Park Square Pizza Offers Much More Than Pizza

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But customers who peruse the menu will easily see that there's much more than pizza here.

Owner and FishHawk Ranch resident Salvatore Varotta designed the menu with FishHawk Ranch families in mind, offering a variety of dishes to suit every taste and craving.

The Bronx native owned delis and bakeries in New York before relocating to Florida 15 years ago to serve as kitchen manager of .

"I've been in the restaurant business for 20 years, and, while I enjoyed working at The Cheesecake Factory, I really wanted to go back to owning my own business," said Varotta.

The chance he'd been waiting for arrived when the short-lived Fuhgeddaboudit Pizza in Park Square went out of business.

"My sister (Carmella Amoroso, now a manager at Park Square Pizza) worked there and told me that the restaurant was available," said Varotta. "I decided to go for it."

Varotta said the location, in the heart of Park Square, was perfect for the casual family dining experience he envisioned. He hired former Fuhgeddaboudit manager Johnnie Kolwyck, along with sister Carmella, to serve as managers of the new restaurant.

And FishHawk's New York transplants were more than ready for the authentic New York-style pizza and Sicilian pie, a square pizza with a thick crust, Varotta was offering.

His pizza menu also includes stuffed pizza, a two-layer pizza stuffed with pepperoni, beef and sausage and served with a side of marinara; Pizza Caprese with fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella; and a Chicken Alfredo Pizza with alfredo sauce, chicken and mozzarella.

However, Varotta didn't want to limit himself to pizza. So he revived the favorite dishes his Italian mother made when he was growing up, aoffering customers mussels marinara, baked ziti, penne vodka, shrimp scampi, lasagna, veal parmesan and ravioli made with homemade sauces and fresh mozarella.

"All of my dishes are made from scratch," said Varotta.

The diverse menu also includes calzones and stromboli, subs, wraps, burgers and salads.

"If it's not on the menu, if I have the ingredients, I'll make it," said Varotta.

There's also a kids' menu featuring mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, a mini pizza and ziti with sauce.

In addition, Park Square Pizza offers a variety of Italian ice flavors as well as beer and wine cocktails for the adults.

"I changed the menu to accommodate both parents and kids, so they don't have to leave the area to find somewhere to eat," said Varotta. "I want this to be a family pizza parlor, a place where you know everybody by name."

Varotta not only wants to feed the community, he also wants to be involved in it. To that end, he sponsored a Christmas tree lighting featuring Santa and ballet dancers in December, attracting more than 400 people.

And, on April 7, he will host an Easter egg hunt at Park Square.

Park Square Pizza also offers catering services.

Varotta features daily specials and kids eat free on Wednesdays.

For more information, visit ParkSquarePizza.com or call 813-681-2000.