Clean and quaint, The Pizzaria Factory entertains your five senses with pretty sights, enticing smells, a carnival of textures, a rainbow of tastes and playful sounds that leave the patron in a state of high spirits or feeling a little devilish desiring more.
In a plaza, 0.8 miles away from Pierce College, where grocery stores, a CVS pharmacy and a bunch of other small establishments are found, lies The Pizzaria Factory. The restaurant looks ordinary, and in truth boring, almost tricking you into thinking it might be another lame pizza shop.
However, with a few steps closer, outside the establishment reveals an interesting set-up with smooth wooden tables supported by metal beams and spacing between each table providing a bubble of privacy for customers to enjoy their meals in company or in peace. A tiny glimpse of the cordial environment is enough to propel any customer inside.
Once indoors, an odor of baking dough fills the nose as if it were a mischievous child saying hello. A second friendly welcome comes from the cashier who begins to help you with your journey through the menu.
It is there at the menu that your mouth begins to water. There is a variety of subs, salads, pizzas, pastas, desserts, calzones and appetizers to choose from.
The Pizzeria House Salad contains mixed iceberg and romaine lettuce, tomatoes, red cabbage, sliced carrots, black olives, cucumbers and pepperoncini. The colors of the vegetables are vibrant against the gleaming white plate the salad is served on and a fresh scent like that of walking in a garden floats off the plate.
One fork of salad and the flavors come together in harmony.
A red slice of tomato gushes sweet juice and the crunchiness of the mixed iceberg and romaine lettuce, red cabbage, and cucumbers is music to the ear. The five pepperoncini that are on the outer parts of the salad, provide small portions of hot spice without needing to consume them, but if you bite into one, the flavor burns the taste buds.
The black olives, when eaten with the other members, are fine among the sweet and refreshing flavors and adds to the dish. However, here is a warning: they have a bitter, overpowering aftertaste.
Next, the appetizers. The fries and mozzarella sticks stood out among their garlic cheese bread sticks, chicken poppers, potato cheese munchers, hot or barbecue wings and chicken tenders on the menu.
Yellow and crisp, the fries were long and thin. They were served hot with a small cup of ketchup on the side in a green basket.
The fries were a little over salted causing the throat to crave for water. Mozzarella sticks were a golden brown, came with marinara sauce and, like the fries, were hot off the fryer. One bite and gooey cheese flows into the mouth.
After eating the appetizers moved on to the next plate. The restaurant served pasta which I couldn’t refuse. After the appetizers vanished from the plate, the pasta, fettucine chicken alfredo, tempted with its fragrance. The fettuccine pasta had a nice texture and the grilled chicken was cooked with herbs that increased its flavor.
Service provided garlic bread without charge, which is a cool act. The garlic bread didn’t look too appetizing because it was toasted and looked like it would hurt to bite into, but it was surprisingly both soft on the inside and crunchy on the outer layer.
To finish the visit, a small 10’ pizza made for one person was served as well. There were other sizes to choose from for those wanting to provide for a party or small group of friends.
The Hawaiian pizza was cooked with smoked ham and fresh golden pineapples topped the melted cheese. The pizza was okay. It wasn’t anything special, but the dough was amazing.
The dough was light and fluffy and almost floats inside mouths. The crust was more enjoyable than the cheese and toppings.
Overall, the service, environment and food were top-notch except for some minor things. Visit The Pizzaria Factory for a nice lunch out with friends, an evening of adventurous escapades, or even a place to eat alone, because a person could always use a little me time.
The Pizzera Factory is located at 19755 Vanowen St, Unit A4 Winnetka, CA. Open seven days a week 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Telephone 818-226-5401.
