Catalina Craft Pizza — Restaurant in Arizona

I can’t believe we live this close and hadn’t tried Catalina Craft Pizza until recently, but we’re SO glad we did. It’s hard to find gluten-free options in our area, even Oro Valley, and the gluten-free options don’t end at the pizza. They are able to make their awesome wings gluten-free. The wings really are excellent. But what really impressed us and stays with us is the service here. We’ve eaten here twice in a week. Our first time, our server was Isabella and she was so sweet, and accommodating and helpful in getting the wings to be GF, she talked to the chef (Brady?) and we were there early enough so they could bake them. Anyway, Isabella really provided great service and the wings were great. We were hoping to get pizza, my wife is the one with the gluten allergy, and they were out of the GF crust that day, so I didn’t feel right getting pizza if she couldn’t try the GF crust. So I went with the Italian sandwich, because, well, first of all, HELLO, CAPICOLA! I love capicola, I rarely see it on anyone’s menu and I also noticed they use it as a meat topping for their pizzas, so I got the sandwich so I’d know how it’d be on the pizza next time. The whole sandwich was very good, not just the capicola, I liked the peppers and the other meats and the bread was fresh. But the experience stood out because of Isabella’s great service, even if we didn’t like the food.

Later that same week, I called to see if the GF crust was available, it was, and we went. This time our server was Marisa, and she was just as great as Isabella! We really liked her. She was also VERY pleasant, and just a lot of fun to have as our server, she checked on us, it was a lot of fun AND we were able to enjoy the pizza. NICE! Pretty darn close to NY pizza! Excellent crust, chewy but also crispy AND you can taste a nice flavor in the dough, it’s not JUST a vessel for the sauce and cheese. I think the mozzarella is what makes the pizza so good, although the sauce is also great, it’s got a little bit of a sweetness to it, not too acidy. And you can bet I got capicola as a topping and it was great! Capicola and black olive, yum! Even the GF pizza was very good (usually you say it’s “good for gluten-free” but this really was one of the better GF crusts).

We just love the way we’re treated and it’s not like we’re even regulars. Add the great food and you’ve got a winner! I think we’re about to...

The first couple of times we came here the experience was flawless, which is why we gave it a couple more chances before I wrote this. The last two times we went, it was not anything we expected.

The first time was much like a few other people’s recent experiences: staff being rude, ignoring waiting customers, people in the kitchen goofing off in pain sight of people waiting for their food, wait staff hiding behind the service wall taking bad about customers, etc. we ended up walking out after waiting at a table for 20 minutes for service. I mean basics like menu, glass of water, silverware and napkins… nothing. The only reason we went back is because of the gift cards someone gifted us.

This time it wasn’t nearly as bad for the service. They only had one person running the entire floor, and she did the best she could. So nothing on her, but you could tell she was stressed. The folks in the kitchen were again messing around in the kitchen in full view of the guests. They kept dropping things and laughing, which is why I think it took so long for our food to come out. The tomato soup was amazing, and it’s was the best thing out of the entire experience.

The meatballs were a huge disappointment and a waste of money. They charge you $10 for two tiny meatballs in a huge bowl of sauce. The meatballs tasted as if they were reheated from the night before and slightly burned. So disappointing.

The Calzone was the biggest waste of money. I also think they dropped our first one and had to remake it, or they forgot and didn’t make it. Folks who got there after us got their food before us, and the waitress kept coming by to say “Just a few more minutes on that!” a few times. When it finally came out, it was a mess. There was maybe enough toppings inside for one slice of pizza. They forgot the pepperoni, there was maybe a teaspoon full of cheese, and one or two mushrooms and a couple of slices of prosciutto. The calzone itself was mostly folded over dough with no flavor. The “dipping cause” tasted like someone dumped some tomato sauce in a bowl and heated it up in the microwave. I used the leftover sauce from the meatballs because it actually had some taste to it. We thought we could share one, but it ended up being as if we split one slice of pizza with wayyyyy too much crust. Pizza Hut makes a better calzone, and it doesn’t cost you $22.

As sad as this is, I don’t think we will...

This was our first time there. It was a Friday and we just beat the crowd by arriving around 5:30 . My husband ordered the antipasto as a main entree because we asked our server if it was enough for a main entree and was told absolutely. He was rather disappointed as this was not a true Italian antipasto. There was no Italian hard cheese, no olives black or otherwise, no pepperoncini or anything else one would expect to compliment a real antipasto. The only Italian meat was pepperoni. The menu description was not an accurate assessment for an antipasto and the only bread was one we needed to order for a $5 charge which came timely but it took so long for our meals to come we nibbled on that while waiting. I ordered the lasagna which was actually pretty good and a good size portion. That came with a garden salad which was very average There was no salt and pepper or grated cheese on the table to take it up a notch We ate most of the $5 bread while waiting for our meals to come so we ordered another to have with dinner which we never received until after we both finished our meals. Definitely not worth the $10 bill for several slices of crusty bread which we didn't get to enjoy with our meals. The Italian sauce we agreed was quite good. The ice tea we ordered was very weak and would not order that again. A bit pricey for flavored water. A fair selection of wines however for the price the pour could have been a bit more generous All in all it was not the most positive experience but not the worst either. We would go back now that we know better and what to and what not to expect. We always give a new restaurant we haven't been to at least 2 tries before making a final decision on whether to return. We are hopeful the 2nd try will be a...