Eric Iberri
Assistant Editor

If you were upset when Red Hill Pizza mysteriously closed weeks ago, there is reason to rejoice.

Angelo’s Pizza has taken over the building and is offering its own mix of pizza, appetizers, hot subs, pita wraps and salads.

I had one of Angelo’s favorites, the meat lover’s pizza. The pizza came topped with pepperoni, ham, bacon, sausage and ground beef. The crust was light and the pizza wasn’t drowning in marinara sauce. And just as the name suggests, this pizza is for meat lovers. All I could see was meat and the crust of the pizza at its rim. The toppings were flavorful and it was obvious that Angelo uses only the highest quality ingredients.

The other Angelo’s favorites are veggie, Hawaiian, BBQ Chicken and The Works—a combination of meat and veggies.  You can also create your own pizza from a list of all the classic pizza toppings.

I also had garlic bread that isn’t on the menu right now, but it is expected to be there soon. It’s not on the menu because Rudy Laty, manager of Angelo’s Pizza, is thinking of a way to reinvent the garlic bread. I think it’s great as it is. It’s cheesy, light, and has good garlic flavor. The garlic isn’t overpowering; and, unlike many garlic breads, it’s not heavy and soggy with oil.

Angelo’s atmosphere is like most pizza joints: friendly, fun and family-oriented. Besides the standard arcade and big-screen TV, Angelo’s has free wireless Internet access. It was not too noisy for normal conversations, but with the TVs on and a group of teenagers talking, it wasn’t quiet either.

Laty hopes to have Internet ordering available in the future. Angelo’s will also start local delivery soon.

The pizzeria will be expanding the menu with pasta dishes, soups and more pizzas. In the future, Angelo’s will serve pizzas with pesto and alfredo sauces. He is also experimenting with the idea of dessert pizzas. One of his ideas is a cinnamon-apple pizza that will use a classic pizza crust, but new sweet toppings. Laty said he wants the dessert pizzas to take advantage of Angelo’s great pizza crust.

“We’ve only been open for three weeks so far. Business has been OK, but there’s room to improve,” Laty said. “We use our own experiences to make this place better.”

Laty’s customer-oriented business model should keep Angelo’s Pizza fresh and exciting, with improvement and innovation coming steadily.

Angelo’s Pizza offers catering and next week will be opening a buffet. At the beginning of April, Angelo’s will start serving beer.

The pizza prices are reasonable; a medium with cheese is $9.99 with additional toppings for $1 each. Larges are $12.99 and extra larges are $14.99. One great deal is the mini pizza. It’s a four-slice pizza for $5.99 but comes with unlimited toppings.

Angelo’s also has five meals under $5 that are great for lunch. You can get two slices of pizza and a drink; or try one of Angelo’s hot subs, home made chips and a drink. The other choices are chicken strips, chips and drink; one slice of pizza, a small salad and drink; and a burger, chips and drink.

Laty is playing with the restaurant’s hours, but the pizzeria is currently open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Angelo’s Pizza is located on the corner of Second Street and Garey Avenue in Downtown Pomona.

Eric Iberri can be reached at eiberri@ulv.edu.