Troup’s Pizza

In the Heights Village shopping center in Vestavia Hills, Troup’s Pizza brings a fine-dining background to a casual pizza counter, the work of chef Terrill Brazelton, whose path to Cahaba Heights ran through Southern California, Auburn University, and a well-regarded neighborhood restaurant of his own.

Brazelton, born in Selma, Alabama in 1972 and raised largely in Southern California, developed his approach to food through his family’s appreciation for quality ingredients and through time spent at his grandmother’s side in Gulfport, Mississippi and Auburn, Alabama. His restaurant education continued at Auburn University, where a job at a local pizzeria pointed him toward the style of cooking he eventually built a career on. He met his wife Ashley in 2002, and together they went on to run the Open Door Cafe in Crestline Park, a neighborhood spot known for live music and a welcoming atmosphere, where they also raised their two sons.

In 2011, Brazelton returned to pizza specifically, developing what he calls chef-inspired pizza, a style that merges fine-dining technique with the format of a casual pizzeria. That approach earned him six consecutive Birmingham’s Best Pizza titles, a spot on Food Network’s Guy’s Grocery Games, and a 2017 ranking as the third-best chef in Birmingham, behind Frank Stitt and Chris Hastings, in a local survey of the city’s chefs. Troup’s Pizza now operates in Vestavia Hills, where Brazelton’s own children grew up, and the menu reflects both his technical background and his commitment to sourcing from local farmers.

The pizza list runs deep and specific rather than generic. Named pies like the Woodstock, built on a truffled white sauce with portabella and shiitake mushrooms and goat cheese, the Hogthrob, layered with Italian sausage, bacon, speck ham, capicola, and pepperoni, and the Blazer, finished with ranch, hot chicken, bacon, and blue cheese, sit alongside more familiar options such as a classic pepperoni and a margherita, each available in twelve-inch, sixteen-inch, or calzone form. Nana’s Meatball pizza pays direct tribute to the family recipes that shaped Brazelton’s cooking early on, and the Basic Veggie and Happy Hippie options give vegetarian diners real choices rather than an afterthought.

Beyond pizza, the menu covers pasta, salads, and sandwiches with the same attention to detail. The Lady & the Tramp, built around spaghetti, a giant house meatball, and fresh parmesan, and a chicken pesto pasta both draw on the fine-dining half of Brazelton’s résumé, while a hummus trio, a giant meatball appetizer, and crispy mozzarella bites keep the appetizer list approachable for a casual weeknight dinner. Salads range from a classic Caesar to the Mon Cheri, tossed with walnuts, apples, and brie in a sherry vinaigrette. Sandwiches like the Muffuletta and Hogan’s Hero give lunch customers a lighter option than a full pizza order, and a simple grilled cheese, with or without ham, or a PB&J keeps the kids menu covered without much fuss.

A weekday lunch special, running Tuesday through Saturday from eleven to four, pairs a cheese or pepperoni slice with a drink and a side salad for twelve dollars, a fast option for anyone on a shorter break. Hours run a bit unusually across the week overall, with Sunday and Monday limited to a shorter four to eight o’clock evening window and Tuesday through Saturday open from eleven in the morning through nine at night, giving the kitchen room for both lunch and dinner service most of the week. Desserts like s’mores foldies, beignets, and a rotating cheesecake of the week round out the menu, along with a beer and wine list that keeps the overall experience casual even with the technical care evident in the food itself.

For Vestavia Hills residents who want pizza built with more intention than a typical delivery chain, Troup’s Pizza offers a distinctly local alternative, one built by a chef with deep Birmingham-area roots and a genuine culinary pedigree behind the counter.