Tortugas Pizza

I went to Tortugas for lunch with about 7 – 8 other people. The waitress was busy but attentive and our whole group was having fun. Most of the group ordered pizza slices and salads. I ordered the Miss Cindy’s sandwich and the antipasto salad. The salad was good. The sandwich, on the other hand, fell way short.
I was expecting a nice hardy sandwich. What I got was anything but… The Miss Cindy’s sandwich came out on a 5 inch hoagie roll with melted provolone cheese that completely covered the scant amount of turkey underneath. There was nothing else on the sandwich. Nothing else on the plate. No lettuce, no tomato, no condiments or sauce and no chips. Nothing!
Everyone in my party, as well as myself, was wondering where the rest of my lunch was. One of my friends gave me some of their pizza slice, and I must say it was very good. However, I think if you’re going to name a sandwich after someone (presumably an owner), the sandwich has to be «special». Turkey and cheese on a bun is not «special». I’ll order pizza next time.

Some of the absolute best pizza in Birmingham. By far the best of its kind! The closest thing to authentic Chicago deep dish available in Alabama. My personal favorite pizza is the Carnivore Stuffed Pizza. it will change your perspective with regard to deep dish pizza. Additionally, the service is exemplary!
The owners are super nice Chicago transplants that own and operate the small pizza joint. The sauce is house made using fresh ingredients and it shows. I’ve been ordering from Torguga’s for roughly 12 years since a friend turned me on to it. If my family is dining in the area, Torguga’s always makes the short list for available options. Call ahead 30 minutes prior to your anticipated arrival time to allow cook time for the pizza.
The product is so good a couple entrepreneurs attempted to franchise years ago. One of the aforementioned franchises ended up near me in Helena. The franchisee’s failed to live up to the legacy.
In addition to Deep Dish they make a pretty incredible thin crust and a bevy of other menu items including salads and typical pizzeria fare. Once you try the Deep Dish you’ll likely never order anything else.
The place is small and unassuming. Pizza perfection takes time so be patient. These are some of the nicest people, so be courteous and understand average cook time on a stuffed pizza is roughly 45 minutes before you order.

I came here for the first time and I don’t think I will go anywhere else for any kind of pizza! The deep cheese pizza was amazing! It would just burst in your mouth with a wonderful taste. If I could eat this everyday I would! This is definitely a place worth trying out! Will be coming back!

Wow! Chicago style pizza in Bessemer, Al! Wow oh wow! One of the best Chicago pizza’s I’ve had outside of Chicago and better than most in Chicago! If you would like a taste of Chicago and your in Birmingham take a stroll over to Bessemer and check this place out.

Very very solid pizza. I was more of a fan of the thin crust being from the East Coast. The deep dish was also good but the sauce was very runny/​watery. Not sure if this is by design, but that was something that was a turn off. Felt that the sauce was a bit bland too, but overall, a very solid pizza.

I don’t agree with the over the top reviews. It is far from the best pizza in town. It’s not even the best pizza in Hoover but if you like deep dish pizza with a pretty good mix of very thick dough and toppings then Tortugas is the best choice I’ve found in Birmingham for Chicago style. Call ahead, as much as 45 minutes to an hour. The pies take that long to cook. Friendly staff. Good service. Decorated with Chicago paraphernalia that works on some levels. I’m not crazy about the space but they have what they have and they do a good job with it.

Excellent pizza in service. Love this place. Small atmosphere with sports on the TV. I am definitely coming here again!

If I could put 6 out of 5 stars for this restaurant I would. We have been several times to this restaurant for their Chicago Style Pizza. This restaurant has everything, great food and great service. Today was my boyfriend’s birthday and they were able to accommodate our party of 10 (we did call ahead, well messages via Facebook, which was a bonus). I arrived early and they were ready for us. Throughout the night the service was great. The pizza is as true as Chicago style gets and it is delicious and made fresh. The service is by far none. I highly recommend them!!!

Does it get any better than pizza and beer? This is the best pizza I’ve ever eaten. It takes a little while to make so I call my pizza order in and then enjoy some bread and beer while we wait. The people here are so nice and friendly. Very family friendly or great for a couples night out.

Great Chicago-​style deep dish pizza! Chicago-​style pizza is really heavy with a LOT of cheese, so I don’t crave it often but sometimes this is the only thing that hits the spot. Tortugas does what they do very well. It’s even better than some of the big names in Chicago (mainly Lou Malnati’s)! I love pizza and I usually prefer NY-​style pizza but there is no arguing with the fact that Tortugas serves some of the best pizza in Birmingham. We’re lucky to have amazing Chicago-​style pizza here! The servers there are also incredibly nice and along with the cool Chicago décor inside, give this place a homely, down-​to-​earth, «neighborhood» type of feel to it.

The owner, staff are wonderful, BUT these pizzas are AMAZING!!! This IS the best pizza restaurant in B’ham and the surrounding areas. They have a whole wheat crust option that is very yummy and not bland at all! Their red sauce is delicious. I could go on and on about how great this place is, but you really must GO TRY IT! YOU WON’T REGRET IT! Oh, and they have an extensive drink menu for the beer enthusiasts.
This is one of the remaining places that continues to put customer service at the top. They are not open for lunch and dinner every day, so check their hours before you go. Our family loves this place for the food, quality and service.

Awesome people AWESOME food. Never had a bad meal and I eat there every other week or so. Chicago style pizza to die for!

We had a salad and thin crust pizza at Tortugas last night and were throughly satisfied. In fact we were stuffed! The salad came with home made Italian dressing and had red onions and crumbled real bacon (not bacon bits).
The service is always prompt and very friendly. They always listen and deliver. The beer is ice cold and also comes with a frosty mug. We had a custom pizza and it was cooked extra crispy just like we ordered. Keep up the good work guys!

By far the best pizza place in miles and I’m not a Chicago style girl.
My husband and I go at lunch time because it is hard to get into at night. You can call ahead for take out, but be aware that it is going to take about 40 minutes.
Okay, so, back to lunch. They are only open for lunch on Friday and Saturday. A bit of a bummer, but hey, I’ll take what I can get.
My husband goes straight for the deep dish carnivore lover. It is really good. Crust is thin (I think even thinner than the thin crust) and filled with cheese and meat and whatever else they put in there to make it irresistible. The only reason I haven’t gone over to the dark side is that I just can’t let myself eat all that ozzing warm scrumptious cheese. One slice is okay for my husband. He could eat more, but he drinks beer instead. They have some good local beers.
I get the thin crust pepperoni and it is amazing. The crust is perfect. Not like Domino’s thin, but thin enough and whatever dough they use makes you want to eat every bite of crust. The topping is proportionate to the crust. For me, one slice is plenty.
Place is clean, service is good and friendly. The parking is sometimes an issue as it is an older lot that fills up with todays beast size cars. Again, my reason for going at lunch.

I am all about the deep dish! If you dine in you get a free order of garlic bread with dipping sauce. I call ahead with my order if I am getting the deep dish because it takes about 45 minutes even on a slow night. I love the fact that the owners migrated here from Chicago and claim to do the classic Chicago deep dish just as it should be done because they know from experience! I have had deep dish in Chicago and I will say that this indeed is the real deal. I have nothing but good things to say about this place because Tortugas continues to impress me!

Now who said you have to fly to Chicago to get a deep dish? Tortugas save you from all that trouble and oh do they do it right. The pizza is delicious from thin to deep. So everyone’s a winner here. It’s nice and saucy so make sure you grab your fork and knife.

This place is not very big so I imagine that there is normally a wait on a weekend but we got lucky. We debated about ordering the Chicago style pizza but went ahead anyway. We were told the pizza would take 45 minutes. We ordered the Hawaiian. It actually only took about half an hour. To be honest, I was worried I wasn’t going to like it but it was fantastic. It was just two of us and I think we each had 1 ½ pieces. This pizza is filling! I was also worried that the leftovers would not heat well but they heated up great! Delicious!

HOLY GUACAMOLE! What delicious pies we got from Tortuga’s Pizza last night. We got the Chicago «Stuffed» Deep dish Style and How Great Thou Art!
I got The «Carne» as in Carnivore that’s a meat lovers fantasy with the house made red sauce, Sweat Italian Sausage, Onions, Canadian bacon, Pepperoni, Beef, Garlic and lots of love. The «Traditional» with that same Great Red Sauce, Onions, Green Bell Peppers, Sweat Italian Sausage and Garlic.
YUM– We’ll be back soon!

Tortugas is an incredible gem out in Hoover. They are obviously known for their deep dish (stuffed) pizza. But their thin crust is surprisingly delicious. I thoroughly love both.
Since I am a meat eater, the carnivore stuffed pizza is right up my alley. It is one of a kind in Birmingham. But very accurate to what I know about Chicago Deep Dish. It looks different with the sauce on top. But trust me, there are PLENTY of toppings and delicious, melty cheese in there. The thin crust has a very crispy yet fluffy crust to it.
Everyone there is extremely friendly. Especially the owner, Carlos. I heard they may open a location downtown. And I really hope they do. The only thing that keeps me from eating here regularly, is the distance.

Awesome pie, awesome service! Pizza snobs from
Chicago giving this place thumbs up!!! Beer was cold, ambiance was casual, great for kiddos! No wait.