The Student News Site of Florida Gulf Coast University

Eagle Media

Eagle Media

Eagle Media

Family-owned pizzeria brings Italian flavors to Estero

inside
Inside the restaurant.

There is nothing better than eating homemade food straight out of the kitchen. If you’re a big pizza addict and enjoy the taste of  fresh homemade sauce, Marsala Italian Eatery and Pizzeria is the right place for you. Marsala pizzeria is a family-owned restaurant, dedicated to keeping the traditional southern Italian taste in its recipes.
The non-franchise restaurant is in Estero at the Shoppes of Grande Oaks, 20321 Grande Oaks Shoppes Drive.
General manager Stephen Marsala had lots to say about his family background and the restaurant’s unique menu.
“Our family-owned restaurant brings the authentic NewYork-style pizza and Sicilian-style recipes combined,” Marsala said. “We are Sicilians, but our family is from New York. We wanted to move down here to start fresh and bring the New York taste to Fort Myers. What I like about our family-owned business is that we bring great customer service. We connect well to our customers and the community surrounded by us because Marsala’s knows how to be welcoming and friendly.”
Marsala said that anything that includes their Marsala sauce is a specialty no one should miss out on. The Marsala sauce includes a simmering all-day preparation of Marsala wine, sautéed mushrooms, a hint of garlic and butter that thickens up to make the marinara sauce thicker. The Marsala sauce is used in dishes such as pizza — called the Marsala special — and chicken Marsala or Picatta.
Marsala said that his favorite dish is the Penne a la Vodka.
Being a guest at the restaurant, I got a taste of the Staten Island New York style thin crust pizza. I ordered a slice of the Margherita pizza, which has fresh tomatoes, basil and fresh soft mozzarella. The pizza was the size of my head. If you need to taste something to go with the pizza, try the garlic cheese bread with fresh mozzarella, garlic and basil all spread onto fresh-baked Italian bread.
Marsala said the restaurant’s must-have dessert is the fresh Sicilian pastry cannoli.
Alexia Bonis, a sophomore nursing major, had only good things to say about the cannoli.
“The shell was exactly the right kind of crunchy,” Bonis said. “The filling was super delicious with just the right amount of chocolate chips. You could tell it was all made fresh.”
Marsala is an authentic Italian-style restaurant that keeps the family Italian tradition of food and quality customer service.
If you want fresh, on-the-spot pizza, visit the Marsala family’s pizzeria.
“Our family likes to remember the customer’s name when we conversate, which is another quality we like to consider exceptional customer service,” Marsala said.

Story continues below advertisement
Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

All Eagle Media Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *