Love Papa's Pizza but hate driving to the beach? This new location may feed your cravings.
If the mere thought of pizza by the slice already has your mouth watering, Papa Pizza's newest downtown Pensacola location may need to be a must-try spot on your list.
The pizzeria, known for its 900-square-foot location on the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk, celebrated its first day of business Tuesday at 18 E. Garden St.
The new shop is owned by longtime Papa Pizza's manager Nicholas Burleigh and his wife, Vanessa Burleigh.
Nicholas worked at the original Pensacola Beach location for 13 years, while Vanessa worked in the shop for six.
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Although one of his favorite parts of working at the beach were the chipper, island-time vacationers, he is looking forward to becoming a popular hangout for Pensacola's locals.
Nicholas Burleigh credited Papa's Pizza founder Michael Pinzone for his support as he worked his way up to buying into the Papa Pizza's license.
"I worked closely with (Pinzone) for a long time, and he has kind of been a mentor," Nicholas Burleigh said. "He taught me everything he knew about making pizza and running a business."
After first setting sights on the Garden Street location, the Burleighs have been actively working on getting their store open since 2020.
"It's been a long wait to get to this point with all the delays of 2020, and then just a delay with the build-out process. We're really excited it's finally here," Vanessa Burleigh said.
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The Burleighs now have their hands on every stage of the process, from the dough kneading to the topping-loaded pie on the customer's table.
The menu will have all the classics that longtime customers have grown to love, like the best-selling Al Pacino, which is the Papa Pizza's spin on a meat lovers pizza, and the pesto-based White Veggie. Nicholas Burleigh claims that one is not a top hit — but should be.
Vanessa Burleigh said she still wants to pinch herself that the restaurant has actually come together, since it has been such a longtime dream of her husband.
"This is kind of his lifelong dream to do this. It has been a goal we have worked toward for many, many years. When did you start buying your supplies and storing it in our attic, like 2015?" she asked her husband.
"It was the best job I have ever had," he added.
The inside seating is about the same as the beach location, but the expanded kitchen size will provide opportunity for more pizza specials in the future.
The downtown Papa's Pizza will eventually be open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, but may close earlier during the opening days. More information can be found on the Papa's Pizza Facebook page.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Papa's Pizza opens additional location in downtown Pensacola this week
