Any current or former student of IU Southeast can tell you that Rich O's in New Albany is the best place around town for good beer and pizza. However, many people from Louisville have never heard of it. Rich O's and Sportstime Pizza are two separate establishments located in the same building and owned by the New Albanian Brewing Company. Both establishments serve pizza and beer from around the world. However, neither serve mass-marketed domestic or light beers, and I wouldn't encourage you to ask for one.
The Experience
When I think about eating at Rich O's, I'm always reminded of the TV show Cheers. I don't know whether it's the friendly wait staff, the fact that I always see someone I know there, or the fact that the bar has people's college diplomas hanging all around it, but Rich O's definitely has a home-y feel to it.
The Food
Rich O's has some of the best pizza and breadsticks in Louisville. There aren't many places where you can sit down and order a personal size pizza with artichokes, roasted garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and chicken with a pesto sauce. The breadsticks at Rich O's are amazing as well, especially if you eat them with beer cheese.
Rich O's has eleven different appetizers, including two types of salad and a homemade soup or stew of the week which cost between $1.00 and $9.00. Its four different pasta choices include a Veggie Lasagna and a Greek Lasagna from $4.50 to $8.50. Additionally, the restaurant has nine different sandwiches at $6.50 each that come with a pickle and a bag of chips.
However, if you're headed out to Rich O's, you're most likely looking forward to the pizza and beer. Rich O's serves pizza on five different types of crust, including calzone style, with four different choices of sauce and 21 different toppings. For drinks, Rich O's offers sodas, gourmet sodas, wine by the glass or bottle, and, of course, beer…
The Drinks
A trip to Rich O's or Sportstime always starts at the blackboard. The blackboard is where the draft beer selections are listed. On any given day, the New Albanian Brewing Company restaurants are serving at least 25 different worldly draft beers as well as the beer that they have brewed themselves.
In addition to the draft and home-brewed beer choices, Rich O's and Sportstime both also have a bottled beer menu that features more than 250 beer, cider, and mead choices from all over the world. Bottled beer runs from as low as $2.25 to as much as $39.75. Draft beer is also served by the pitcher.
Review
I bet I've eaten at Rich O's and Sportstime a hundred times over the last few years. I used to go there for lunch during breaks between classes when I was in college, I used to go there to study, I've gone there for business meetings, to meet with large groups of friends, to celebrate an achievement, to drink with friends, and a lot of other reasons. Though the home-y atmosphere plays a large part in my love of Rich O's, I mostly go there for the fantastic pizza and amazing beer.
Rich O's is the quieter and more interesting of the two restaurants, though Sportstime is a better place for lunch. People generally sit on the Sportstime side when they bring kids because the Rich O's side is more like a bar. The Rich O's side has some private rooms and couches as well. However, Rich O's and Sportstime have different hours, so it's best to check and make sure that the one you're planning on going to is open before you make plans to meet friends there.
Recommendations
- Breadsticks with Beer Cheese
- Spinach Käse Dip
- Hand-Tossed Pizza
- Roasted Garlic Pizza Toping
- Elector
- Upland Wheat
Pros
- Fantastic pizza
- Delicious, original beer
- Reasonable prices
Cons
- Bottled beer can be expensive
