Flippers Pizzeria

Late one evening, after having been to the Disney parks all day, I was in need of some food. Not wanting to spend the next hour in a crowded restaurant, I chose take out. The last thing I wanted was to go to a drive-thru and get a burger. With my hotel room being near the Disney parks in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, I wanted to try Flippers Pizzeria. I had seen the flyer in a tourist info booth and thought to myself that I liked the name, but are they a fly by night kind of place. Well to let you know, Flippers is a very established Italian restaurant chain in central Florida.

Dining Room Table

The first thing that I had noticed as I walked up was the Pepsi machine behind the counter. If you have followed my other reviews, you are aware that I am a Coke fan. This detail did not deter my visit to Flippers though. Since I was just going to get a to-go order I can just buy a can from the machine at the hotel. The second thing I noticed at Flippers was the patrons seated in the little patio area. This place was very popular for being the middle of the week and almost 10 pm. After I had placed my order at the counter, I realized this place is very popular as the workers from Disney were ending their day by stopping by to get take out for themselves.

Counter and Staff

The staff was very friendly as I waited for the calzone that I had ordered. Actually the calzone here is called a…. wait for it… flipper. Sorry about that last sentence but it was just too easy to do. Sitting in the dining area looking around I noticed that Flippers Pizzeria has an almost upscale feel to them. The atmosphere gives you a real Italian feel. Looking around at the bottles of wine on the wall and the jars of olives I had this idea of a ‘mama’ in the kitchen correcting the cook on his mistakes.

Counter

While I sat there I looked over the menu to see what other options that I bypassed. For the starters (appetizers) that were on the menu were almost boring for a place that has so much character. When I go to an Italian place I know I can get garlic bread, breadsticks, or bruschetta. That was all that these guys offer for starters. Priced between $3.99 and 5.99, meh…. boring. Now looking at the rest of the menu gets quite a bit more exciting. The flatbreads, the wraps, ‘brick-fired sandwiches’, and the chicken portabella alfredo all sounds so good. How can I forget the brick oven specialty pizzas?!? A chicken alfredo pizza, a Mediterranean chicken pizza, oh my an all meat pie with pepperoni, sausage, beef, ham, smoked bacon, and meatball… Did I make the right decision for the flipper???, I am now wondering.

Flipper

It is too late for any changes now, I have received my flipper. Off to the hotel I go, and I can smell this ricotta and ham filled creation just waiting for me. I get to the room and dig in. The guys there at the restaurant made sure as I was leaving to tell me to have a great day, they also gave me a little extra sauce, crushed pepper, and parmesan cheese in separate containers. The food was wonderful. With a calzone there is a close line to over cooking them and the guys at Flippers did a great job on not doing this. As a matter of fact they did a great job on everything there. If they would liven up the ’starter’ menu just a bit they would have a most perfect pizza place. This is a great restaurant with wonderful food and a staff that is very friendly.

With the prices being very reasonable: flatbreads from $7 to 16 inch pizzas topping out at $21 and they do offer daily lunch specials with several items at $5.49 up to $7.49). Flippers is a place that I will definitely visit again, the next time I am in Orlando. These guys have a total of 10 restaurants in the central Florida area to go to. According to the flyer they not only offer dine in and carry out but also have delivery (at least at the Lake Buena Vista location).

Review by Pie, email:  pie@piesplate.com

9802 Baymeadows Rd
Jacksonville, FL 32256-7917
(904) 646-1370

www.thegiulianosjax.net

 One of my favorite things to do is to visit a good lunch buffet. Going to Giuliano’s in Jacksonville, Florida is a real treat. I must admit that I am a regular to Giuliano’s before I start this review. My first experience was with the lunch buffet in the spring of 2009. Since then I have ordered pizza as a take out and have had the buffet many times. Now on the last visit to Giuliano’s in October of 09 I once again had the lunch buffet. On this day they offered a fresh salad with iceburg lettuce, small tomatoes, peppers, cheeses, and various dressings. There are always two options for pizza (this day was pepperoni and tomato and cheese). There is something different that they do to the pizza there, something that makes their pizza one of the best you will have.

 On the main part of the buffet you will find different options each day. This particular day was chicken marsala, chicken parmesan, lasagna, and a crab fettuccini. The wait staff was very helpful and kept our drinks filled. So much to the point I had to let them know that I was done with my drink. The reason that I say them is that the staff seemed to share the duties and we did not have one server only. They (the servers) also kept us stocked with fresh bread and oil for the dipping.

 Giuliano’s is a wonderful and quaint restaurant that is tucked away in a strip mall. The restaurant offers a little bar that is not actually in the dining area. Then to the other side of the bar is a little wine and gourmet shop. The lighting is dark and some may say romantic in the dining side of Giuliano’s. There is always great Italian music playing softly and the smell of the great things to come out of the kitchen. The men’s room is clean and large. The rest of the restaurant is also clean and again, the staff is wonderful. Do not be surprised if the manager comes to your table to ask if everything is going well.

So, if you find yourself traveling on I-95 in Jacksonville, Florida you need to exit off of onto Baymeadows then go East to the corner of Baymeadows and Southside. You will find Giuliano’s in the in the corner of the shopping center on the right, before Southside. They are open 11 am until 10 pm. They do offer take out, catering as well as delivery. You can also check them out on the web www.thegiulianosjax.net

Reviewed by Pie, email: pie@piesplate.com