Pizza Ragazzi is not gourmet. In fact, the restaurant — if a walk-up window and parking lot can be called a restaurant — serves downright bland pies. Despite this seemingly inexcusable flaw, Ragazzi, located on Northeast 52nd Street and the Ave, has become a U-District landmark and late-night hotspot.

Ragazzi pizza has been known to constitute a major part of many a dubiously nutritional diet. Hungry students used to be able to carry BBQ chicken pizza from the always-open order window with sickening regularity. However, this was before the business decided to eliminate their popular time-call deal, in which the price of a single topping large was determined by the time you called in your order from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. everyday — think $5.03 at 5:03. Ragazzi delivery driver Sri Reddy commented that the elimination was largely a result of the declining economy.

“We had to get rid of time-call when cheese prices went up, but we’ve been talking about bringing it back.” Reddy said. “It’s really up to management,”

Without this parsimonious offering, Ragazzi is horrifically expensive with a large pepperoni costing $14.99 and most specialties close to $20. Sure, lots of people might part a with 20 dollar bill for dinner at California Pizza Kitchen, but Pizza Ragazzi doesn’t come with a cloth napkin.

With the time-call deal a thing of the past, Pizza Ragazzi now serves one purpose and one purpose only: appeasing drunken munchies. Open until 4 a.m., with single-slice prices ranging from $2.10 to $2.45, Ragazzi and its parking lot attract inebriated collegiates, boisterously demanding their orders from the weary pizzeria staff, late into the night. Wallingford resident Jason Jenkins especially appreciates Ragazzi’s by-the-slice selection.

“I like that they have slices available that are fairly inexpensive,” Jenkins said while enjoying Ragazzi’s veggie special. “It’s quick and convenient, too.”

Pizza Ragazzi has taken on a role similar to Dick’s for the sleepless, party-going crowd. Just like its hamburger counterpart, Ragazzi is fast, occasionally less than amenable (who wouldn’t be given the blood alcohol levels of their customers), and remarkably tasty after a night of Keystone and Franzia. With the Dawgpound next door selling flats of domestic beer for $12, the business complex on 52nd is truly one-stop shopping for a classy night.

“When the bars close at two, Ragazzi is really the best hang out place. Our lines are always long after midnight and sometimes we’ll get drunk people fighting in the parking lot,” Reddy said. “The U-District is a great place though, a very young lively crowd.”

Although a connoisseur is unlikely to praise their mozzarella-laden pies, Pizza Ragazzi has been embraced by U-District night owls for eight years and serves up the best food — and hangover remedy — available at 3 a.m.

Reach reporter Joe Darda at arts@dailyuw.com.