1803 Pizza: Cozy, simple and delicious
1803 Pizza/Kitchen is the quintessential neighborhood pizzeria: a cozy, simple, family-owned eatery that shines when it comes to the pizza pies. The eatery in Orlando’s Audubon Park has Italian fare in its past as the former location of O’Stromboli.
What I would try a second time
1803 nails the pizza crust. The crunchy outer shell breaks open into a pillowy, sweet-and-salty inside.
Hummus on pizza crust piqued my curiosity, so we ordered the Mediterranean flatbread ($10). Diced cucumbers, peppers, red onion and tomatoes shared space with crumbled feta, slices of avocado and halved olives. It felt like a healthier alternative to the cheesy, saucy options on 1803’s menu — but it wasn’t devoid of the slightly pungent, fresh flavors I associate with the cuisine.
It is a pizzeria though, so we did indulge in one of the cheesy, saucy options. The garlic and basil-filled sauce on the classic pepperoni ($9) made the pie.
What I didn’t like
Spooning into my lovely looking creme brulee ($4.50) revealed a watery, goopy custard and not-quite hardened caramelized sugar top.
What I would put on Instagram
My heaping pile of beef Bolognese linguini ($11.50) will grace my Instagram account. The belly-filling combination of tangy, meaty sauce and al-dente pasta was even better the next day.
Other eats
A cup of velvety roasted butternut squash soup ($3.25) was a delicious way to start my meal — although it proved to be a bit of a filling beginning.
1803’s Italian sandwich was the rich, tart handheld you would expect with layers of capicola, provolone, pepperoni, ham and tomato splashed with a vinaigrette dressing and pepperoncini aioli on top. The roll was spongy and thick, but I found myself wishing it had been toasted.
How I was treated
Servers went beyond the counter-service restaurant mentality, bringing us cutlery, drink refills and to-go boxes.
My one gripe was that every part of our meal — appetizer, entree and dessert — was delivered in a short period of time. It left our food sitting at our table untouched for some time.
My next visit
More pizza is certainly in my future — whether it’ll be the five cheese pesto tomato pie ($10) or the barbecue chicken version ($10) is the question.
For bar-hoppers
A generously timed happy hour (4-7 p.m. MondayThursday) includes two-forone draft beer and wine from a petite selection of drinks.
For those with special diets
Vegetarians can find a few options on the salad, pizza and pasta sections of the menu. Vegans will find the selection a bit more limited.