Valentino's Pizza — Restaurant in Titusville

Like all good restaurants, Valentino’s carries a legacy—in its particular case, one that stretches back some 100+ years to nostalgic, family-secret recipes emigrated from Italy itself. Maybe that’s why Valentino’s is my instant go-to for pizza in my local area. It feels personal. It’s not part of some chain dealing out processed dough in pre-measured portions. It’s hand-tossed, home-cooked, and original.

Upholding New York tradition, Valentino’s keeps their crust thin and powdered—soft in the middle, crispy and browned near the edges. It avoids the usual “thin crust” crunch, but also isn’t doughy. Biting into a slice of Valentino’s pizza, I know what to expect—lots of cheese, a crispy crust, and just the right amount of grease. The flavor is a fine-tuned balancing act between dough and toppings, resulting in a perfected texture and taste. Because there’s no waste of excess dough, Valentino’s pizza leaves you feeling like you’ve devoured a legitimate pizza, and not a pan of bread flavored with melted cheese and meat sauce.

At its best, Valentino’s offers a wholesome, filling pizza—one with that “secret-recipe” taste you can’t get from chain restaurants. Eat it in-restaurant, and it’s guaranteed to be steaming and warm, with cheese melting and stringy (and guaranteed to burn your tongue, too, if you’re overly ambitious—I usually start off by cutting the first slice into bite-sized portions with my fork while waiting on it to cool).

As it’s a family-owned-and-operated restaurant, Valentino’s is more than happy to accommodate your preferences. A 50-50 pizza is no issue for them (Half peperoni and half veggie? You got it!), nor is a flatter, crispier crust (Sicilian is an option, though it’s pricier than the average saucer). Wait time can seem lengthy, but only if you’re eating on-site. Pizzas are generally made fresh-to-order, meaning that wait is worth your while. A big-screen TV provides more than enough entertainment while you wait.

Atmospherically, Valentino’s resembles a darkened Italian pub, with painted murals along the walls and lamp-lit tables—a pleasantly noisy among the TV. clinking of dishware, and bustling of conversation. It’s a family-friendly environment, oddly sophisticated and inviting without being exclusive.

Pizza may be Valentino’s forte, but it’s far from alone in its excellence. Valentino’s cheese steak hoagies and calzones are worth the trip, too. Calzones come at a generous size, though their simplicity often makes them a better side dish to split among friends than a solo meal. Cheese steak hoagies, on the other hand, are made to satisfy, packed with juicy meat and a choice of peppers, onions, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mushrooms, and drizzled in Italian dressing. They’re a meal in their own right, or the perfect meal to split in half with a friend over an additional pizza plate. Hoagies come with a handful of potato chips as well.

While pizza is definitely the drawing point for Valentino’s, they also offer a variety of Italian treats—from dinner plates to desserts—that are worth experiencing, so I encourage any frequent customers to experiment with the menu.

If you’re in the Titusville area, looking for something unique, Valentino’s is an affordable, worthy consideration. Located in the Sears Town Mall, it’s an ideal place to eat before/after heading off to the mall theater for an...

Valentino's Pizza Restaurant- Titusville, FL- 3.5 Stars

“Italian food is all about ingredients and it's not fussy and it's not fancy.” – Wolfgang Puck.

I knew my luck wouldn't hold out forever and after some tasty Southern Breakfast reviews and scrumptious burgers, the" found on every street corner" Italian place came up on my random name generator. This one was called Valentino's Pizza and was located way up north in Titusville, FL. There are a million of these types of restaurants all over the country, as such, I wasn't expecting to be floored by the fare, just satisfied.

While the exterior storefront is nothing to write home about, the inside was spotless, well lit, with ample spacing and a family atmosphere. My waitress for the meal was Cheyenne and she was bubbly and on ridiculous speed as she moved in an unabashed tornado of competent, professional work ethic. She was able to answer all my questions on the menu and proceeded to take my order for one Valentino's Special Pizza (small) and my barometer for American-Italian grub houses one order of Veal Marsala bedded on Angel hair pasta with a side of Minestrone soup.

Returning with my foodstuffs, Cheyenne checked if I needed anything else, then dashed off to attend to other customers and duties. Turning my attention to the spread before me, I grabbed a piece of their pie and commenced. Looking at the photos you can see that everything looked tasty enough, but the true test lay on the palate.

The pizza was served on a thin and crispy crust (which I personally don't like), but it was executed flawlessly and was a prime example of how this type of crust should be done. The ingredients tasted exceptionally fresh, which surprised me as I was expecting frozen, pre-cut toppings. The mushrooms were large and flavorful melding with the onions and green peppers magnificently with the sausage and slight kick of the pepperoni. My taste buds were happy.

Cheyenne promised me the Veal scallopini for the Veal Marsala was hand cut and had breaded and I am pleased to write that she was not misleading me. The Veal was tender, juicy, and flavorful, while the Marsala left a smidgen of a bitter aftertaste in the mouth, it was well within the acceptable range. The accompanying Minestrone, while indeed made from fresh ingredients, wasn't anything spectacular, but was a good representation of the dish.

The Big Boy says, “If you like freshly made thin crust pizza and hand-breaded Veal at a family price in a friendly environment, Valentino's should be your go-to place.” #bigboydiningout...

We have been going to the restaurant for over 20 years and for the most part have enjoyed the experience and service. Yesterday, things were different, we ordered the tiramisu and it was freezer burnt. We had to go up to the main counter 3 times to ask for an additional fork, napkins and for mayo that had been requested but apparently forgotten, chalked it up to a new waitress however when we got the bill and none of the charges seemed to match the same sequence as the written order even though the total seemed accurate.

I mulled over it for 10 minutes and finally asked the waitress and she explained that is how she was told to do it. We asked to speak to the manager to get a better understanding. What we did not expect was that the manager would be very defensive stating that this is how they do their business and have been doing it for over 43 years and if we needed clarification we should just come to her in the future. I was hoping for a little empathy but there was none. Apparently my value or concern as a paying customer was not relevant.

There appears to be a level of complacency with customer care and this business appears to be on the decline much like the rest of surrounding businesses in the mall that we have watched go away. We will miss the Valentino's we used to know when it seemed that they cared and the quality of food was better.....perhaps it was always just an illusion and we just finally got to see their true colors.

Complacent businesses also lose their customers one at a time. If my product and service were as bad as what we experienced yesterday I would fold and spare my patrons the torture. Feeding thousands of people over 43 years with average service and mediocre food is not something I would boast about. The nostalgia for me and my family was more about a ritual we had created going to visit Titusville on the weekends. It seems like they wanted to say goodbye to us, so we are saying goodbye to them! This establishment has seen its best days and has lost another previously loyal customer! If you care about customer service and quality this is not the place for you!...