Serving piping hot pizzas and other Italian favorites since 1988, Arturo’s Pizza Kitchen feels like a local secret that, once you discover it, you need to share with others. The business got its start in East Toledo as a carryout spot before moving about 12 years ago to its current location in Northwood, down the street from Owens Community College, in a modest strip mall at the corner of Oregon and Wales. With that move to a larger space, owners Art and Sara Pescara added a comfortable dine-in area to complement their brisk carryout business.
Born in Italy, Art Pescara moved to the United States with his parents when he was 10 years old. He worked for other local pizza chains from the time he was a teenager, gradually advancing to become a manager, before opening his own pizzeria.
He cites consistency and good value as two keys to his restaurant’s success over the years. He said the menu reflects the kind of food he ate at home as a child, including fresh breads and cheeses as well as lasagna made from his mother’s own recipe. All the dough and sauces at Arturo’s are made from scratch.
Fast, friendly service
When we entered Arturo’s we received a friendly greeting from an employee who quickly took our order. The restaurant utilizes a deli-counter style ordering system and, after ordering, customers planning to dine in can grab their fountain drinks and seat themselves.
The low-key, casual dining room is clean and quiet, with over a dozen tables, mostly configured for groups of four. We grabbed a table that had six chairs and we didn’t have to wait long at all for our food to be brought to the table.
We ordered a family combo meal ($25.95) — two medium, two-topping pizzas and a small order of cheese strips. Our chosen assortment of toppings included bacon, black olives, pepperoni and mushrooms.
The pizza sauce at Arturo’s leans toward a bolder, spicy flavor, rather than sweet, and the pies are cooked more ‘well done’ than some pizzerias, according to Pescara. The hand-tossed crust was crisp on our pizzas.
I tried the homemade lasagna ($10.95) and it arrived bubbling hot, baked into the serving dish. Accompanied by two slabs of crispy garlic bread, it is the ultimate cheesy comfort food.
We rounded out our meal with an additional order of garlic bread ($3) and a personal size order of chicken strips, topped with tomatoes and parmesan cheese ($9). We were pleasantly surprised by the affordability of the bill and everyone left satisfied with leftovers to enjoy the next day.
Bottom line
The Toledo area has no shortage of pizza joints, but the list quickly shrinks when it comes to pizzerias offering a comfortable dine-in experience. Arturo’s does a brisk carryout business but, if you have time to stay to enjoy your meal at the restaurant, it is a perfect family environment.
In addition to pizzas and pastas, the menu includes an array of salads, oven-baked subs, wraps and chicken chunks and wings. There are plenty of specialty pizzas for those who are more adventurous, including pies made with pesto, barbecue or ranch sauce, as well as breakfast pizzas, with toppings such as eggs and bacon.
If you need your food delivered, the pizzeria is committed to using its own drivers rather than other services and delivers to parts of Toledo, Northwood, Perrysburg, Walbridge and Rossford.
2507 Oregon Rd, Northwood. 419-698-1641. arturospizzakitchen.com.
Hours:
Monday-Friday: 9am-10pm
Saturday: 11am-10pm
Sunday: Closed
The Short Course:
Online ordering? Yes
Carryout? Yes
Delivery? Yes
Outdoor Dining? No
Kids Menu? No
Changing Table? No
Booster Seat/High Chair? Yes
Reviews:
4.6 of 5 on Google with 356 reviews
4.5 of 5 on Tripadvisor with 21 reviews
4.4 of 5 on Yelp with 21 reviews
