Paparazzi Pizza — Restaurant in Upper Grand Lagoon

Tried this place on the first night of our vacation; the intent to sit and have a pizza -- but after going in and seeing all the things that Paparazzi makes; nobody wanted Pizza anymore - We ended up with a Stromboli, A Meatball Sub, a Godfather (Sub), and - at the recommendation of a local who was in line with me, a Calzone.

First - the portions are huge. This was the best calzone I think I've ever had - it was big enough for 2-3, maybe 4 meals -- I ate what I could, shared some with the family, and still had 2 lunch portions left. Very worth the $20 after you put toppings in it. This dish was the envy of everyone in my family.

A large Godfather -- my older teen ate this for dinner, and then lunch the next day -- he enjoyed it thoroughly saying it was awesome, but - pined a little for the calzone.

The Meatball (half) was still gigantic, my younger teen loved it - and still had some left over for a snack the next day.

The Stromboli was likely the least favorite at the table -- we thought it was very tasty, but didn't hold a candle to the flavors of the other dishes. The dough was a little - plain, bland? It was just - not as exciting. Get the calzone instead.

We also got a couple of desserts - Cannoli and Tiramisu. The cannoli was good -- everyone enjoyed them; but they're pretty steeply priced. It all looked homemade, and they fill them when you order them so the pastry isn't soggy - that's pretty nice. Probably wouldn't get that again, just for price reasons. The tiramisu was a large piece that tasted wonderful and fresh. It's enough for 2 people to share. This was a winner I'd get again.

Atmosphere wise - it's not super exciting - it's a pizza joint feel. Large open space with a bunch of tables -- very clean, with a counter for ordering. Drinks are self-service, and food is brought out as it's completed (so - each meal came out a few minutes apart - that was a little unusual). The staff is friendly enough, but a little cold and focused. With soda fountain drink prices a little steep and no table service other than the food runner - the benefits of dining in are minimal, as all of this food travelled well.

So - no, I didn't expect to spend as much at a pizza place as I would for something more touristy on the beach - but the value is solid and the flavor of the food here is incredible. We all got at least 2 meals out of our food.

We will definitely come back to Paparazzi on future trips; but next time we'll probably get takeout - a calzone and a sandwich, and share them, and still probably...

BEWARE… scam tip culture is strong here. The biggest thing I did not like here and a majority of the reason I leave two stars is this. There is no service here.. which is completely fine I order my own food at the front, get my own drink, get my own refills, throw my own food in the trash when I’m done. All this is good, the part that annoyed me massively is when you pay at the front when you order your food, she flips the screen around and says please pick how much you would like to tip us. Then legitimately LEANS over the counter and stares down at the screen to show you that she is watching exactly what you’re going to pick. I should have clicked skip because there was no actual “service” but I felt bad because she was staring so I clicked 15% and I saw her shrug like that wasn’t good enough. Very irritated. Don’t expect a tip or even make it an option in that way if there are no servers it’s ridiculous. Anyway on to the rest.

Pricing was pretty decent. Restaurant was cool. Has a bar inside which was unexpected and they also sell true deli meat sandwich’s which is cool. The pizza was mediocre I’d say, wasn’t the best I’ve ever had but it wasn’t spectacular either. If you’re a ranch person stay away. No homemade ranch, just out of the packet that you can buy at the store which was another major turn off for us. All in all if it wasn’t for the tip issue I probably would rate a 3ish maybe a 4 but the tip thing...

Paparazzi Gourmet Deli is THE BEST! It’s our 34th wedding anniversary week and I have been searching for a good oven baked pizzas or five years! Montgomery a small surrounding areas just don’t have one. So through Google I found Paparrazis and the reviews were good. We drove 45 minutes to get there and boy, was it ever worth it! The restaurant is clean and welcoming as was the staff. They opened up a tab for us as we sipped on a split of Pinot Noir and explored the menu. My husband and I ordered two very different pizzas, vegies on mine and seafood on his. THEY WERE PERFECT! The crust was perfect, thin and slightly charred. I ate the first piece with my eyes closed, savoring the taste. IT WAS AMAZING! John, The owner came over several times to check on us, as he did for everyone dining there. Such a nice man, from NYC. The deli is family run and you can tell. Quiet, efficient, friendly with music of days gone by playing in the background. As we were finishing dinner, John himself brought us a celebratory piece of NY style cheese cake and two cannolis, all of which they make in-house. The cannolis barely made it to the car they were so delicious. I’m having the cheesecake for breakfast 😍. If you are looking for a place with quality food, welcoming atmosphere and great service you have to try Paparrazi Gourmet Deli. . I’m so...