G&D Pizzaria

G & D Pizzaria of Columbia, MO was opened for business in February 1977, by two brothers from Katerini, Greece, and to this day is still owned and operated by them. In fact both brothers were there in the open kitchen when I picked up my pizza. G & D Pizzaria is not your typical pizza joint as you can tell as soon as you pick their menu, the sub-title reads "Delicious Pizza * Choice Steaks". I would still call them a full service pizza joint. There pizza toppings include items such as gyro, artichoke hearts, shrimp and even broccoli. You can also get feta or pepper cheese on your pie. Besides pizza they have sandwiches (hamburgers to subs), steaks & entrees (including a 15oz New York Strip, broiled salmon and spaghetti) and all of the sides to go along. There is also a small section of Greek food on the menu including Gyros, Souvlaki (chunks of pork on a pita), spaghetti (with feta, oregano, olive oil, and tomatoes), and two kinds of salad. If you have room at the end of your meal they even have baklava.

I ordered a medium pepperoni, Canadian bacon, ground beef and onion. The total for the 12" pie was just under $18. The first thing you notice is that all of the toppings are under the cheese, except for the stray piece of Canadian bacon and onion. The second thing is the beautiful dark golden brown crust. The pizza is cut on the square so that you end up with 4 small corners of crust with just a little cheese on them, they call to you in a small voice the whole way home "eat me... eat me...". I suffered all the way home so that I could photograph the whole pie. The ride home (were I was staying, not really my home over 2 hours away) was a bit longer than I normally do for carry out, even so the pizza was all most the perfect temperature when I started eating. There is a generous amount of cheese and toppings, the stand out being the ground beef. The ground bee is cooked up to a very fine texture and becomes one with the sauce once on the pie. It can be messy as it has a tendency to fall our, the rest of the toppings are encased in the cheese. The pepperoni, Canadian bacon and onions all have great taste and are in just the right amount. The crust... WOW! The crust is that dark golden brown, and the bottom of the pie is just a little bit darker. The center squares do need some support (I believe the crust softened some during my long drive home).

G & D Pizzaria is in a class all by it's self, and is definitely on my list for a return visit. If you find your self hungry and in Columbia, MO it would be worth your time to visit G & D Pizzaria. G & D Pizzaria is located in the Crossroads West Shopping Center at the corner of W. Broadway and S. Stadium Blvd Columbia, MO. You can reach them at (573) 445-8336, for more information check out their web-site(click on the title link).

Highly Recommended.

GAW