Jimmy Stix

I met a friend for a quick lunch in Carmel the other day at Jimmy Stix. Ok, apparently it has been around for a bit, but I had never even heard of it. It’s not a chain, so I was intrigued. It’s pizza though, so my hopes were no overly high (so much pizza in this town, so little that really stands out).

They have a bunch of lunch specials that are really good deals—most are around $5-$6 and include a combo of pizza with something else (a couple of breadsticks or a salad or a drink, etc.). I went with what I thought was a slice and a drink for $4.99 and a couple of breadsticks on the side ($2). I mean, if they have “stix” in their name, you have to try the breadsticks right? Anyhow, it ended up being two slices of pizza, so an even better deal. They aren’t huge pieces, but still.

Honestly, the “stix” were probably my favorite part. The breadsticks were soft and just a bit chewy with a little bit of garlic flavor on them. But what was really addicting about them was the garlic butter dipping sauce. It was quite delicious. A bit on the salty side, which I really liked with the breadsticks. I can’t say it was truly butter, but I can say we couldn’t stop eating it. Great for dipping the crust of the pizza in as well.

The pizza itself was perfectly fine. Nothing that made it really stand out to me, like I said, typical of pizza in Indy. I liked that you could order whatever toppings you wanted on your slice (they simply add them to cheese slices and warm them) and I got my classic red onions and mushrooms. The proportion of the toppings was pretty good, getting some of them with just about every bite. I can see this place for a quick, cheap lunch in Carmel. It’s not a place I would seek out, but it was perfectly fine. I had a bite of my friend’s Greek salad as well (hold the potato salad??)-- it wasn’t bad either. I appreciated the amount of cheese and olives, and the tomatoes weren’t horrendous. It was served with balsamic vinaigrette, which again, was fine.

If you’re eating in, it’s definitely not a fancy place—the interior feels borderline fast food. But it is definitely fast and you can be in and out quickly. And it will serve your pizza craving. Just be sure and get that garlic dip. I’m all ears if you have any other suggestions for pizza places that maybe I haven’t heard about? Know any little one-offs that are your favorites?

Jimmy Stix

720 Adams Street

Carmel, IN 46032

317/844-5560

www.jimmystixpizza.com