By Syd Jamison

Mary Angela’s Pizzeria. Photo credit: Michael Dryer.

All three of us—Reid Coleman (‘22), Jay Seevers (‘22), and I—were beyond ready to eat because we had been scaling ladders and putting up Christmas lights for the past two hours. The drive there was a simple one. Sometimes Carytown can be difficult to navigate and park in, so I was thankful for the eventless drive. We walked in and chose from a plethora of booths open, since lunch on a Monday was not the busiest time for Mary Angela’s Pizzeria.

We chose the back because it had a little more room and a tv that was playing the original Spiderman movie. The Italian being spoken in the background and the pictures of various places in Italy had Coleman feeling “immersed in Italian culture.” I felt that way as well. However, the music also made it feel more like the ‘70s in the US. The small grey speakers in the ceiling played old hits such as “Tuesday’s Gone,” “La Grange,” and “Hotel California” throughout our meal.

The pizza. Photo credit: Syd Jamison.

We sat down and all ordered water in the Pepsi-Cola tumbler, a staple in many family-style restaurants. We took our time scouring the menu for a meal we could all enjoy, and after a lengthy discussion, including input from the waitress, we decided on an extra-large pizza with half “all-American” and half “Hawaiian.” The all-American consisted of ground beef, bacon, American cheese, and mozzarella, while the Hawaiian was the typical, yet controversial, combination of ham and pineapple. Seevers refused to eat the pineapple on a pizza, so Coleman and I both took a Hawaiian, whereas Seevers went for the all-American. I added a dusting of parmesan cheese to my slice, and Coleman added some red pepper flakes. 

We had planned to share our thoughts on the meal after one bite, but by the time I remembered to talk about it, we were already halfway through our slices. I frantically asked Seevers about his slice, and he said, “Although the pizza was a little on the hot side, the beef, bacon, and cheese melted perfectly in my mouth. It deserves a strong 9.1/10.” Coleman was to the crust by the time I asked him, and he said, “the ham blended very well with the pineapple. The crust was the perfect mix of crunchy and chewy. 8.7/10.”

Personally, I believe many pizza places do put enough pineapple on their Hawaiian pizzas for my liking, so I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled off at least two pieces of pineapple with every bite. The ham was mouthwateringly warm, and a little crispy on the edge too. The pineapple flavor just seemed to pop out of the pizza. The sweetness, combined with the saltiness of the ham, made me echo Coleman’s thoughts, along with applauding whoever created the Hawaiian-style pizza in the first place. 

Before we ordered, we had talked about how the pizza might not be enough for all of us, but we were mistaken. Coleman and I had two slices each, while Seevers had three, and we were all satisfied. I even got to take home an extra slice. We asked for the check and were happy when we saw the price we had to split. For teenage boys with limited funds, the smaller the check, the better. The cherry on top for the whole outing was when she was bringing us back the check, the waitress left three delicious breath mints on top of the box. 

A few Yelp reviews accurately describe the great food and great service that Mary Angela’s has. Megan F., from Richmond, has to order gluten-free crust due to her food allergy. She said, “I was SO impressed the pizzas were cooked on foil trays to avoid cross-contamination and they even provided a mini pizza cutter individually wrapped and labeled ‘gluten-free.’” She also said, “The chicken was sliced thick and was a generous serving,” and “The sauce was flavorful and a good sauce: crust ratio.” Phil P., from Midlothian, said, “Had the fried calamari appetizer, just delicious!” He also commented on the service, saying “Cathy took care of our orders,… it was great service… listen to Cathy if you are not sure what you want.”

I have gone to Mary Angela’s for a very long time, and I have enjoyed every experience, as have many others. This is a great place for pizza, pasta, or even calamari, and I absolutely recommend it to anyone .