Rotolo's Pizzeria

Rotolo's Pizzeria



Rotolo's is a new pizza place just off I-69 in the new Village at Cumberland Park.  This is apparently a chain based out of Louisiana that is trying to break into Texas.  The space is relatively small, although the outdoor seating would be nice on a cool Spring evening.  There is a large bar area with an impressive selection of craft brews.

The spread:  The appetizers offer the run of the mills selections to include bruschetta, spinach/artichoke dip, different kinds of flat breads with topping as well as a few interesting items to include the eggplant stacker, meatballs and garlic Parmesan bites.  They also offer wings, several types of salads, wraps/sandwiches, and pastas.  The star of the show are their pizzas.  They have an ambitious pizza menu with some common combinations (meatball, meat feast, deluxe combo, etc) as well as some unique pizzas (Sgt pepper, Philly cheesesteak, Popeye, muffuletta, krewe). 

The verdict:  The most memorable item that I tried was actually the Parmesan bites from the appetizer menu. They were warm, flavorful salty, buttery fully bits of goodness.  The meatballs were solid, with a good combination of spices, meat and breadcrumbs.  The pizza was good, but not great.  I think the problem I had is that the crust was not that much different that any pizza chain. The sauce was solid, although somewhat bland.  The cheese was melty gooey and delicious.  The toppings were high quality, but not highest quality.  The service was average to below average, but they are relatively still young in their restaurant life, so it may just be a product of not having veteran staff.  I was very impressed with their draft beer selection, they had both local Tyler brewers on tap as well as a good collection of craft brew.  Overall, the pizza was good, even above average, but not great.  This would be a good place to grab a couple of beers and have solid pizza.

Edible Tyler Roses: 3.5 out of 5, solid pizza for the price, still needs work on service.

Tuscan slice - Is it slice as nice?

Tuscan slice



Tuscan slice is a new place just off of the loop and 155 in the space that Johnny Carrino's used to be.  The location is not a great one, as there aren't many adjacent businesses.  I fear that Tuscan slice will share the same fate of Johnny Carrino's.  From the outside they didn't change much - there is a little fresh paint and a few murals.  Inside it looks fresh and clean with a large pizza oven with a bar near it.  Tuscan slice is a small chain with what looks like three other locations in Texas.  Their signature is the wood fired oven.

The spread:  The appetizers offered range include bruschetta, fried mozzarella, sauteed mussels, pepperoni rolls and fried ravioli.  They offer a selection of salads to include the usual caesar with a couple of unique salads with various toppings (caramelized pecans, green apples, calamari, crab cakes, italian toppings, etc.)  The entrees include typical American-Italian selections (chicken/eggplant parm, saltimboca, milanese, piccata, marsala, gnocchi, spaghetti, alfredo), wood fired baked entrees (lasagna, manicotti, ravioli) and wood fired steak/pork chops.  The star of the show is the wood fired pizzas with traditional toppings - the margherita, Greek, caprese, italian meat, etc.  They also will bring out dough and topping for the kids to make their own pizza.

The verdict:  Good, but not great.  I was disappointed, perhaps because I had high hopes for a great pizza.  The pizza was just ok, the dough was too thick and although there was charring along the bottom, it wasn't super crispy and delicious.  The cheese was generic American mozzarella, and the pepperoni tasted like Hormel.  I was looking for exciting toppings like prosciutto and arugula, but found the pizzas somewhat uninspired.  We tried the caprese, which was done well and the pesto added a nice burst of flavor.  The kids really enjoyed making their own pizza, but it turns out they burned it in the kitchen because they didn't flattened the dough out enough with the rolling pin. A high point was bringing the kids up to the pizza counter where the young chef gave us all pieces of dough to play with while our pizza cooked, the spectacle had a very good entertainment value.  Another high point is the free bread they hand out at the beginning of the meal, it was light and crispy and drizzled with a little olive oil. YUM.

Edible Tyler Roses:  3 out of 5, worth trying, but the pizza falls flat.

Mario's Italian Restaurant - Old school Italian

Mario's Italian Restaurant



Mario's is a local Italian restaurant nestled back in a strip center off of broadway/I-69 just south of Heritage (south of Carmike movie theater).  I can never seem to figure out the hours of operation and we have stopped by on multiple occasions when they were closed.  My wife and I visited once for a date night.  The place looks a lot better on the inside than on the outside, it is your typical Italian restaurant with cozy booths and tables with a nice romantic atmosphere.  They also have live music on Fridays and Saturdays.

The spread:  This place has apparently been in operation since 1977, so it is old school Italian-American.  The appetizers range from bruschetta, fried mozzarella, fried zucchini, fried calamari, etc.  They also serve pizzas with all the regular toppings.  The entrees range from chicken/shrimp primavera, blackened snapper, venetian chicken/veal, chicken/veal marsala/piccata/milanese, etc.  We tried the bruschetta, fried ravioli, pizza, chicken piccata, fettuccine alfredo.

The verdict:  I really liked the atmosphere of this place.  It is old school Italian with Frank Sinatra playing in the background.  The waiter was young, but attentive and provided good service.  The food was also very good, some of the best pizza in town.  My wife and I really liked the fried ravioli.  The pasta were good as well.  Overall, the place had good food, plenty of it and a nice atmosphere.  It isn't cutting edge real Italian cooking, but it is good, reasonable priced stick to your ribs food.  What's not to like?

Edible Tyler Roses:  4 out of 5.  Only drawback for me are the hours of operation.

Little Italy - neighborhood favorite.

Little Italy
3320 South Broadway Avenue
Tyler, TX 75701-7818
(903) 595-1184
No website.



This is a locally owned restaurant just inside the loop. I have been several times with the wife and with some friends of ours. This place reminds me of the old style neighborhood restaurants where a family owned and operated the place.

The spread: I have to say that I am very impressed with their menu. They have an assortment of appetizers, sandwiches, pizza, seafood, and multiple types of pastas. I have had the pizza, the meatball sandwich, chicken marsala, chicken piccata, ravioli and tortilleni. The prices are very resonable to cheap for Italian food. The dinners all come with either a salad or a beef/cabbage stew (Get the stew!). The always bring out fresh baked dinner rolls with a nice italian seasoning (great for sopping up soup). We have never had enough room to try one of their desserts.

The verdict: This is one of those places that I really love. The wait staff are friendly and knowledgeable. The food is uniformly good to great and the portions are large. There is a wide selection (to include options for kids - my son devoured his pizza and my one year old daughter ate her whole meatball - total cost under 3 bucks). The pizza is thin-crust and delicious. The sandwich are massive and filled full of Italian goodness. I have been very pleased with all the pasta dishes I have tried. The decor is homey. I just don't have a bad thing to say about this well run restaurant. This is definitely one of my favorites in Tyler.

Edible Tyler Roses: 4.5 out of 5, skip the chains, this place is awesome!