Restaurant Reviews: Bono's Pizza of Bangor, Pennsylvania

Although we tend to think of ourselves as excellent evaluators of food, sometimes the task can be a tad bit difficult. After all, one would think that pizza places can really only be so different. However, for those who are truly focused on finding the best food in their area, it can sometimes be worth it to sort through even the large number of pizza places that can be found in a single town. Even though Bangor, Pennsylvania, may contain a number of pizza places and small grills that claim to offer a good meal, one must be careful in taking the advertisements for fact. However, Bono's Pizza, located directly at the bottom of Market Street, is proof that a restaurant can sometimes fall simply in the middle, without being either decidedly good or bad.

The confusion regarding whether or not the restaurant is good or bad starts as soon as one walks up the front of the building. Although it does not appear to be all that nicely kept up, none of the surrounding buildings really give that impression either. However, even though the outside may not be all that impressive, and there is nowhere to sit outside and enjoy a meal, moving to the inside of the restaurant does make things slightly better.

The inside seems to be clean and organized nicely. There is plenty of space between the tables, and the interior colors (brown and yellow) work to compliment each other nicely and provide a pleasant place to sit and enjoy a meal. The staff is always incredibly nice and willing to accommodate diners no matter what request they may have. Of course, no matter how nice the interior of a restaurant and how accommodating the staff may be, the real dimension to judge any restaurant is by the food that they make and serve.

Here, as mentioned before, Bono's seems to be a mixed bag. The pizza is always served hot and fresh, although sometimes it seems to be lacking something. And, perhaps just a little extra cheese or sauce could go a long way towards making the overall product much better. As can be expected, the fryer food is decent, although the quality could be a little better. However, it is when we begin to move beyond fryer food and pizza that Bono's starts to fall apart a little. Those feeling like a salad have no need to even try Bono's, the lettuce is rarely fresh, nor are the other ingredients. And the small amount of lukewarm lettuce and dressing simply is not the worth the price. The cheese steaks and calzones are acceptable, although the calzones could perhaps use a little less cheese and little more time spent in the oven. Of course, the portions are decent, and the prices are generally very good, so it is hard to make any major complaints about the restaurant as a whole.

Those who are looking for some quick take out food, or perhaps a fast lunch will find it hard to be disappointed with Bono's. However, those seeking a nice dinner out, or some food with flair and style, as well as better than average taste are somewhat encouraged to try another restaurant. Bono's may not be the best restaurant around, but it is far from the worst, and although it may not be the first choice for pizza, it is still a good place to grab a quick lunch or some decent take out food.