Back in April, one of my On the Menu columns focused just on hamburgers.
I had a lot of fun with it because it dealt with just one type of food, so I thought I would do it again with this column but focusing on my husband's favorite dish: pizza.
Now, there are tons of pizza places in the Coastal Bend, so it was hard trying to decide on three.
This time around, my husband and I traveled to a pizza spot on North Padre Island, ate at a pizza place on the Southside had lunch at a pizzeria on Staples Street.
Is there a place you think I should try? Send a suggestion to john.oliva@caller.com.
Padre Pizzeria
14493 S. Padre Island Drive
Back in 2023, I put together an article about Italian restaurants
in the area to visit for Valentine's Day. Padre Pizzeria were one of the spots I included in the listicle, but I had never dined there.
I'm also never on the island unless I have to go grab photos for spring break shenanigans or a sea turtle hatchlings release.
Well, on Aug. 18 my husband and I decided to take the 20-minute drive to try out the pizza spot.
When we walked in, two employees at the bar greeted us and told us we could sit wherever we liked. There was one table taken by a family of four, so we sat near the entrance.
Our server came over to take our drink order, give us free bread with olive oil and gave us time to look over the menu. I noticed they had personal-sized pizzas so I knew I wanted to get my own to try a specialty pizza. My husband just likes to eat pepperoni and mushrooms when he's eating a pie.
I ended up choosing the bacon cheeseburger pizza, which comes with olive oil, beef, bacon bits, sliced tomatoes, white onions, mozzarella, a Swiss/provolone blend of cheese and the chef's own spices. I chose to not include the tomatoes.
While we waited for the food, I was able to enjoy the coziness of Padre Pizzeria. The only thing I didn't care for, which I don't think I ever will, was the country music playing.
As another family walked in to eat, our food was delivered to our table.
I was imagining my pizza to be covered in hamburger beef and bacon bits, but all I saw was cheese. I took a bite and felt like I was eating a bacon cheeseburger. It was so thick and tasty. The top layer of cheese was hiding all the delicious ingredients inside.
My husband enjoyed his pizza as well, but we both got full quickly off two slices so we asked for a to-go box to take the other half of our pizzas home.
Our total came out to $37.51 and we tipped $10.
As we made our way over the JFK Causeway, we both said we'd visit Padre Pizzeria again (especially because I want to try their BBQ Pizza). We can see it being one of our favorite pizza spots; we're just not looking forward to the drive there.
BJ's Pizza-Brewpub
6662 S. Staples St.
I'd been to BJ's at least three times beforehand.
I went to the original spot on South Padre Island Drive back in middle school for a birthday party, and then twice at the Southside location for family outings years ago.
As it's literally down the street from where we live, my husband and I decided to go there on Aug. 22.
The one thing I always remember about BJ's is the lack of lighting. It's very dim inside. There were also a lot of people inside enjoying their food.
We made our way to a cashier and ordered a 14-inch pepperoni pizza with two drinks and a side of ranch. Our cashier didn't charge us for the drinks or ranch, and we ended up paying $18.46 with a $10 tip. I was also complimented on the T-shirt I was wearing, which was a Britney Spears shirt I bought from Urban Outfitters probably a decade ago.
I wanted to go for a signature pizza, but none of them sounded like something I would like. I'm picky with my toppings. I like chicken, spinach, onions and pepperoni. I can do Alfredo sauce or barbecue sauce also, but that's about it.
While we waited for our food, my husband and I talked about an upcoming vacation we're going on (more on that in my next column). We also — well, mainly me — enjoyed the classic tunes of ABBA blaring from the speakers. Our pizza came out while I was jamming to "Waterloo."
We each went to pick up a slice, and as we did, the cheese slid right off the pizza. I'm guessing we had to let it cool down a bit before diving in. The pizza tasted good, once it cooled down and the toppings stayed on. We realized we never got our ranch, but we didn't pay for it so it wasn't the end of the world.
We weren't able to finish the entire pizza so I went to the cashier to grab a box. While I waited, the employee said he just realized he forgot to get my ranch but I told him it was no worries as we were already done. Again, it wasn't a big deal so I reassured him it was fine.
As we took the very short drive home, we both said that the pizza wasn't anything special but it was good. We said we probably wouldn't go again unless it was another family outing. But again, it's good food — we just prefer pizza from other spots.
Mozzafiato
924 S. Staples St.
Mozzafiato opened last year during the summer. My husband and I tried it out last year — not too sure when — but we couldn't remember if we thought it was good or just fine.
On Aug. 27, we decided to go there for lunch to finish this On the Menu.
I remember last time we parked in the back, so I did the same as I didn't want to park on Staples Street. We made our way inside and were greeted by an employee behind the bar letting us know we could sit wherever we liked.
We sat in a corner where we could sort of see inside the kitchen. We immediately noticed it was rather stuffy inside. We thought it might've been because of where we were sitting, but our server apologized for the heat and mentioned how they should purchase some floor fans soon.
He took our order and we decided to go for another pepperoni pizza, but we went for a 16-inch this time. Our total came out to $29.78 and we tipped $10.
There were a few other groups inside having lunch. Last time we visited, we came during the evening and it was much more packed. The music playing was similar to BJ's with the oldies, but I don't care much for Journey so I wasn't jamming out.
While we waited for our food, our server kept coming up to make sure we were doing fine. He was very attentive, which was nice.
Shortly afterward, our food came out. He said it was very hot and for us to let it cool off. That reminded me of BJ's, and I felt it was his way of saying the cheese would slide right off if we picked up a slice immediately.
After about a minute or so, we each grabbed a slice and took a bite. It was very greasy — that was my only issue. I think it tasted good. If anything, it tasted kind of like Peter Piper Pizza. That's a compliment because I love their pizza.
Halfway through eating, I asked my husband which pizzeria he thought was the best out of the three we visited. I knew my answer, but I wanted to know his. He said what I was thinking — Padre Pizzeria.
"From where we ate at, they had the best pizza because I felt full afterwards," my husband said. "BJ's and [Mozzafiato] was fine but they didn't really stand out in taste."
He then went on to explain how certain pizza places have distinct flavors like Saucy Mama's, Little Caesars, Pizza Hut, Domino's, Peter Piper Pizza and Papa Johns.
And I have to agree with him. I'm not saying that BJ's or Mozzafiato were bad, as I enjoyed my slices. It's just there wasn't really any distinct difference in flavor. Yeah, we only had pepperoni pizza from there but I should still taste the difference in the sauce, spices and dough. I mean, Saucy Mama's uses two different types of pepperoni on their pizzas.
Regardless, we said we'd come back to Mozzafiato in the future, as the service is great and the pizza is good.
John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Have a story idea? Contact him at john.oliva@caller.com.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Padre Pizzeria serving up sensational slices | On the Menu
