Ristorante Touch of Italy Pizzeria Review

Ristorante Touch of Italy Pizzeria offers a vast array of authentic Italian food and pizza in the beachside community of New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Located at 4198 South Atlantic Avenue, this unpretentious restaurant is tucked away in small strip of retail stores known as the Food Lion Plaza.

Ristorante Touch of Italy was the first restaurant my husband and I visited after moving to Bethune Beach; a small unincorporated community just south of New Smyrna. We were exhausted from the move and the last thing we wanted to do was cook.

We had seen the Pizzeria sign several times as we drove up and down A1A during our move. Since everything was still packed and we hadn't setup our computers, we decided to drive to the restaurant and pick up a pizza.

We arrived at 9:15pm and the doors were locked. A kind looking gentleman unlocked the door and explained the restaurant closed at 9:30pm, but if we would like to take our order home they would be happy to serve us. We promptly placed our order for a large cheese, ham and green pepper pizza and were told it would be ready in about ten minutes.

The gentleman who greeted us at the door offered us beverages and engaged in conversation. When we told him we were new to the area, he offered a genuine welcome and provided us with a carry-out menu. Moments later our pizza was ready and we were shocked to see the enormous size of the pizza box. Little did we know that when you order a large pizza from Touch of Italy, it's actually MEGA-large!

The authentic Italian pizza had a thin, crisp crust and consisted of enormous slices. This is the kind of pizza you can fold in half and shove in your face. It truly was the best pizza I've ever tasted.

Fortunately, we didn't have much food in our refrigerator because the box took up an entire shelf and the refrigerator door barely closed. We indulged in the leftover pizza the following afternoon and it tasted just as good as it did the first time around.

About a month later, we returned to Ristorante Touch of Italy for our "date" night. Although we've been married for years, we still enjoy courting one another and decided to treat ourselves to a nice Italian meal.

We should have known by the size of the previous pizza order that other food items would also be enormous. Instead, we started off our meal with an order of six garlic knots. Baked to perfection with a golden crust and slathered in garlic butter, we munched on the bread while waiting for our meals to arrive.

I ordered the All' Arabiata, a pasta dish consisting of penne pasta with sautéed green peppers, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and black olives in a spicy tomato sauce. My husband ordered the Sausage and Peppers consisting of Italian sausage and bell peppers sautéed in white wine and marinara sauce served over spaghetti.

Both entrées included a salad, so by the time our meals arrived our "full" meter was already an 8 out of 10. Although we ate and ate and ate some more; it appeared as if we hadn't made a dent in our overflowing pasta dishes.

The same gentleman who had opened the door for us during our first visit stopped by our table and asked if everything was okay with our meal. We told him our meals were delicious but we had filled up on the garlic knots. He shook his head with a smile on his face and said, "I see you have never eaten at Sal's before!"

We told him we had ordered pizza, but this was our first dine-in experience. He stated that all the newbies and tourists make the mistake of ordering the garlic knots and don't realize how generous the portions are. Fortunately, Touch of Italy has plenty of carry-out boxes and we were happy to take our leftovers home.

We have since discovered the locals refer to Ristorante Touch of Italy Pizzeria as "Sal's", referencing the restaurant's founder, Sal Zarbo. We aren't certain if the gentleman who took our first pizza order and visited with us when we dined in is Sal, but we plan to return to this restaurant in the near future to find out.

The atmosphere at Touch of Italy is laid-back and casual. Common attire is shorts, tee shirts and flip flops. After all, the restaurant is located in a beachside community!

Menu selections include appetizers, soups, salads, pizza, calzones, Italian subs, authentic pasta dishes such as Chicken Cacciatore and Eggplant Parmigiana, and seafood dishes including calamari, mussels, shrimp and grouper. Dessert selections include: Tiramisu, Spumoni, Cannoli and Cheesecake.

Entrée prices range between $12 and $21, with the most expensive item on the menu at $20.99 for the Godfather Combo for Two. Pizza prices start at $6.99 for a small 10-inch pie. Desserts are $3.50 each.

Ristorante Touch of Italy Pizzeria in New Smyrna Beach, Florida is open Monday through Thursday from 11am to 9:30pm, Friday and Saturday from 11am to 10pm, and Sunday from 4pm to 9:30pm. Carry-out is available throughout the day and free delivery is offered daily between 5pm and 9pm.