Russo's New York Pizzeria Italian Kitchen Pflugerville

If you're in the Pflugerville area and craving pizza, this place is a great choice. We used to live in Pflugerville and returned after five years for a visit. Russo's is a nostalgic spot for our kids, so we decided to stop by for an early dinner while we explored our old neighborhood. Our server was very friendly, and the atmosphere was enjoyable. The pizza was delicious! My kids remembered the giant slices and both devoured their own without any trouble. My wife and I tried the Prosciutto Fig pizza, which had fantastic flavors. The only downside was that it was sweltering outside—107°F—and the A/C was struggling to keep up, making it quite warm inside. However, we noticed many places were facing similar issues during that heat wave.

While our server was polite and apologetic, they appeared quite inexperienced in taking initiative and effectively communicating with the kitchen staff. After ordering our pasta, which did not come with any sides, we inquired about the availability of bread. We were told that they were out of bread during their peak hours after 5 PM, despite that being a predicted busy time for them. Additionally, we learned they were short-staffed, with only one cook capable of making bread, even though there were others in the kitchen wearing aprons who couldn't assist. It's worth noting that this is a restaurant that specializes in pizza — essentially bread with toppings. We asked if we could have the bread served with our meal when it became available, as we were waiting for our food. The server mentioned they would try to have it brought out with the meal. While we waited for our lasagna for 30 minutes, we watched four other patrons who had arrived around the same time as us receive their full meals, which included a variety of dishes. We hadn't ordered any appetizers and there were no complimentary substitutes offered. The server did promise to check on the status of the bread but was never able to provide us with a time estimate, raising our suspicions about whether they were actually following up with the cook. Interestingly, two individuals who sat next to us and had arrived at the same time had ordered bread and received it fairly quickly, within about 10 minutes, along with their full meal, which included pasta delivered within 30 minutes. I couldn't help but ask how those diners were able to get the bread when we had been told there was none available at the time of our arrival.

We ordered spaghetti and meatballs, mushroom tortellinis, and garlic bread. Although I didn't personally try the spaghetti, I heard it was delicious. We have been loyal fans of Maggiano's, but when they altered their tomato sauce recipe, we decided to explore new Italian options. Russo's has a similar price point, although they don't offer take-home pasta. I could easily enjoy the mushroom tortellini all day long, but I’m giving it 4 stars because we spent $37 for dinner for two adults and some takeout.

When we arrived, someone pointed at the menus for us to grab from the host?s desk and to sit wherever we want. We were also told to go back to the cash register and place our order. We ordered a the Truffle and Mushroom Pizza which clearly states that itcomes with fresh Arugula (but none were on it). The tray that it came on was dirty and had sticky mush at the bottom of it. Wealso asked for the Calamari appetizer that was just given to us without any plates (tasted old). When asked for plates we werepointed to the host?s table for plates, napkins and plastic wear. 20min later i felt an awful stomach pain and headed to thebathroom which was the most disgusting bathroom i have ever been to. To summarize, the food was bad, the service was bad, thegeneral hygiene was bad?.

2nd Time ordering and I honestly don?t see myself eating any other pizza! The flavor is ?this is what pizza should taste like? and the bread is so tender yet crispy. Today we tried the Italian Market Pizza and the Eggplant Parmesan. So good! Their largepizza is definitely bigger than other pizza places but the cost is more. Worth it though!