Crisp Premium Pizza in Old Town Scottsdale highlights quality over quantity

Crisp Premium Pizza, an Old Town Scottsdale mainstay for over five years, continues to live up to its name by serving quality pizza using the finest ingredients.

Upon starting the business, owner Adrian Langu researched the best possible ingredients that he could use in his pizza, including Caputo double zero flour and Alta Cucina tomatoes. Crisp’s quality over quantity approach is not only emphasized by what goes into the pizza, but also the amount of product that they put out.

“I’m limited to how many pizzas I can make. I can only make 35 larges a day,” said Langu.

With both slice and whole pie options, about 10 of those pizzas are used to sell individual slices with the rest being designated for full pizzas.

“It sounds silly, but I’m here 12 hours a day trying to make 35 pizzas,” he said.

Working alongside just one other employee, Langu puts in long hours to achieve a premium product. The pizza at Crisp is a take on a traditional grandma-style, or square, pizza. It is a thinner, lighter version that allows for its titular texture.

Routinely topped with extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, and aged pecorino romano cheese, Crisp’s product features all of the delicate touches that a premium pizza requires. The intensive creation process includes proofing and par-baking the dough in order to ensure optimum results.

“This is a labor of love,” added Langu. “In the end, I really think it’s worth it, and people are taking to it. That’s why I’m here.”

Langu was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He moved to Manhattan when he was in his 30s before relocating to Arizona following Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Arizona was always a part of Langu’s life because his grandparents lived here.

He would visit often, and his knack for the pizza business could be partially credited to his family’s restaurant Pizza de Naples that existed 40 years ago at 19th Avenue and Bell Road. At just 16 years old, Langu was called upon to briefly run the pizzeria one night. The rest is history.

Crisp opened its doors in December of 2017. The former business that occupied the space was also a pizzeria, but Langu transformed it and made it his own with the help of family and friends. The interior features vibrant red chairs and barstools that match the color of the Crisp logo. As far as the menu goes, pizza is essentially the only option.

“I said to myself, ‘I’m gonna do one thing and try to get it right.’ So that’s all we do is pizza, and even that’s challenging,” said Langu.

Choices include cheese, pepperoni, veggie d-lux, meat d-lux, and a white pizza that features ricotta and fresh garlic. Aside from drinks, the only other menu item is a crisp greens salad.

Although the heat of Arizona summers factors into the challenge of bringing in customers, Crisp continues to attract new patrons with its premium promise of quality pizza.

According to Langu, “It took some time, but things that are worth it take time. Just like my pizza.”

Crisp Premium Pizza is located at 7111 E. Fifth Ave., Scottsdale.

Editor’s Note: Peter Cirocco is a student reporter at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications.