Marabella comes to Greenville

I walked into Marabella Old World Pizza with the expectation of a typical pizza joint with basic pizza and limited topping choices, but was pleasantly surprised. Many pizza places play it safe with the same basic pizza options, but I found that Marabella provides a wide variety of food for quick and easy Italian cuisine.

The Greenville location is a more casual version of a sit-down restaurant located in Washington, and although it has a smaller menu than its predecessor, it also has more pizza options.

There is pizza, for which there are several toppings, such as ham, arugula, artichokes and many more. There are also strombolis, calzones and different Italian rolls filled with various selections of meat. Large pizzas are about $15, while stromboli, calzones and rolls range from $5 to $6. There are also salads, which are about $5, and appetizers, which include things from buffalo wings to fries to garlic knots. These range from about $2 to $6.

Some pizza, which can be ordered by the slice, is displayed at the counter where costumers order. There are some pizzas displayed which have very creative toppings, such as cheese fries. The pizza place does not have waiters, as it is an easy order-at-the-counter kind of place, but the staff is friendly and happy to assist.

Marabella also delivers purchases of $10 or more, which is ideal for college students who want to relax and have food brought to them.

Located at 1898 A S.E. Greenville Blvd., Marabella is in the former location of Big Apple Pizza.

Marabella was opened in February 2009 by brothers Massimo and Salvatore and is an ideal place for college students to indulge their cravings for greasy, cheesy Italian food with a twist.

Mossimo Mannino, one of the owners of the restaurant, said the restaurant in Greenville is geared toward an assortment of people and is meant for anyone to come enjoy.

"We had a lot of requests from different Greenville people to open another one," Mossimo said.

So the second location was opened, but with a personality inclined toward a more casual crowd.

The atmosphere of the restaurant is relaxed with 10 booths inside, two televisions in opposite corners on which sports can be watched and two outside tables.

Marabella's atmosphere lends itself to coming out for a casual date, grabbing a bite with some buddies or even bringing the whole family along for some basic, well-made pizza. The restaurant is painted in a mustard yellow color with some bricks to give it an old Italian feel, but still has a low-key college and family feel to it.

While the Marabella location in Greenville is not fine Italian dining, it is classic, yet creative Italian food fit for just about everyone. It may be a convenient and different pizza place for students who want to branch out from their usual spots. It is a concept that attempts to have some authenticity, while still being creative.

To find out more about Marabella or place a delivery order, call 252-754-2700. It may be a great new place to experience an old concept, with a bit of a new spin.

This writer can be contacted at features@theeastcarolinian.com.