primo pizza

swindled. primo pizza is one of my biggest let downs for restaurants in hampton roads. my family & i were in the mood for italian this evening; i lost out on us going to neighbor's & we ended up trying primo pizza. from the walk up it looked like a rather lavish establishment, though i was hoping for a more mom & pop experience, i was suckered into not-so-fine dining at a fine dining price.

for starters . . . the pricey kid's menu doesn't include a kid's beverage; so a family of 4 that opts to each buy a soda/tea will pay $9.00 in beverages. my oldest daughter wanted their "wing dings"; much to her chagrin they were sold out (a sunday at roughly 6:15 p.m.) so she went with a kid's pizza (slice). that's right, they don't offer a pan or personalized pizza; they offer a slice for the kids. my youngest daughter ordered the ravioli (happened to be the best item ordered out of all of us.) she enjoyed it & i look forward to polishing her leftovers off tomorrow for my lunch.

for the meal we started with garlic knots. wow! should definitely drop the k and title them garlic nots! however, they did look scrumptious when they arrived, but alas, the garlic was too overpowering. there was enough to keep julie & i safe on the streets of bon temps. let's just say, after my first bite, it was confirmed, i would not be getting a kiss goodnight. perhaps a more buttery garlic approach would be better suited than the shaved bulb approach. needless to say, they weren't finished & will be offered to wild life in my neighborhood's lake.

i ordered a stromboli (minus the green bell peppers) & julie ordered the chicken piccata. we both were met with distaste. her chicken was too "lemony" & my stromboli was too "doughy". we've made chicken piccata at home & she's ordered it at a few italian restaurants, so we know how to judge a piccata. the stromboli by appearance had potential, but unfortunately, it was packed in the middle only & the filling didn't extend to the borders of the roll. don't get me wrong though, it did have its share of flavor in the best pieces, but it wasn't enough for every bite. julie did finish everything of one thing on her plate . . . the capers.

in closing, please know that primo pizza is beautiful on the inside. it's fitting for the newly built plaza it's located in. the waiter was charming & timely with our dining needs. had i known though, the prices of their dishes, i would have never gone there. there isn't one pizza under $10.00!! if my wife & i would have shared an 18" gourmet pizza, it would have cost us anywhere from $23.00 to $30.00. if memory serves me right, i don't think there is an item on the kid's menu that is less than $4.95. our bill came to $51 & some change. not at all what we were expecting to pay when we arrived. look, i don't mind spending that kind of money when going out to eat, but i mean this with all sincerity; it did not taste like a $51.00 meal. the dishes were either bland or overwhelming. there was no median. if i ever go again, it'll probably be to take a stab at their subs . . . doubt it though. there's just so much better out there; and cheaper. i apologize in advance for coming off so frugal in this review.

wonderful pizza and fabulous calamari. we love this place- it is one of the few pizza places in town that has nice decor and good food. sal's pizza (on independence) used to be our go to pizza place for take out- no longer. primo is the best!

not so much. our group had very high hopes for this place. it always smells so good when i am going to the grocery store int he same strip mall.

anyway, we finally made it there for dinner last saturday night. between all of us we ordered quite different items from the menu.

first let me say that i was disappointed that i had to ask for bread. whats that all about?

second when you order a special that costs almost $20 i would think it should come with a side salad but alas no...you have to pay $3 extra for a side salad that consisted of 99% iceberg lettuce, 2 (single) rings of red onion & 1 cherry tomato. plus the dressing did not taste home made. tasted like some funky dressing out of a bottle.

as for the entrees the were bland. so bland that the leftovers that were boxed up were thrown out when we reached our final destination after dinner.

as for the service, it was lackluster. our server kept disappearing. i'm not sure where he kept going but he was no where to be spotted in the small dining area.

ok now for some good, the pizza items are tasty but over priced. $14 for medium pizza & $9 for a calzone is a bit high. they do taste good, but nothing that is so mind blowing that you need to rush over there.

in the end we all had a conversation about the place and we don't think we would go back.

love pizza. best overall experience.

great pizza and garlic rolls

on point.

bella italiano!. the best pizza, calzone, pasta dishes and specials around hampton roads! the price of good cheese and real olive oil cost more these days! but all in all i am glad primo moved out of their old very rundown dump! to the future!

i agree they have sacrificed their customers satisfaction. the new place might look nice but it doesn't have that neighborhood family feel. i go out to eat to eat good food where i can take my friends and family and never be let down. what made me a loyal primos customer has dissappeared some where in their newer larger expensive restaurant. they have 15 people running around and still we get overlooked and the food just doesn't warm our hearts like it used to. we will be trying salvatore's pizzeria and we will let other primo customers know the truth.

where did primos go?. i know that they moved down the street, but what i am talking about is the reason that we stood behind primos for so long. they have continually let us down with poor service and overpriced food. the kids they have in there making the food have no idea what real italian food is or how to make a quality pie. so after years of unquestioned loyalty we tried salvatores pizzeria (the place that took over their old location) and their food is better and more authentic than primos ever was. they now have our business and everyone that we know because sometimes a change is necessary and justified.

amazing, as always!. i have been a loyal custmer for years now and wanted to write about the new location. i love the new location!! the food is still just as amazing as before. everything from the mussels to the pizza are hands down the best around. all the ingredients are fresh, the bread and dough are made daily from scratch! i love the atmosphere and the staff is very courteous. the look of the new place is very nice! it was a great move for primo! i think its wonderful that they have a full bar now and a bar area where you can watch the football games. i would highly recommend primo to anyone who loves traditional ny style pizza, seafood, or huge salads!

salvatore's knocks primo's pants off. not impressed. the food is way overpriced and the quality just is not there. salvatore's moved in to their old location and let me tell you there food is amazing and costs 50% less.everything about primos has declined except for their prices. if you like paying high dollar for poor food then primos is the right spot. salvatore's knocks primos pants off. food is twice as good and half the price. enough said.

blew me away. i am originally from new york and have alot of trouble finding good pizza down here. that being said, i was very impressed with primo's pizza! thin crust, lots of cheese :) i was not as impressed with their garlic knots which were very doughy but will keep getting their pizza for sure!

best around. the pizza is great but so is all the food at primo pizza! you owe it to yourself to try the daily specials. the seafood is fresh and cooked to perfection.

highly recommend the stuffed pizza. one slice fills you up!

i still dream and crave their pizza

i thought their pizza was very yummy!