Pizzaz Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Peters Township

Pizzaz has been a longtime feature on Route 19. Any place that survives as long as this place has must be pretty good, right? Also, they bill themselves as an Italian restaurant, so both those factors led us to try them out for dinner on a recent Saturday night. We came early as we were worried about having a long wait. While the place was busy, it is actually quite large and there was no wait for us to be seated – which was nice. As we waited for our server, and our meals, we observed the other patrons and the flow of customers. Lots of family groups and lots of takeout business. The décor is definitely not Italian. Maybe a bar, or maybe quasi-German? Could not really decide.

We asked the waitress to help us decide between the Cod and the house Burger. She was adamant that the burger was the way to go, so we went with her recommendation. Since they claim to be an Italian restaurant, we also went with an Italian standard of the Chicken Parmesan. To round out the meal, we got the Zucchini planks. We also saw lots of people getting Pizza, Calzones, Hoagies, and other Pasta dishes in the tables around us.

The Zucchini Plans were big slices of Zucchini that were breaded and deep fried. The marinara that came with it was chunky and flavorful. While the batter was rather crispy and not as light as some of the egg batters we’ve had in other restaurants around town, it was also not greasy and was enjoyable. There were way too many planks for two people and we took at least half the order home with us.

The burger also delivered on its promise. It was big, had lots of toppings, and while the meat itself was only seasoned with salt and pepper, all those toppings made for a flavorful burger. The fries that came with it were decent.

On the other hand, the Chicken Parmesan was sad. The chicken itself was barely coated and was fried. Then, a single slice or Provolone cheese was placed on top of the chicken after it was placed on a portion of Spaghetti. When the assembly was delivered to the table, the cheese had barely bent, let alone melted! The Spaghetti was decent and the same marinara sauce was used on it that came with the Zucchini.

The Chicken was supposed to come with a side salad. That never showed up. We pointed this out to the waitress, who sincerely apologized. She then packed it up (we had no more room to try and eat it) and gave us an option of one of their desserts as compensation. That was a nice move.

Reflecting on everything that we saw and tasted left me feeling conflicted. On the one hand, the staff we observed were hustling. The wait staff and the cleaning crews were in constant motion. There were plenty of people in attendance, working. As noted in the paragraph above, the one problem we had was taken care of promptly. On the other hand, they call themselves an Italian Restaurant and the Italian dish was the worst one we ordered. I guess if we come back, we’ll stick with the bar food or pizza and not get hung up on what they choose to style...

A prime example of post-Covid decline.

I haven’t been to Pizzazz since probably 2018. Wanting to support a local restaurant, I figured we’d give it a try.

I know it’s dated, and that doesn’t bother me. It probably needs cleaned up a bit but that’s fine. I’m here for the food.

We ordered wings, extra crispy. They were not. Had they been cooked appropriately, they would have been pretty good. However, they were extremely over sauced, which also ruins a wing experience. Less is more.

We asked for some wet napkins to wipe our hands after the wings. I suspect they were from 2018, because upon opening them, they were actually dry.

My wife ordered a pizza. It was by far the most flavorless pizza, and the saddest little pizza we’d ever seen.

I ordered the Calzone, and I have to say, it was by far the most disgusting thing I’ve ever eaten. Upon cutting into it, liquid ran out, which I had to wipe up with a napkin(glad I had those dry napkins) Flavorless as well. It was underbaked, absolutely unappealing to look it. The dough was uneven, so thick on one side, thin on the other. Baked pale, topped with plaster like cheese.

This is what happens when you do not pay your staff, so you have to hire Mexicans to make “Italian food.”

The reason there are few photos of their food on reviews is because the average customer is 77+ and still has a flip phone from 2004.

The best part was the server, who actually tried.

We wanted this place to be good because it’s local, it’s been around a long time, and it could be amazing. Get it...

Yummy!

This was our first visit to pizzaz. It’s a very popular restaurant, and I can definitely see why! The food is really good and the service is top-notch. Family owned and a local business, they serve up homemade soups, Italian specialities, pizzas, wings, sandwiches, salads and burgers. We chose the pizza and it was delish! Would definitely return!

The restaurant design is very comfy. I’m guessing that it is in the same design that it was in originally and nothing has changed, but it really gives it that comfy familiar feeling when you are in it. The tucked nook booths, along with the designs of the chairs, the old cash register, and the stained glass design windows really add to the charm.

The bar is “Cheers” style if you like that vibe! Happy hour drinks, good for watching sports. Outdoor seating available.

Lunch, dinner and dessert available. Credit and debit cards accepted. Catering offered. Accepts reservations. Nice for groups. Good for kids with high chairs and kids menus.

wheelchair, accessible entrance, parking lot, seating...