Heavenly Pizza, known for its pies and Italian fare
When Tracy Bundy and her husband opened Heavenly Pizza at the Merchant Crossing Shopping Center in 1996, who would have thought that this small eatery would become one of the oldest establishments there.
But 20 years later, there they still are. They didn’t do it by luck, but by providing an excellent dining experience.
Bundy and her husband moved here from Wisconsin and wanted to go into business on their own.
“My husband was in the pizza business and really liked it. He saw the place was for sale and bought it and have been here ever since,” Bundy said. “We’ve thought about expanding and finding another location, but I don’t know. This works for us.”
Heavenly pizza is known for, obviously, it’s pizza. There are nearly two dozen toppings to choose from for their 8-, 12-, and 16-inch pies, from mozzarella to pineapple. Their signature pies include the Great Eight, Fantastic Five, Buffalo Chicken, Garden Ranch and Gyro pizzas. Of course, there’s the Heavenly Pizza, which is $16.50 for the largest pie.
“We’ve had a special for years where if you buy a large two-topping pizza, you get a medium cheese pizza free. We’ve done that for 10 years and given away a lot of free pizza,” Bundy said.
But it’s also known for the numerous other options, such as salads and homemade soup, calzones and sandwiches, where the rolls are baked fresh daily.
The calzones are stuffed with ricotta, cheese and your choice of two pizza toppings. The stromboli is stuffed with ham, salami, capicola, onions and several cheeses. There is also the stuffed pizza, two crusts stuffed with cheese and sauce.
They also have pasta dishes with eggplant and chicken parmesan, lasagna, baked ziti, as well as appetizers such as chicken wings, pepperoni poppers and garlic bread
The prices are very reasonable. Many of their sandwiches go for $7 or less, with Pita wraps under $6.
They always have daily specials for which you can dine-in, take home or have delivered. They also serve beer, wine and have a large selection of soft drinks and fountain drinks.
Bundy said the clientele has changed in recent years.
“In the past we used to get mostly snowbirds. Now, we get business people and year round residents coming in. It’s usually jammin’ in here,” Bundy said.
The company gets its customers mostly through word of mouth, so it has to perform at a high level every day, which it does, thanks to a loyal longtime staff.
“Holly has been here 16 years and the manager has been here more than 10. We’re here. We work. We don’t run around,” Bundy said. “We have people we can trust and we’re hands on.”
Heavenly Pizza is open every day from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, call 997-4044 or find them online at www.heavenlypizza.net.