» BEST
FAMILY-FRIENDLY RESTAURANT
1. Sgt. Pepperoni’s Pizza Store Aliso Viejo, Irvine, Newport Beach; 949-852-9500; sgtpepps.com With a motto like “Peace. Love. Pizza,” it’s easy to understand this spot’s enduring popularity. Oh, yeah, that and top-shelf pizza, prepared entirely on-site down to the hand-shredded cheese. Although centered on New York-style thin crust pizza, Sgt. Pepperoni’s has a menu for pizza lovers of all stripes. Customers can check out the margherita, meatball with ricotta cheese, buffalo chicken, The Works, Hawaiian pie, or build your own pizzas among the choices. And, of course, the namesake pizza with its secret, cups-when-you-cookit pepperoni. There are also appetizers such as garlic knots and Great Balls of Fire, which is pizza dough stuffed with cream cheese, bacon and tomato. After it opened in Newport Beach in 1976, Sgt. Pepperoni’s became a popular local hangout. But it wasn’t until 2013, when it was purchased by Jeff Roberts, Stan Frazier, Rob
MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Sgt. Pepperoni’s Pizza Store has restaurants in Aliso Viejo, Irvine and Newport Beach. Dodman and Andy Hong — who remembered the spot as a favorite childhood haunt — that Pepp’s turned the corner and earned widespread acclaim. Since then, the business added a pizza truck in 2019 and
expanded to Aliso Viejo. The restaurant remains a popular postgame destination for sports teams young and old, with ballgames on the TV, craft beers for the adults and video games for the kids.
The restaurant is also involved in numerous community causes and in October 2020 helped raise more than $15,000 for Julian’s Lego Corner at CHOC Children’s in Orange.
— Greg Mellen
2. Pita Hot Mediterranean Grill
3. Mountain Mike’s Pizza
Holding a modest corner spot in a pod mall and surrounded by dining choices, Pita Hot Mediterranean Grill has risen above the competition among Orange County readers. Judging from the lines of eaters waiting for food, the word is out. The interior, like the exterior, is bare bones. Here it’s the food and value that stand out. On combo plates, diners are able to choose from five kinds of kebabs: beef, lamb, chicken, shrimp and
Since 2020, Mountain Mike’s has opened in three new locations in OC, in Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley and Rancho Santa Margarita. There’s a possibility that another 15-20 Mountain Mike’s stores will open locally in the next three to five years, according to Carol DeNembo, vice president of marketing. “We’ve targeted OC as a growth area,” she said. “We’ve got a lot more coming.” Starting as a lone pizza place in Palo Alto,
1343 E Chapman Ave, Fullerton; 714-449-0100, pita-hot.com kofta. Multiple skewers can be mixed and matched to one’s liking. Combos are served with pita, fries, rice or salad, and two sides from 10 choices, including hummus, baba ganoush, tzatziki and other dips. The restaurant also features cooked-to-order whole or half-chicken combos and a variety of kebab and shawarma sandwiches . Being family friendly, for children not accustomed to more exotic food, the kids plate features three pieces of chicken, rice or fries, a side and juice.
Multiple locations; mountainmikespizza.com Mountain Mike’s has taken off in part because of its “legendary” “Crispy, Curly Pepperoni” pizza. Add the “Mount Everest,” an “everything in the kitchen sink,” creation, according to DeNembo, and the “Pikes Peak,” for meat lovers and Mike’s is everything for pizza people. In addition to the pizza, the family dinein atmosphere helps lift Mountain Mike’s. “It’s really the experience you grew up with as a kid,” DeNembo said. “Pizza is a gathering food.”
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