At 38th & Grand in Kingfield sits a little tavern-style pizza shop—one that often tags itself in Instagram stories not by its own address, but the address of the dry cleaner next door. Those Instagram stories also include quips like, “Send help (customers),” or, when it’s slow, “There ain’t nobody here!”
The charm of Good Times is that in a world of over-produced PR restaurant social media, the team of Franz Gilbertson and Mishelle Rapaich are simply themselves. Their Instagram, where they self-define as "a WRETCHED HIVE OF SCUM AND VILLAINY,” says it best. Now, I don’t think that they’re wretched, scum, or villains, but I do think that they’re punk and funny, so this description somehow just makes sense.
The restaurant itself has a similar feel to its online presence. There are paper plates with drawings from children (and adults) hung on the walls. There’s a “peep hole” in the bathroom (it's fun, trust us), and normally Seinfeld, Baywatch, or a yule log are screening on the TV above the door. There’s a single induction burner where they make their one fried item: tater tots. There’s free popcorn. And there’s a cast of regulars who swing by even on the snowiest nights, kids in tow, to snag the best darn tavern pie in the Twin Cities. It has a feeling like that of the CC Club, if CC Club were a family-friendly joint with dog-friendly bleachers outside instead of a smoking patio.
I’m a long-time Good Times devotee, so I want to give you a ranking of all five of their pies, plus one special off-menu custom creation. When you go, you just have to promise me two things, OK? First, don’t forget to order the salad ($9). Second, don’t ruin the vibe.
6. Nueske’s Bacon ($18)
All pizzas at Good Times are good pizzas, and that includes number six. This pizza is bacon on bacon on bacon, reminiscent of the bacon boom of the early 2010s. The pro of this pie is that every bite of every slice seems to have bacon—there’s no skimping here—but the con of this pie is that every bite of every slice seems to have bacon. It’s… a lot of bacon. If you’re a true bacon believer, this is the pie for you. If not, we have other pies to order.
5. White Pie ($17)
The white pie is a vegetarian pizza that screams winter. House ricotta is dolloped on the pizza and then topped with roasted mushrooms, caramelized onions, and fresh thyme. The earthiness of the thyme and mushroom paired with the richness of the caramelized onions and creaminess of the toasted cream base make a perfect pie. And lest you think “toasted cream base” is a fancy word for “white sauce,” it’s not. “The cream base for the white pie/tater tots is made from crème fraîche that I culture in house, then kind of give it a French onion dip treatment with some seasoning and a little caramelized onion,” Gilbertson tells me via email. Delish. If you normally order white pies or really enjoy earthy flavors, this is the pizza for you. It’s so nuanced and well-balanced that you truly won’t miss the meat.
4. Pepperoni Pickle ($16.50)
My friends can all attest that I hate pickle pies. White sauce and pickles? Count me out. But red sauce, pepperoni, and pickles? I’m back in! A standard white-sauce pickle pie just kind of tastes like dipping pickles in alfredo sauce; it doesn’t help that they’re typically covered in mushy toppings. Here, you have a real-deal, robust pizza with red sauce and crispy pepperoni for that little bit of crunch that sets good pizzas apart from middle of the road pies.
At Good Times, the pickle is not the overbearing star but rather part of a cohesive whole. So much of the menu is homemade that I had to ask if these pickles were, to which Gilbertson responded, in classic Good Times fashion, “Our pickles are frankly some utterly trashy hamburger slice dill pickles out of a 5-gallon bucket, they seem to work well for this application though.” I agree. If you, too, are a pickle pie hater, give this one a chance.
3. The Pickled Pepper ($22)
At $22, this pizza is a splurge—it’s the most expensive pie on this list. It’s also the pie I keep ordering again and again. It’s off-menu, and I affectionately call it the pickled pepper. Here’s how you order it: toasted cream base, housemade ricotta, preserved lemon, Mama Lil’s Peppers, house pickled peppers, and Mike’s Hot Honey. This is a sticky, briny, sweet mess of a pie. It’s the perfect pie to pair with a beer as you eat outside on the bleachers during the long Minnesota summer nights. After trying almost every combination imaginable at Good Times, this is my favorite off-menu creation.
2. Cheese ($12)
The sign of any good pizza joint? A solid cheese pizza. If the cheese pizza is lackluster, it often means your pizza place is just covering up bad dough and cheap cheese with too many toppings. Good Times’ cheese pizza is about as good as it gets, with two types of mozzarella—BelGioioso fresh mozzarella and Grandë aged mozzarella, both from Wisconsin—and shaved Grana Padano at the end for a finishing flourish. It doesn’t get much better than that.
1. Sausage & Onion ($16)
The classic tavern pie is sausage and onion for a reason: It’s a perfect pairing for cracker thin crust. This one is extra special, because it includes housemade fennel sausage that’s made in small batches and seasoned with fennel seed, chili flake, fresh garlic, black pepper, and salt. If it’s your first time into Good Times, this is the pie you should order. It’s not just my favorite pie, it’s Gilbertson’s favorite, too.
Good Times
Address: 322 W. 38th St., Minneapolis
Hours: 5-9 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday
Correction: A previous version of this story stated that Franz Gilbertson and Mishelle Rapaich are a husband-and-wife team, but they are not. Mishelle has worked the counter since day one!
