XL Food & Drink
Mangieri's Pizza Cafe
New pizza cafe finds inspiration in a grandfather's story
AMERICAN-STATESMAN FOOD CRITIC
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Family is key to Mangieri's Pizza Cafe.
Ricardo B. Brazziell
AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Pizza isn't the only thing on the menu, but its dough is made from scratch each day.
Ricardo B. Brazziell
AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Located in Southwest Austin, the new Mangieri's Pizza Cafe is popular with families.
Mangieri's Pizza Cafe
- 5900 W. Slaughter Lane, No. 490; 301-0063
- Rating: Forks up
- Price: Cheap/moderate
The new restaurant in the Escarpment Village strip center in far Southwest Austin already is a school-night magnet for children and their parents.
On two different visits, the cafe was nearly full at 7:15 on a weeknight, with families occupying the vast majority of tables. An hour later, bedtime (and homework) had beckoned, and there wasn't a child in sight.
In another homage to family, a grandfather's successful business inspired Anthony Mangieri to launch this pizza place in Austin. He was named after his grandfather, who opened Mangieri Bros. in the early 1920s in New Jersey.
The younger Mangieri puts some old-style effort into his pies, making the pizza dough from scratch each day.
In one of the "gourmet" pizzas, the Sicilian ($8.99 for the 10-inch, $11.99 for the 12-inch, $14.99 for the 14-inch and $17.99 for the 16-inch) was topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, spicy Italian sausage, sauteed onions, mushrooms, and red, yellow and green bell peppers.
It was a tasty combination and the crust — the most important element — was flavorful. However, the crust was more pliable and chewy than the crisper varieties I favor.
The restaurant also serves appetizers. The baked spicy chicken wings ($5.99) were as zesty as they sound, and there are salads, sandwiches and pasta.
Served with garlic cheese bread, the spaghetti ($7.25) was covered in a thick meat sauce with a sweet edge, and the lasagna ($7.25) was formed of layers of pasta, ricotta cheese, sauce, fresh spinach and sausage. Both were good.
I saw plenty of pasta and sandwich orders being delivered to the adults, but pizza was the clear favorite among the younger set.
That makes Mangieri's a great place to satisfy all the family.
