Toni's Pizza Italian Ristorante — Restaurant in Virginia Beach

Toni's Pizza is located in the Holland Plaza Shopping Center, which is near the corner of Holland Rd. and S. Plaza Trail. You won't necessarily see the place from Holland Rd., but you should see the shopping center from both roads. It took me a little time to find it as the GPS in the car wasn't as helpful as it normally has been. My visit here was on January 4, 2025.

From the outside, it looks like a quaint little place. Apparently there are new owners for the place now, as I saw a notice about that on the door as my mom and I came in. I like to try several new to me places around the beginning of the year, and this is one of those places. I also had a coupon from the back of a Kroger receipt.

When we came in, we were the only patrons there. The two owners were there though when we came in, and we were able to choose where we wanted to sit. They came over with the menu for us to look over. I generally stick to water with lemon as the drink since I try to keep my blood sugar in check, as I have been in diabetic remission for over a year and counting. My mom decided to go with Pepsi since they are one of the places that does Pepsi instead of Coke.

After looking over the menu for some time, we decided to go with the large white pizza, while also adding green peppers and pepperoni. We decided against appetizers since we knew the pizza would be big and will have enough carbs by itself.

About ten to fifteen minutes after ordering, the pizza came out and boy did it look and smell good. They asked if we needed anything else other than the plates and such, and we were good to go at that time. Normally, I'd just go for one slice of pizza, but it was so good that I ended up having three slices that day. In the end, there were a few slices left to bring home to have the following day.

Overall, this was an excellent experience. They served us well when we were there. They were on top of it, and the food was phenomenal. I even mis-read the coupon, but they honored it anyways. Even with having the three slices of pizza, my blood sugar levels did not spike either. I am definitely looking forward to coming back soon. It's always great to support local businesses. If you are in the area and looking for some great pizza or Italian food, you definitely need to put this place on the list of...

My first couple visits after the owner change were fine, the pizza stayed the same. Then I got one not as good, eventually tried again and also not so good. I noticed it didn't have the old Tony's plentiful cheese. I didn't plan to go back, but I've always liked their crust and that didn't seem different. I decide to try again, but tell them my experience beforehand. When I tell them the pizza is not as good, they respond that they are using the same dough. That, I said, was the only reason I was giving it another try, but I wanted as much cheese as before. That pizza was much more like the original, though I did realize it also needed more sauce. I can't speak for any other foods there, but I feel the downfall of their pizza comes from a cost cutting measure of using less cheese and sauce. I know nothing about the restaurant business, but it doesn't seem wise to take over a restaurant with serious longevity and start changing the things that kept people coming back for decades. UPDATE...I changed my rating from 2 to a 4. With the extra cheese, I feel the taste is still great. Also, they have done a new thing with the edge of the crust that seems to give it a pleasing crunch. UPDATE...New ownership again(since 11/24). Gave the pizza another shot. Extremely thin crust, such that I couldn't hold a slice without the narrowest HALF flopping down. I guess it would be best eaten with utensils. Again, I got the extra cheese. Seems like anywhere I have to order extra cheese just to make sure it's adequate cheese. The taste was okay, but I miss the original Tony's crust. Something about it was different, in a very good way. I wasn't unhappy my pizza, but it's not likely I'll return because the prices in little shops like this are just too high for less than stupendous pizza. If it were bad, I'd warn you away...but I'd say to pop in and try it yourself at least once. I would suggest to order it well-done, because my well-done order wasn't done enough for my tastes. Oh, and it was a bit greasy, maybe from the...

Came here on a recommendation from a friend who basically grew up on this place. Was almost immediately let down; but they turned it around.

Ordered an XL pizza. While picking toppings, we didn’t study the menu so we asked for pineapple. They looked at us like we had committed a sin. I know, true pizza aficionados would never put pineapples on a pizza; but I am what I am and I like what I like. It’s not uncommon so don’t be surprised when someone asks for it. Next came chicken. The kicker, chicken isn’t an option either, even though chicken is on the menu (for grinders, but still, you have chicken.) How are you going to have salami as a topping option but not chicken?

Okay. So they don’t have all the ingredients I like, no big deal. Then the confusion happens, we place the order for dine-in. Asked for water, they seem perplexed again. They even double check that it was correct by coming by the table and asking. Then they come back again and asked if we had ordered yet and what we had ordered. Not sure what happened, we were the only table they did this with. They weren’t super busy so I’m not sure how the order could get lost; but things happen.

So, we weren’t having a great first impression. Then, completely unprompted, a lady with a crayon mask took over as our waitress. She was great, drinks constantly refilled, friendly, on her game. This review is five stars for her service alone.

I’ll be honest, the pizza, for all the praise I’ve heard for this place, wasn’t special. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad. I just don’t understand what all the hubbub is about. It’s your typical cheese-dripping, grease covered pizza we all love with ingredients that don’t taste like they came from a can, served on a tray that tips over if you so much as breath in its direction. But it’s just that. Five star pizza has to knock my socks off and make me want to come back for more. This wasn’t it.

3 stars for first impressions, 4 stars for pizza, 5 stars...