Today we ended up at a new Italian restaurant called Pisa Pizza located in Mesa. Upon entering there is a seating area lined with a wall that separates it from the main dining section. As you proceed to your table you are surrounded by what looks like a small Italian town with murals and fake windows. The restaurant was very clean and the service was fast.

Being a group of 8 we ordered three 18″ pizzas. One was a three cheese with peperoni, another was their “special pizza” which was composed of meats and vegetables, and the last one was pizza Ala vodka. We also ordered three bruschetta portions to start. The appetizers were amazing. The bruschetta tasted very fresh and had a unique tomato/cheese mix. The pizza was great as well. I only tried the three cheese and the Ala Vodka. Both had different seasonings and awesome thin crust.(they offer pizza in both thin and thick crust)

Overall the service was extremely friendly and even gave us complimentary garlic knots to start. Our waitress asked us on a scale of 1-5 what we thought. I would have to give them a 4. All ingredients were tasty and not overly greasy or stuffed with too much garlic. I would recommend Pisa Pizza for take out or to eat at the restaurant.

First Impressions

Floridema’s has a bit of an identity crisis.  The sign outside still says Floridino’s, but the menus, obviously well worn, say the new name. Was it a difficult business transition?

The restaurant offers patio dining, and inside a few tables and booths with stiff seating.  The interior lighting is dim, except for the light of a TV at the bar area, and the walls are covered in some old Italian-style posters.  The effect is very “local Italian place.”

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Don’t judge a book by its cover - What a surprise! My first impressions of the bistro weren’t great, but I found myself liking the place more and more with each bite.  The fact that I was extremely hungry when I arrived may have affected my judgment, but in the end, I absolutely loved my chicken parmigiana dish. This little, family-owned restaurant had attentive service. We always had filled cups, and that’s saying a lot, since our group size consisted of no less than ten hungry and thirsty guys…and me haha. If you haven’t dined at FloriDema’s or didn’t even know that it existed (like me), I would definitely recommend a meal.

By the look of it, this place was just a hole-in-the-wall pizzeria. Once we got in, it had a home-like feel to it.   When it came time to order our food, the lunch specials were passed out and the prices were very surprisingly low. This could only mean two things in my mind; either the portions were small or the food was pretty crappy. I ordered the calzone filled with pepperonis. When the food finally came, both of my expectations were wrong. The meals had large portions and were delicious. Good call Jack. The only issue was its visibility and location. Hidden in the back of Gilbert and Guadalupe, it was hardly visible from the road.

Florindino’s Italian Restaurant is located in a shopping center on the northeast corner of Gilbert and Guadalupe in Gilbert, AZ. If you are looking for good Italian food at a good price this is the place to go. They have a 5.99 lunch special that is awesome. I went with the ziti with meat sauce, and it came with a salad, bread sticks, and a drink with refills. The portions were large and I only finished about half the ziti.

The service was good and they kept our drinks full. The food came out in about 15 minutes which is pretty good considering there was 11 of us in the party. The establishment isn’t exactly the most fancy place in town, so if you are looking for a fancy Italian restaurant this may not be the place. Floridino’s is a restaurant that has good food, large portions at a great price. Try it out!

Today the web op crew went to Floridino’s on Gilbert & Guadalupe Rd on the Mesa - Gilbert line.  Floridino’s (or alternately Floridema’s?) is a small family owned italian restaurant on the northeast corner.  Its in the same plaza as Global Bike’s for any cycling enthusiasts.  We walked in unannounce with our ridiculous party of 11 and they had no problem accomodating us.  Our server was competent and friendly.

The menu was small but very reasonably priced.  They basically offer pizza, pasta, salads and sandwiches.  I ordered the chicken parm pasta lunch special.  They had all of our orders ready in a reasonable timeframe and my pasta was surprisingly good.  It was smothered in a layer of mozarella cheese and came with a fresh baked flat bread that was delicious.  The chicken was ok and definitely worth the $6.50 they charged.  All in all I would say that Floridino;s was a pretty good experience.  Its a good place to take a family, although probably on the casual side for bringing a date.

With Jack’s suggestion we decided to go to FloriDema’s. It’s a small corner Italian restaurant/pizzeria located in Gilbert. They offer good lunch specials and decent proportions. Everyone ordered either pasta dishes, pizza, or calzones. I had the meatball parmesan sandwich. It was served with a side of pasta salad and  was hot right out of the oven. The meatballs and sauce tasted original and not fresh out of the can. From what I could tell everyone seemed to enjoy their dishes. They offer indoor and outdoor seating and had good service. Our waitress was very nice and kept an eye on our drinks. Considering there were over ten of us eating, the food came out relatively fast and no mistakes were made on any one’s orders.

If your looking for good Italian food in the Gilbert area, I would definitely recommend trying them out. Besides the lunch specials, they seemed to have a full menu of Italian favorites. They had a short wine list and also offered desserts. The interior and exterior of the restaurant was nothing special. Just a simple, traditional family owned restaurant with good food.

FloriDema’s (FloriDino’s) is a small italian bistro in Gilbert. Entering through its small patio area, the restaurant itself is nearly picturesque of a stereotypical italian bistro. Seating is mostly tables with red and white cross-hatch table cloths and medium-small wooden chairs with several booths throughout.

The menu contains pastas, pizzas, and more. I ordered the chicken parmigiana that comes with breadsticks and a side of your choice of spaghetti or ziti. The dish comes out nice and hot and smothered in tomato sauce and melt mozzarella. It went well with the breadsticks which were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The chicken was very tender and its breading mixed very nicely with the tomato sauce.

This weekend I was really in the mood for Italian food. After driving around Chandler, I found a great Italian place located right off highway 10 called Buca’s. Upon entering, the hostess takes you through the kitchen and shows you around the restaurant. There is even a booth you can eat at right in the kitchen itself. All throughout the restaurant is a ton of Italian flair. Tons of pictures and Italian memorabilia from all over Italy. Besides the lunch menu everything else is ordered to feed at least 2-6 people or al a carte. They push for group lunches, parties, birthdays, and offer unique discounts like getting a free cake on you birthday or treating your grandparents on their grandparents day. To keep track of all their deals they encourage you to take the paper place mat that has all the specials listed.

My friend and I just decided to order some things off the lunch menu. We started with the bruschetta, and a couple waters. The waiter was prompt and very friendly. For lunch I ordered the Spaghetti with meatballs in a marinara sauce, and my friend ordered stuffed shells over a Alfredo, marinara sauce mix. Both were good proportions and left me full. My friend said the stuffed shells were filled with a tasty ricotta, pesto, mozzarella stuffing and were baked to perfection.

Besides a loud party going on in the other eating area, the atmosphere was really cool and definitely accented the great Italian food. I would recommend this place if you not looking to spend a lot of money on some gourmet Italian place like Tomaso’s across the street. I plan on taking my parents there when they visit in October.

UPDATE: After paying Buca Di Beppo, I did have a few debit card issues with overcharging and various other charges to my card. I highly suggest that you pay in cash, I have heard that other people have also had issues with payment.

First Impressions

Streets of New York occupies a space amid a surprisingly broad restaurant row, backed against the 60, near Superstition Springs Mall.  While it’s not the most elaborate facility there– with free-standing restaurants and a tall hotel nearby– it seemed clean.

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