Everyone loves Pizza Villa. Why? Because the food is good and the atmosphere is welcoming. I must’ve driven by Pizza Villa a thousand times before I knew it was there on the corner of Congress and St. John. A friend suggested we meet there and I was all “Where is that?” Now that I’ve been, I go all the time.

There are some important things to know before you go. Half of the place is a pizza shop, the other is a bar. You can bring your kids, but they can’t hang in the bar. You can bring your drinks to the restaurant side and your food to the bar side. The restaurant will allow you to use your credit card to purchase food, but you need cash for the bar. There is an ATM tucked back between the stairs and the pinball machine.

Who hangs out at this place? Mostly people not in their twenties, however there are some Joe Sixpacks around. The cougars sniff out their Drakkar Noir and love on them. My boyfriend and I were at the bar long enough to tell him to order me a Jameson on the rocks. As soon as I walked to the ATM to get cash, a woman wearing a denim skirt, belly shirt and big hair zoned in on him, touched his arm and said “Oooh. I like your tattoo. Do you have more?”

I would’ve beat her ass if I didn’t think it was so funny. Really, the crowd there is great. I’ve heard some of the most bizarre stories when eavesdropping in on conversations. The bar is very welcoming, so you’ll find all types there. When I say all, I mean ALL. And the owner, Phil Regios, takes pride in their diverse crowd saying “all kinds of people feel welcome here.” I’m pretty sure that’s because everyone that works there is the nicest person you’ve ever met.

The most crowded times are between 5-8 pm. Lawyers, plumbers, secretaries and other working folk stop in for a few after a hard day’s work. The bar serves draft beer (Shipyard Export, Coors Light, Allagash, Budweiser, HSA and Molsen), local beers are $4.25 and domestics are $3. Pitchers are equal to 2 pints (32 oz) and cost a dollar less than if you’d bought 2 pints of beer. Bottled beers include Woodchuck Cider, Michelob Lager, Mich Light, Budweiser, Bud Light, BL Smoothie, Coors Light, Miller Light, Rolling Rock, Twisted Tea, Corona, Corona Light, Sam Adams, Amstel Light, Heineken, Heineken Light, Becks, Pilsner Urquell, Red Stripe, Geary’s Pale Ale and Guinness. There are also mixed drinks, but they don’t serve ‘em in the tall glass.

If you’re hungry, the kitchen is open from 11 am-12:30 am. Menu includes a variety of 10-inch pizzas (Garlic Pie, mmmm), calzones, salads, wings, spaghetti and a variety of sandwiches. You can get your fill for under $10, easily.

After you’ve eaten, have at the board games - Scrabble (with dictionary), Backgammon, Cribbage, The 80’s Game, Othello or play cards. Who’s up for Spades? I love Spades - why doesn’t anyone in Maine play that game? I’m going to start a Spades tournament up in that piece and then you’ll all love Spades. If you don’t want to play, watch the game on any of the 5 tellies. A seat at the bar or a nearby table is good for viewing.

There’s also a smoking deck on the back. You can take your drink with you, too. You wouldn’t expect to see it, but there’s a beautiful arrangement of flowers on the prison-style windows. The flowers certainly steal your eyes from the otherwise not-so-savory view of the St. John Street area.

Pizza Villa is the diamond, scratch that, Cubic Zirconia in the rough.

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