Kevin Bollinger has been in the pizza business since he was 17. He started his pizza career at a mom-and-pop shop in Cypress, and after he graduated from college, he went on to open several Buck's Pizza franchises. Over time, Kevin said he knew he had it in him to start his own pizzeria and asked his brother Mark to join him when Mark was finished with college. It has been more than 10 years since Texas A&M alumni Kevin and Mark founded Bolli Bros Pizza, their own mom-and-pop business.
Kevin and Mark said Bolli Bros Pizza stands out as the best in the area.
"Our pizzas are hand-tossed, and [all of our ingredients] are the best," Mark said. "We have the best cheese. We have the best dough."
Their experiments with other nontraditional items have proved to be popular, such as their signature product, the Hot Chicken Wing pizza.
"If you try that, you can't not order it again," Mark said.
The Pepperoni Rolls—pepperoni and cheese inside pizza dough—are a favorite, too, Kevin said.
Bolli Bros Pizza is also known for its homemade cheesecakes. Kevin said they used to serve frozen cheesecakes, but one of their customers complained about the flavor. So Kevin decided to make them fresh on-site. They accept orders for the cheesecakes, and the Bacon and Maple Cheesecake is popular in the fall. For Thanksgiving, the brothers bake pumpkin cheesecakes.
For cheesecake flavor ideas, Kevin said he walks down the candy aisle at the grocery store for inspiration.
"If I see a Snickers bar, then I'll decide to make a Snickers cheesecake," he said.
Because of its proximity to a school, Bolli Bros Pizza is a BYOB establishment. Customers have been known to bring in coolers of refreshments so they can hang out and watch the Houston Dynamo MLS match on the big screen TVs.
Bolli Bros' commitment to the neighborhood runs deep. One day a mother dropped off her son at the nearby school but forgot to pack a lunch. She ran down to Bolli Bros to see if they could help. They prepared a small cheese pizza for her son, on the house.
"We are very laid-back and very friendly," Mark said.
Bolli Bros favorites
Pepperoni pizza rolls: Sliced pepperoni and mozzarella rolled up in fresh pizza dough ($5.95)
Cinnamon sticks: House dough, cinnamon, butter, sugar and icing ($2.95)
Cheese sticks: Fresh breadsticks smothered in mozzarella and served with marinara sauce ($3.95)
Hot Italian sandwich: Salami, ham, onion, olive salad, pepperoncini pepper and mozzarella (half $5.95, whole $8.95)
Specialty pizzas
Supreme: Pepperoni, sausage, fresh mushrooms, green peppers, black olives and red onions ($7.95–$19.95)
Texas Cheeseburger: Ground beef, bacon, red onions, jalapenos, cheddar cheese and mozzarella ($7.95–$19.95)
Hot Chicken Wing: Hot wing sauce, chicken and mozzarella ($7.95–$19.95)
Aphrodite: Red onion, fresh mushroom, sliced pepperoncini peppers, sliced kalamata olives and feta cheese ($7.95–$19.95)
Bolli Bros Pizza, 2944 S. Mason Road, Katy, 281-392-8257, www.bollibros.com, Hours: Sun.–Thu. 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Fri.–Sat. 11 a.m.–10 p.m.
