The last time that I was in Brunswick, someone asked me if I had been to Sal’s Neighborhood Pizza on St Simons Island yet. Then MLE reported on it, during their last southeast Georgia swing.  As we were in coastal Georgia, with a down-time day at the beach, I knew what we were going to have for lunch.

If you’re staying in the village on SSI, it’s way out Frederica Road, as you head towards the fort and away from the village.  We were staying close to the village and drove out for lunch arriving about 12:15.  The parking out front was at a premium and we couldn’t find a spot, so we drove around a side road and found parking in a lot at the rear of the building.

Walking into to the door we saw the space issue that everyone was talking about

the place is small (this is from our table, along the back wall).  There are a total of 15 to 18 tables, maybe seating 100 people at best, with a small bar and it was about halfway full at the middle of the lunch hour.  The waitress gave us the choice of sitting in the middle of the restaurant, or this table in the back and we took the latter to get a better overall view of the restaurant.  Behind the bar, above the pizza boxes, are fight posters detailing Sal’s (the owner’s) boxing exploits.  He’s apparently quite a character from what I’ve read and what we overheard, but he wasn’t in at the time we were there.

Deciding on a pizza we can share is a challenge.  Basically, I’m a Meat-o-Mania and Jo’s a Veggie Deluxe, so we decided on the deluxe, – with some modifications: half with no Italian sausage for her and the other with no veggies at all for me.

The pizza was good, but not exceptional.  The Italian Sausage was kind of sweet, which was a pleasant surprise.  We were talking in the car on the way back to the beach and I think that part of the buzz maybe that it’s “new” on the island.   There is certainly better pizza to be found in the world, although maybe not close by.  And part of it may have to do with ordering the right pizza.  They do have one pizza, which is cooked directly on the bricks in the oven, that might be more of that New York style pizza that seems to be really special.