Where they're located:213 N Main St
Athens, IL
Call Em:
217-636-8400
The Pizza: The Boss Hawg
The Crust: Hand Stretched
The Dish: Deldon "Uncle Tykie" Krueger has recently opened a new restaurant location in Athens after a successful run in Ashland. He has now turned his Ashland restaurant into a headquarters for his catering business. Frankly... Ashland's loss is Athens' gain.
Uncle Tykie's is not a typical pizza joint. The decor is simple and slick and it screams...BBQ. The dining area is not large but the tables are spaced well and it doesn't seem small when you're eating in.
Krueger's specialties are his fried chicken and pork bbq with BBQ ribs checking in as one of his best sellers. The hamburgers at Uncle Tykie's are also something to behold and to taste, with offerings such as "The Big Tykie" and the "Diablo Burger". But don't worry... This place does pizza, and they do pizza well. We had a busy night tonight between teeball practice and some some grocery shopping so we called in take-out to enjoy at home while unwinding from a packed day.
How'd it eat? Well first off I want to give Uncle Tykie's props for absolutely nailing the pick-up time of my pie. I rolled in as advised on the phone (20 minutes) just as they were pulling my pizza from the oven. Money.
The Boss Hawg is an interesting pizza and not one I have sampled before. It is a heavy pie, loaded with ham, sausage and bacon... perfectly roasted and smothered with fresh, top notch mozzarella cheese. The hand stretched crust boasts a slightly smoky flavor and has the kind of crispiness that held up well under the strain of the copious toppings. The crust was just about perfect from outside to center.
In my humble opinion, the lynchpin of this pizza is the sauce. That's right folks, the sauce. It's not your average tomato based pizza or marinara sauce which is why it's outstanding. This sauce is Uncle Tykie's special blend BBQ sauce. The sauce sets off and compliments the pork toppings well. It has an obscure sweetness that meshes so well with the saltiness of the bacon and ham. It's literally finger licking good. Bring on the wet wipes!
Uncle Tykie has a winner with this pie and I highly recommend it. Word is he has developed a new apple/BBQ sauce but I'm not sure how I feel about it being added to this pizza. I know this much... It's not broke. ;-) Although I do want to get a taste of this new innovation maybe on some ribs, or a pork chop. Leave the pizza be.
SPP Ranking: 8.7
