Useful Articles
Pepperoni Grill
By James Cary Jacobson Wed, Aug 6th, 2008
Pepperoni Grill
“Favorite Red-Sauce Italian”
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Address:
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9174 Wiles Road, Coral Springs, Florida 33067 [Google Maps]
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Phone:
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(954) 345-1604
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Website:
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None
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Hours:
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11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Monday thru Thursday
11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday Noon to 10:00 p.m. Sunday |
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Cuisine:
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Italian / Pizza
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Ambience:
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Neighborhood Pizzeria
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Reservations:
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Accepted (but usually not necessary)
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Cost:
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$20.00 per person
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Credit Cards:
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All Major Cards Accepted
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Rating:
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Food
Service Ambience |
8/10 6/10 4/10 |
Comments
The Pepperoni Grill is about 30 minutes from my home and office. The first time I ate there it was by accident. I had reason to be in Coral Springs and had previously passed a Bar-B-Q restaurant that I had made a mental note to try the next time I was up that way. The Bar-B-Q restaurant happened to be closed for a wedding in the family. I drove around a while and finally stumbled into the Pepperoni Grill at around 3:00 pm on a Saturday. The place was empty, but I assumed it was a result of the odd hour and decided to stay. I ordered a sausage, peppers, and onion sub ($8.49). It took a little longer than I would have expected in an empty restaurant. When I was finally served, the wait made sense; the sausage, peppers, and onion had been prepared from scratch. Fresh red peppers—not green—and onions sautéed to order, with a very light tomato sauce over a very firm, meaty, and well seasoned sausage on a bakery-made toasted sub roll. It was the best sausage and pepper sandwich I had ever had, and I have had quite a few. It came with a large portion of waffle fries that were crisp and not at all greasy.
I’ve been back to the Pepperoni Grill many times. I drag all of my friends there to share this great find. I usually go for dinner. The restaurant is often crowded, but I’ve never had to wait more than a few minutes, whether I was with a party of two or party of six. While the restaurant is always clean, the ambiance is nothing to get excited about—except that the kitchen is in full view, which gives you something to do while you are waiting for your food. The service is informal and always friendly and professional. The staff can describe the specials as if they actually tasted them, and they are not hesitant to make recommendations based on what they think you’ll like rather than what costs the most.
All of the dinners come with a choice of soup or salad. The soups are either a pasta fagioli (which I’ve never tasted since I don’t like beans) or the soup du jour, which has been a delicious Italian wedding soup made with sausage instead of meatballs or a tomato basil soup that is fabulous. (It’s so good we have ordered quarts to take home.) The salad is crisp and fresh and comes with a well-made house vinaigrette. The dinners also come with warm, freshly baked garlic rolls and a choice of spaghetti, linguini, penne, or angel hair pasta in the house tomato sauce. The portions are huge, and I have never left without a to-go box. I also have never tried any of their desserts because I’ve never had any room.
I think, between what I’ve ordered or tasted off of my companions’ plates, I have tried almost the entire menu. There was not one dish that we found disappointing, and most far exceeded expectations. The veal marsala ($17.99) or chicken marsala ($15.99) is loaded with fresh mushrooms in a hearty marsala sauce. The shrimp scampi ($16.99) is made with huge shrimp perfectly cooked in an exceptional garlic-wine sauce. The chicken cacciatore ($14.99) is made with boneless chicken breast instead of cut-up pieces of bone-in chicken. It is my wife’s standard, except when she just wants pasta, and then she has the stuffed shells ($11.99). She swears by both of them. The sausage, peppers, and onions ($13.99) as a main dish is every bit as good as the sub sandwich, but there is more of it. I would also recommend chicken and broccoli ($13.99), lasagna ($12.99), chicken florentina ($15.99) and mussels marinara ($13.99). I’ve had the pizza, and while it is very good, it is not spectacular. I have not had a calzone ($6.99), stromboli ($7.99) or any of the subs other than the sausage, peppers, and onions, but I can’t imagine they are anything but world-class.
Not many places that have a kids menu ($3.99 to $4.49) make my list of favorites. However, until the Pepperoni Grill gets unseated, it remains my favorite red-sauce Italian restaurant.