, realization dawned on us that the building was actually a groovy pizza pit stop called Harmony Brewing Company.

Driven by an intense and exhausted hunger, we immediately turned into the parking lot and hopped out of her Jeep to catch a bite to eat at this intriguing pizza joint.

Stepping into Harmony Brewing Company was like stepping into a completely different world. The usual funky East Town scenery dissipated, ushering in a relaxed Southwestern diner setting. The cool air hung around us as we stood by the door waiting to be seated, and the yellowing glow of the string lights warmly contrasted the light that was softly filtering through half-shaded windows. Eighties music floated throughout the restaurant, punctuated with the sounds of hearty laughter and chatter of happy diners.

After being seated at a table by our cheerful server, my friend and I flipped open our menus to be pleasantly surprised by an interesting back story about the restaurant and an unexpected array of options that varied beyond run-of-the-mill pizzas.

Previously, the corner of Lake Drive and Wealthy Street had been the location of an abandoned party store that had been out of use for several years. Subsequently, Harmony Brewing Company claimed the location and began to pour love into the restaurant to turn it into the artful and light-hearted place that it is today.

Moving past the sweet story of the repurposed store, I began to thumb through the menu of pizzas, salads, and assorted drinks. A single read-through of the menu left us aching to treat our mouths to just one of those tempting tastes. Every pizza was so distinctly different with a wild name and a bold combination of ingredients, like the New Earth pizza that had house-made tahini sauce base, kale, roasted parsnips, mushrooms, roasted garlic, and lemon oil.

Because only whole pizzas are sold, we had to compromise on the C-3PO, which contained the interesting combination of basil pesto base, a shredded cheese blend, pepperoni, charred pineapple, and red onion. Because it was baked in a small wood-fired pizza oven, the pizza took longer to get to us, but it was well worth the wait. Our mouths watered with every bit of pizza, maybe from hunger, but most likely because the food was insanely good. The crisped onions perfectly accented the already savory taste of the warm basil pesto that coated the dough and sliced pepperoni, and the bursting sweetness of the charred pineapple brightened up each bite of pizza, making us eager to keep eating.

Not a single slice of pizza was wasted that night, as my friend and I devoured our personal pizza. If I could go back, there is nothing that I would change about the restaurant and my experience. The kindness and kindness of customers and servers alike were uncomparable to other restaurants, and the savory pizza made and served at Harmony Brewing Company was probably the best pizza that I’ve had in a long time. For a funky atmosphere, phenomenal pizza, and a unique experience, Harmony Brewing Company is the perfect place to go.