Nestled in among antique shops, a dry cleaning establishment and other businesses, the Lunch Bunch spied this little pizza shop while driving along Freeport Road through Blawnox.
The interior of La Pizza Bella is larger than we expected and very clean. There are four large dining tables but, since we visited on a rather hot afternoon and the pizza ovens were in high gear, we decided to order our food to go.
We sampled the Traditional Pizza ($8.70 plus toppings) and found a soft crust, slathered with a rich sauce and cheese -- pepperoni on one side and mushrooms on the other.
One Buncher ordered the Silician Pizza ($12, plus toppings) because she favors the thicker crust.
We found no grease at all on either of the crusts.
The Steak Salad ($7.25) was made up of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, slices of bananas peppers, fries, cheese and quality wafer steak. We've been on a salad run lately, and this one hit the spot and was worth the price. You know a salad has a good balance of items when you are satisfied without having to drown it in dressing.
The Italian Hoagie ($6.50 for a 12-inch) featured a soft hoagie roll cradling ham, salami, cheeses, lettuce, tomato, onion and a dressing that brought the ensemble together.
The meatballs in our Meatball Hoagie ($4 for small, $7 for large) were smothered in a rich sauce and covered amply with a generous topping of cheese that held the sandwich together in a soft hoagie roll.
We also had a Turkey Club ($4 for small, $7 for large), which included all the goodies we have come to expect on a turkey club: turkey breast, lettuce, tomato, onions, American cheese and real bacon.
We shared an order of Bread Sticks ($2.95), and discovered they were made of pizza dough, cut into strips and sprinkled with garlic seasoning. A side of sauce was included for dipping.
As a treat for ourselves, we ordered the Dough Knots ($2 dozen), mini pieces of fried dough coated in sugar. They were dense little balls of dough, a tad heavier than we were expecting, but tasty.
Compiled by Rebecca Killian, Sis Reola and guests.
Meals are paid for by the Valley News Dispatch and are unrelated to advertising.
Additional Information:La Pizza Bella
Address: 268 Freeport Road, Blawnox
Phone: 412-828-8600
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. Closed Sundays
Credit cards: All major cards accepted
Smoking: No
Handicapped accessible: Yes
Prices: Regular pizza, $3.75-$13; specialty pizza, $4.25-$$22; hoagies, $3.75-$7; salads, $2.80-$7.25; calzones, $4.65-$9.30
