Pazzo

Pazzo is both a pizzeria and a more upscale sit-​down restaurant. The pizzeria makes good pizzas, although I would not recommend ordering by the slice. The slices sit too long. Their fresh pies, though, are really good (and a slice from a fresh-​out-​of-​the-​oven pie is just fine as well).
I see others here dismissing the sit-​down restaurant, which puzzles me. My family has eaten there on a number of occasions and never had anything but very positive experiences. The food is fresh and well-​prepared, and service is always friendly and prompt. The chef makes sure that there are always a few specials available and the menu rotates on a regular basis, so there’s a variety of options. While this isn’t a destination dining spot, it is extremely reliable; you will always get a very good, very satisfying meal here. As an added bonus, the «fancy» restaurant is kid friendly. Kids can order a kid-​size pizza or some pasta in marinara sauce. They don’t have to suffer just because their parents want something a little «fussier» for themselves.

We walked in the door on ¹²⁄₂₆ and immediately noticed that the tables were dirty and the seats out of place. Looking past the dirty floor and tables, we proceeded to order a large pizza with jalapeños and red onions. Then we added (2) garlic knots to our order. The young man who took our order did not have a friendly disposition and we also noticed that his hands were dirty. At this point we should have just walked out, but we persisted.
The garlic knots were fine, and the marinara sauce was actually good. The pizza however was a different story. The crust was crunchy, while the main dough was soggy. The pizza itself lacked any real flavor. It may have been the worst pizza we’ve ever had. We left it and turned down an offer from the guy working in the main kitchen to make us another pizza. They could not have paid us to take another pizza from them.
This place leaves much to be desired. The young man who took out order should learn to wash his hands, smile, and say thank you to his customers. Someone should clean the tables, and sweep the floor. The place was literally empty when we walked in, so there’s no excuse for it to be dirty.
One can only hope that the owner was on vacation. We didn’t even ask for our money back, because they’re going to need it.
You’re better off buying frozen pizza from trader joes, or getting a baking steel and some dough to make your own.
Avoid this place. You deserve better!

Bare hand tossing Caesar salad — not OK. I don’t need Norovirus (even after hand washing). I asked him not to do that, then he washed and gloved, but later he used his other hand to position greens on the plate. Come on — get with the food science! Otherwise, decent place. Folks, let restaurateurs know this is not OK. Norovirus is the #1 foodborne illness reported. Handwashing is great, but not enough to prevent it.

Fantastic service from Seth and the crew. They went out of their way to accommodate us and a pregnant wife! The service was excellent and the food was delicious!

This may be the first restaurant review I’ve given in years but I have to comment about what happened tonight. I asked the gentleman behind the counter to help me carry my pizza out to my car that was directly in front of the restaurant doors because I had my 18 month old squirming toddler with me, it was drizzling outside and it just would have helped if someone threw my pizza into my car because I had to carry my son. This would have taken literally 30 seconds to do. He said no. Then he asked his co-​worker who also said no.
I was pretty appalled. A stranger stood up from her dinner to help instead.

Won’t ever go back under the current management. The waiter was extremely rude from the moment he eventually made it over to our ten-​top. He asked for our drink order and we asked about the beer selection. He recited the four beers available and rolled his eyes when my sister asked him to repeat the list. 10 minutes later, he delivered our drinks and we asked about ordering a pizza for our two children at the table. He stated that the pizza would take 45 minutes to an hour to cook, so he recommended against it. We asked for a kid’s menu and he said there is none, but «order the pasta with bacon, every kid likes that». He then left us so we could review the menu. My sister had earlier visited the pizza counter and asked about pizza slices and they said they were available. Our waiter eventually returned to take our order. We asked again about pizza or pizza slices for the two kids and he stated that they would not serve pizza to us because we were seated in the restaurant section and the kids were taking up two seats that could have been filled by «paying patrons». Then despite our gang of hungry kids and elderly parents, he told us he would give us a few more minutes to review the menu and he just walked away — despite the fact that we told him we were ready to order. We were infuriated and simply walked out. On our way out, I asked the hostess for the manager or owner. She came back and said the owner was unavailable because he was in the kitchen. I asked for his name and number and she left again. Then she returned with our original waiter who said HE was the manager. At that point, I was really infuriated and left.

Ordered regular crust large pizza — fantastic! Light crispy crust with wonderful flavor. Perfect picnic food right before the outdoor movie right next door

Born & raised 46 years in New York & married to a 100% Italian woman who cooks like there is no tomorrow I can honestly say my biggest fear moving to North Carolina was missing the great Italian Restaurants in NY CT and surrounding metropolitan area when I was looking to give my lovley wife a break from cooking & enjoying a nice Italian meal out. Pazzo Restaurant tucked away in Southern Village may look like just a place to just grab a quick slice of Pizza or pie to go which by the way is fantastic but they also have a wonderful dining area with seating both inside as well as outside & the food is off the hook good. I said to waitress bring the owner out here i want to tell him how great his food is & ask what I can do to spread the word about his incredible Italian food. Seth comes out & we speak for 15 minutes, he is a wonderful humble man who loves cooking & seeing that his clientele is 100% satisfied which was no surprise to me. If you love Italian food then take the time to stop in for either for a slice or a pie to go or sit in the dining area & enjoy one of many options off his menu. From the appetizers to the main main course right through desert I was just blown away with the food. The service was incredible our waitress was so warm happy & helpful when asking questions about the different dishes on the menu & the atmosphere is just as good. I am telling you this restaurant is the complete package. I had never met Seth until this evening & honestly I had only been eating thier take out pizza & garlic knots for the past 9 months, now after sitting down & dinning there with my wife this evening enjoying a true three course meal I felt compelled to let everyone & anyone who might come across my post know how truly awesome this Restaurant is. If you are getting a slice of pizza to go & have never sat down in the dinning area & enjoyed a meal from their dinner menu then you are truly missing out on so much great genuine Italian food. I will be dinning here at least twice month & as always I will continue to enjoy their many different options of Pizza pie’s and garlic knots. Seth I want to thank you for making me & my wife feel at completely at home as well as thank you for taking the time out of your very busy schedule to speak with my wife & I when I know how extremely busy you were this evening. FIVE STARS is no lie this place meets & exceeds your expectations I guarantee it!!!
Customers for life :-)
Ken & Paula

This pizza was just… not good. The dough was fluffy like sandwich bread. The pizza itself was completely bland. The garlic atop my pie was basically raw. I really love pizza and have rarely met a pizza I couldn’t find something I liked about it… But this pizza just lacked all qualities I look forward to on pizza night. I wish I had something more positive to report! Additionally, these pizzas were EXPENSIVE and I’m bummed that so much of it will go to waste :(

Went here tonight for date night. I ordered «the special» filet mignon and mixed green salad and I must say it was fabulous. My wife had risotto and lobster and beet salad and she enjoyed hers as well. Nice atmosphere, waitress was very polite and knowledgeable. She did forget our drink order but apologized and promptly brought it out. I would definitely go back. Food was great.

This restaurant is not as good as it’s made out to be. The food is too salty and not actually all that good. It’s extremely overpriced for its value. The service is okay; the girl we had was very loud and she kept sniffing and seemed strung out. Most of the people had a weird vibe like they were on drugs. The hostess was helpful though and very nice. My friends and I agreed that it did not have a real, friendly atmosphere. The servers were weird and impolite. It seemed fake.
The plaid curtains were horrible, as are the metal wall decorations. They need a makeover by an actual interior designer with style, not by the owner’s wife, who clearly has no taste.
While we were eating in the dining room on a busy Friday we could clearly hear the cooks yelling and talking with obscene language seemingly about one of the female employees. Even the heavyset guy that is apparently the owner was yelling. I also noticed one of them wiping their nose before handling food. Disgusting.
Their pizza is also usually burnt and not very good.
All in all a pretty poor experience and I don’t recommend it. :P

Ordered the penne pasta and pasta with meatballs. The food was below average tasting. The meatballs were foul tasting. Then 30 minutes after I was finished with dinner, major stomach cramps, ran to the toilet. What a mess. I was food poisoned.

Ate there last night (⁸⁄₂₃) and found it okay. Asked if they could prepare, small salad with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. They did, but charged me $ 12.00 for it, when other salads were in the $ 9.00 range. Bread not that good, little stale, and my pesto was okay. Friend of mine had the bolognese and it was luke warm. Service was okay.

Pizza!
I came here with my lovely girlfriend after seeing the film «Burt Macklin: Space FBI» at the Lumina (Good movie!). We were looking for a place to grab grub, and pizza by the slice sounded particularly appetizing. We grabbed our pizza and ate outside. It was a perfect evening to eat outside, and Pazzo’s outside tables are nice.
The pizza itself is also yummy.
If you need something to eat after seeing a movie at the Lumina (whether it be a good one or a Michael Bay film), this seems like the place to go.

I’m referring to the restaurant proper, not the pizzeria side: great place! A nice, varied menu with seasonal specials. Most of their pasta is house-​made and the standards like the bolognese and oven roasted chicken are always reliable. Recently I’ve enjoyed the soft shell crab specials and the locally-​grown tomato salads.
Their caesar salad with house-​made dressing is the best in town!
The staff is always outstanding and attentive.

Revised ¹¹⁄₂₀₁₄: Seth the owner went out of his way to contact me to investigate the details of our potential food poisoning. He was not defensive at all and was legitimately concerned about finding out if there was a real problem. Went back and had a free app on the house. Meal was good but above all they get four stars for customer service.
Great patio for date night on nice evenings and the pizzeria is really popular for families and nicer than delivery pizza. Patio and restaurant are divided into separate casual fine dining and pizza areas. Located right across from the Lumina, so perfect for dinner and a movie.
Old review: We live right down the street and eat here every once in a while. We’ve been to the pizzeria several times, and to the sit-​down restaurant twice. I REALLY wanted to give this place more stars because on our most recent visit here we had wonderful service, the food was delicious, and the atmosphere was wonderful. However, the next morning, both my husband and I had terrible food poisoning. I spent memorial day weekend vomiting my brains out. There is no doubt in my mind that the source was Pazzo, because everything else I’d eaten that day I’ve eaten before I got sick and after I recovered, with no problems. My husband and I shared our entrees and we both got sick. After food poisoning, two stars is the highest rating I can give.

Update– We gave this place another try and the pizza has been consistently pretty decent.
The counter staff is nice and though they have limited seating in the pizza parlor, they have additional seating in the dining room.

As a citizen of Southern Village, I will tell you what you must know about Pazzo: ordering pizza by the slice is a mistake. You will be disappointed. Those pies are prepared and then allowed to come to room temperature (the worst temperature for pizza). The slices are then re-​heated to order, but they cannot recover from the insult, and are chewy and bland. The one-​star reviews reflect that. However, the pizza made to order is quite good. I recommend the Rio Ranch. I’d go so far as to give that aspect of Pazzo 3.5 stars.
The restaurant side (as opposed to the pizza counter; Pazzo has the restaurant version of Multiple Personality Disorder) is middle-​of-​the-​road — three stars. If you’re craving (not simply willing to have, that is) Italian, I’m sure it will satisfy. Otherwise, get the pizza (a whole pie, made to order).

Great pizza? Not sure what the writers of such reviews are drinking. Thin crust is one thing, skimping on the sauce and cheese on top is another. Pies sit for ages and taste that way. It is a shame because the restaurant, as mentioned, can be quite good.
I hope the pizzeria gets some expert advice and steps up their game.

Gives pizza a bad name. Soft, flavorless, filling dough they call crust. Toppings weren’t any better. Flat beer. We won’t be back.