Pizza Factory Rolls Out
Excellent Italian Food
By Tony Reverditto
Since 1996, Pizza Factory has stayed true to its roots, hardworking owners and staff, family-friendly dining, and a high-quality product make them who they are. They strive to make everyone feel as if this is their hometown pizzeria. Jack Buss, the owner of the Menifee location, previously had 3 other spots and decided to sell them off a few years ago and just focus on the one. By coincidence, Jack and I happened to have gone to the same high school, Loara High School in Anaheim. We even attended in the mid to late ’70s together, he graduated a couple of years before me. He reached out to me on Facebook because he has seen my food posts and recognized my last name and told me about his restaurant. I had not been there before as the location is very hard to see off Newport Road. The space is big and is designed for kids of all ages to enjoy.
This was our first dine-out experience since the pandemic, and of course, the layout incorporates the social distancing criteria and the games area is roped off for the time being. Jack did mention that his take-out and delivery has done exceptionally well during this time and is so grateful for the community support, unlike so many others struggling to keep the doors open. There is a reason for that . . . it’s because the pizza and food are delicious, so here we go . . .
After reminiscing with Jack about our high school days and favorite restaurants back in the day, many that are still around, we were greeted by Davina Salzer, adorned with a mask and a personality that shined through. She has been the GM for 7 years and is the glue that keeps the operation running smoothly and efficiently. She brought me an ice-cold Sierra Nevada draft beer and my guest a glass of Chardonnay. She didn’t even have to write down our order. She also was in the kitchen’s front line making take-out orders from scratch.
The appetizer menu has lots of bready-type items, but the stand-out was the WINGS - BONE-IN OR BONELESS. These wings can only be found there as they are oven-roasted with a classic, baked-in flavor. BBQ - Tossed in our signature Pizza Factory® BBQ sauce, Hot - Tossed in our signature Pizza Factory® wing sauce, for those who like heat, Mango Habanero - Tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce, the perfect combination or Garlic Parm – Covered in a light garlic butter sauce, and topped with parmesan. The Mango Habanero WINGS are the perfect combination of sweetness and heat. Soup and Salads are on the menu as well.
The Pizzas are hand-tossed and come in a multitude of styles, from ALL MEAT, THE FACTORY SPECIAL, VEGGIE, and HAWIAAN to the AWESOME COMBO, GRILLED OR BBQ CHICKEN, CHICKEN ALFREDO, PESTO SUN-DRIED TOMATO & GARLIC, and ARTICHOKE & GARLIC. We opted for a BUILD YOUR OWN, which consisted of Pepperoni on one half, grilled chicken on the other, topped with artichoke, mushroom, jalapeno, and red onion, Absolutely, delicious pizza and the dough was crunchy, yet chewy and all of the ingredients were fresh. The crusts also come in Gluten-Free and Thick Crust. If you are a CALZONE person, the one I saw go out looked pretty darn good.
Lots of classic pasta dishes available, but we narrowed it down to the FETTUCCINE ALFREDO WITH CHICKEN, Fettuccine pasta served with hot, creamy Alfredo sauce topped with 100% mozzarella cheese and chicken, it was a great price and cooked to perfection. Who doesn’t love LASAGNA, layers of noodles stuffed with their original meat sauce, hand-rolled meatballs, and Italian sausage, and layered with 100% mozzarella cheese, parmesan, and cottage cheese, making it that one-of-a-kind dish that you can't get enough of that simply melts in your mouth. For the sake of this article, I ordered a sandwich, PASTRAMI DELI SANDWICH, dressed in mayo, mustard, provolone cheese, fresh lettuce, and tomato served cold or oven baked. Very tasty and only $7.50 on an 8” French roll. Other sandwiches include Italian Sub, Ham, Turkey, Tuna, Meatball, Vegetable, Sausage, and BBQ Chicken.
Next time you are in the mood for Italian, give The Pizza Factory a try!
DINE-IN, TAKE-OUT & DELIVERY AVAILABLE.
The Pizza Factory, 25908 Newport Road #G, Menifee, CA
951-672-4026 or www.menifee.pizzafactory.com