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

8015 Turkey Lake Road

Suite 200

Orlando, FL 32819

Phone: (407) 965-5548

www.delishnybakery.com

Delish NY Bakery

The tourist attractions of Orlando, Florida not only attract the tourists, they also bring in the quick and easy processed food buffets that can bore the mildest of the foodies out there. The Sizzlers, Shoney’s and the Golden Corrals of the world all find a home on International Drive in ‘O Town’. Of course you do have the opportunity to eat at your choice of any of the fast food places too. The only real benefit of a visit to any of the before mentioned places is possibly the price. I mean…a buffet for under 5 bucks is eye catching to say the least. 

Now, for those of us who do enjoy a break away from the troughs then you should (first off) stay away from International Drive. If you like the idea of a mom n’ pop place with real food, you will like DELISH on Turkey Lake Road, just a stones throw from ‘I Drive’. A mom n’ pop place can also be a husband and wife place too. Laura and Scott Stein are the owners and operators of this bakery. Even though not all the items are made on site, you will still be impressed by the variety of bakery items and of the real New York bakery feel. Laura and Scott were very close to becoming doctors when they made the decision to move to Orlando and start a bakery. I, for one, am glad they did.

It was mid morning when we were en route to see the ducks at The Peabody. (If you do not know about the ducks at The Peabody then you should look that up). The thought crossed our mind of a $4.99 breakfast buffet but were not interested in that, not at all. When we visit out of town places we like to take a chance and find someplace like DELISH. When I walked in and approached the counter, I was a little frustrated with the fact that the bagels were not made on site. They are however freshly made in New York and then shipped to Florida for the final touches and last process to be ready for sale.

Blueberry Bagel

I decided to order a blueberry bagel, toasted, with butter on it. Also, my eyes were fixed upon the cheese Danishes. One of these would also be on my plate for me to enjoy. Before you decide to eat a ‘big breakfast’ here, you should know that they focus on being a bakery. The mistake I made was wanting an omelet when I walked in the door. Laura kindly told me that DELISH did not have a fryer or a grill. They do offer eggs, but they are pre-made refrigerated patties. My personal suggestion would be to get a microwave for scrambled fresh eggs. But I was plenty satisfied with the blueberry bagel and the cheese Danish. The owners let me know that the bagels are not made from scratch (at least not on site). They order them from a bakery in New York and then bake them in Orlando. On the surface, this does not sound appetizing. But I would like to let you know that the food is very good. You should know that DELISH does offer many items that are homemade such as all of the cookies, cakes, as well as the egg and chicken salads. DELISH also offers various fresh whipped cream cheeses including veggie, plain, lox spread, and a reduced fat version. If you want to top your bagel with peanut butter and jelly, the Steins give you that option as well. These guys also offer catering with bagels and spreads, pastry platters and coffee carriers. You can also get several flavors of Italian ice here too.

Tasty Cheese Danish

Now I am aware that we spent more money by going to DELISH than if we had gone to one of the chains just blocks away. But when visiting Orlando’s park area I would personally recommend either a bagel, pastry, maybe egg or chicken salad. As we were leaving there was a young man all of 5 years old that wanted to let us know that his mom was taking him to the cookie store. It looks to me that DELISH is starting a local tradition in the community.

Review by Pie, email: pie@piesplate.com