Restaurant Reivew
Ozona Pizza
Ozona Pizza is a great local pizzeria featuring homemade pizza and other Italian specialties. An assortment of specialty gluten and dairy-free pizzas, appetizers, entrees, and even desserts, give this pizza joint an edge over others in town. If you need allergy friendly Italian food, Ozona Pizza is the place to go in Pinellas County!
Food
Ozona’s diverse menu includes a wide range of pizza specialties. First off, they serve traditional mozzarella based cheese pizza with your preferred toppings. However, the reason most visit Ozona is to take advantage of the allergy friendly options which include vegan cheese (Daiya cheese available for an extra fee), and both gluten-free and dairy-free based pizza crusts (available for an extra fee).
A full vegan crust (excluding both dairy and egg) is available with advance notice.
The gluten-free crust tastes incredibly close to traditional wheat-based pizza crust. Besides being a bit more crumbly and thinner, the taste is pretty much on target. The homemade marinara sauce was much better than the quality you would receive at a chain pizza eatery.
There are numerous unique topping combinations, or you can create your own. Daiya cheese is fantastic: it melts like regular cheese, has a similar texture, and tastes pretty much like the real thing.
In terms of appetizers, the highlight here is the delicious garlic knots (available both gluten and gluten-dairy free), served with a side of marinara. Absolutely terrific! You rarely find a dairy and gluten-free based appetizer at any restaurant, so this was definitely a nice perk.
Beer, wine, and bottled drinks are available, however, regular tap water and fountain drinks are not available.
Ice cream (including dairy and gluten-free options) is the perfect after dinner treat. Ozona uses So Delicious dairy-free brand ice cream, which is the best on the market.
The prices are a bit steep, but you would expect that for serving specialty ingredients, which both cost more and take more time to prepare.
Service
The manager was on-site, cooking and performing all other restaurant duties. He was professional and able to answer any questions we had about the menu.
Atmosphere
Ozona is more of a take-out pizza place, rather than a sit down restaurant. There is no waiter service. However, there are a few tables both inside and outside if you are looking to get out of the house/hotel.
The interior décor is appealing and features plenty of eclectic décor, basically anything you can think of, from the leg lamp from “A Christmas Story” to an old fashioned tabletop Jukebox. Take a look around while waiting for your meal - you will some pretty interesting stuff.
Final Remarks
Ozona Pizza is a real treat in the Palm Harbor area. If you have always wanted to try making gluten or dairy-free pizza, but were afraid of the possible results, then let Ozona do it for you!
Delicious home-cooked food with options for everyone, including those with food intolerances and allergies makes Ozona the easiest choice for any picky party craving Italian food!
