A Wood Fired Pizza Lovers Dream Is Less Than An Hour From Faribault

I had to sit on this for a little bit of time, as there are some fantastic pizza places here in Southern Minnesota, but the more I've thought about it, the more I've tried I keep going back in my head to one, in particular, that takes the top spot in terms of wood-fired pizza here in the land of 10,000 lakes. Element Pizza on Broadway in NE Minneapolis.

While I grew up just a stone's throw from NE Minneapolis, I spent many days and nights in my early twenties in NE with family and friends, and not once can I say that I went to Element. It wasn't until we had our exchange student from Spain did Element pop up on our radar.

It's kind of a hidden gem, surrounded by tall structures, if you aren't looking for it you might miss it!

You see our exchange student, really enjoyed wood-fired pizza, and not just any type of pizza, he was particular that it had to meet his culinary standards, to him it must be a true Margarita pizza. Fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese and basil. Nothing more, nothing less. Element met those 'international' standards.

The menu also offers up more than just Margarita pizza, there are other varieties and styles. I really like their Earth pizza, it features artichokes on it. What's great for parents with kids, the pizzas don't take long to make or are in the oven too long, it's usually 7-10 minutes and then you're chowing down on your 'za.

The next time you are up in the area, stop on out. They like other businesses are running a little shorthanded and the dining room is small, but there is a patio that lets you enjoy the fall air. Pro-tip on parking, park on another street and walk, much easier to do that than try and get close to it to park, it's a busy place.

After you wrap up eating, just around the corner from Element is a piece of Minnesota brewing history, the Grain Belt brewery. Which in itself is worthy of a visit, to check out the history of that area of Minnesota.