Mike’s Pizzeria on Shields and West is not exactly what it seems in the name, it’s not just a typical pizza parlor, it’s Mike’s Pizzeria and Italian Dinners.
When I first pulled up to Mike’s I thought that it was cute, another small, “hole in the wall” kind of place that I like to go eat. However, I didn’t know where to go in because they didn’t have a clear entrance marked. I waited in my car until I saw someone else walk in and then I followed.
I liked the look of the restaurant, it was dim lit and quiet. I was confused because there was no place to sit and there was no one at the front counter to greet me.
After I looked around for a minute I saw that there was a sign on the counter that said “Please seat yourself.” I took my chances and walked down the small hallway. Luckily I found the actual dining room and took a seat in a booth. The dining room was simply decorated with pictures of what looked like Italy.
After about a minute a young woman emerged from a door which I assume is attached to the kitchen. She said “hello”, came over and took my drink order—I ordered water because I wasn’t sure what they offered—then she handed me a menu and disappeared again. She returned with my water and gave me a couple minutes to look at the menu.
As I glanced over the menu, excited to possibly have some pasta or pizza of some sort, I was quickly unimpressed by how expensive the food was there. Chicken Alfredo was $17.95 and a small pizza cost a little over $10! I started to think I picked the wrong place for lunch.
Luckily, there was an appetizer menu and I searched through there. They offered a mini pizza which came with one topping for $7.75. I decided that would work. I also added on a side salad for $2.99. The salad was good, but not worth $2.99 and I felt bad that I had forgotten to ask for my dressing on the side, so my salad was covered in ranch. I ate it anyway. With my salad, I was also served complimentary bread which I loved. A few minutes later my mini pizza came out. I wasn’t overly impressed and wasn’t disappointed; it was exactly what you would expect a mini pizza to be, mini.
I ate the pizza which tasted neither amazing nor bad and asked for a box for my leftovers. My total bill was $11.83 plus tip.
Overall, I don’t think that I would choose to go to Mike’s again. The food wasn’t bad, but it didn’t stand out either. If I want a personal pizza or chicken alfredo, I will go eat at The Old Spaghetti Factory or Olive Garden where it isn’t as expensive. For students on a budget, Mike’s is not the place to go.
