I recently found an amazing family owned Italian restaurant in Bradenton Beach called Oma’s Pizza.
It is a small place right across the street from the beach. I was excited to check them out with my parents.
There were so many wonderful items on the menu that we wanted to try. I was afraid our eyes would be bigger than our stomachs. So we ordered everything in stages to make sure we still had room and did not waste food.
We started off with the cheese garlic bread. This was a step above regular garlic bread. The fresh made loaf of bread was sliced in half and smothered with garlic butter. Then layers of mozzarella cheese were placed on top. They ran it through the oven to melt the cheese. It looked so delicious.
When I took a piece, the cheese was still so hit it created those cheese strings that I had to scoop up with my fingers. The combination of garlic, butter, and cheese were a perfect marriage.
I also dipped a few bites in the homemade pasta sauce that came on the side. The sauce was sweet and balanced the saltiness from the cheese. This was the perfect starter, but make sure to share it because it can easily fill up one person.
The other dish that was perfect for sharing was the fried eggplant. The eggplant was thinly sliced and breaded with Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. It was deep fried until the breading was nice and crispy. Then their homemade marinara sauce was poured on top of the slices.
Everything about this dish was perfect. The eggplant was cooked perfectly. It was tender on the inside and the right amount if crispy on the outside. They also used the right amount of sauce so that it did not make the eggplant soggy. This sauce also was slightly sweet that paired well with the saltiness of the eggplant. This sauce was also different from the pasta sauce with the garlic bread because it had chunks of tomatoes mixed in.
We ordered a Sicilian pizza to share. Their Sicilian is a thick crust and only comes in a 16″x 16″ size. It is a lot of pizza. For those not familiar with Sicilian pizza, it is cooked in a square or rectangular baking pan, rather than a round pizza pan.
We went simple and just ordered cheese. The dough was sweet and fluffy. It really soaked in the sweetness from the red sauce they used. The cheese added creaminess but not the typical saltiness. A slice of this pizza will fill you up fast.
I did order one last thing for myself. Whenever I go to Italian restaurants I always make sure I order the house-made meatballs. I kept that tradition alive at Oma’s as well. They offered a small side of meatballs (it came with two).
The meatballs were seasoned perfectly. They were tender and moist. The meat just melted in my mouth when I took a bite. These meatballs were served in the same pasta sauce that came with the bread. This sauce was so versatile. The sweet taste went so well with the seasoned meat.
We were so full after everything we ordered that we did not leave room for dessert. I would definitely go back to try one of their ice cream truffles.
I highly recommend Oma’s Pizza. The food is amazing. The staff is extremely friendly and they make you feel like you are family. Check out their menu at www.omaspizza.com
Enjoy!
T
