Out and About: Pizza and Fireworks at Playa Pizza .. #PlayaPizza #OrlandoPizza #Foodies #VeganFoodies

- Michelle Snow

Playa Pizza

Playa Pizza recently opened in Horizon West, behind Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, and we were invited to check it out.

The restaurant is the brainchild of Stephen Facella, who was furloughed from Orlando’s hospitality industry during the pandemic.

He was on the beach in Puerto Rico when he had the idea to marry his Italian roots with the fun of beach life, and Playa Pizza was born.

Playa Pizza

The restaurant is a New York-style pizza joint, serving up pies baked in a Marana Forni brick oven imported from Italy.

They make their pizza and pasta dough, along with their breads, in-house, using the New York Watermaker, a patented water replication system that mimics the mineral composition of New York City water.

Another thing that sets Playa Pizza’s menu apart from other pizza places in Orlando is that because Facella is vegan, his menu has a heavy vegan emphasis.

Not just a salad (though they have several) and maybe one style of pizza. They have vegan cheese and four vegan meat toppings from Happy Little Plants to go with their vegan crust. There are also vegan appetizers, sandwiches, and pasta dishes on the menu.

Playa Pizza - Carnivore's Cornucopia

As such, my guest and I tried both a vegan pepperoni pizza and the Carnivore’s Cornucopia, a meat lovers pizza.

The Carnivore’s Cornucopia features pepperoni, Italian sausage, bacon, and cubed ham, and they certainly didn’t skimp on toppings. I really enjoyed this pizza, especially since the sausage reminded me of the kind that was on my favorite pizza from childhood. A bit more of a char would have been perfect, but as is, it was very tasty. Reheated in the oven well, too.

I was originally going to try the Animal Lover pizza, a vegan version of the Carnivore’s Cornucopia, but unfortunately, some of the vegan meat options have mushrooms, which I am allergic to.

On a side note, kudos to the staff for making sure none of my allergens were present in the ingredients!

Playa Pizza - vegan pepperoni

So due to the allergies, I ended up just doing a vegan pepperoni pizza, which had a ton of flavor. Other than a bit of texture difference on the vegan mozzarella, it was comparable to a regular pizza.

Vegans, and those dining with vegans, will be very happy.

Playa Pizza - Crispy Mozzarella Half Pipes

We also tried the Crispy Mozzarella Half Pipes appetizer, featuring mozzarella in a fried crispy breading, served with a braised tomato dipping sauce dusted with Parmigiano-Reggiano. A nice twist on fried mozzarella sticks.

To finish, we split a slice of Limoncello Mascarpone Cake. Set on a base of what tasted like pound cake, the marscapone has a subtle lemon flavor that wasn’t too sour to balance out the lightly sweet mascarpone.

Playa Pizza - Limoncello Mascarpone Cake

It was a nice way to cap the dinner that was made even nicer with a viewing of the evening fireworks from Magic Kingdom.

When I said it was located behind the theme park, I meant right behind. The cast member parking lot is actually across the street.

So if you’d like a fireworks show with your delicious dinner, make sure to find out the time of that night’s fireworks show when planning your visit. Arrive about an hour before, and you, too, can be enjoying the show with dessert.

Playa Pizza - fireworks

Playa Pizza also hosts fun events during the week like Wednesday trivia nights, and they eventually would like to host more bands, and a karaoke night.

Also worth noting is Tuesday is EPCOT night – Every Pizza Cheap On Tuesday. Spend $20 on anything, and get 20% off your pizzas every Tuesday until 9pm.

I really enjoyed our visit to Playa Pizza and look forward to trying more of the menu. It’s a great family pizzeria and it’s a lot of fun, too.

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Playa Pizza is located at 13211 Reams Rd, Suite 108, Windermere, FL 34786. It is open from 11am to 2pm nightly.

In addition to the food, it offers a variety of beers (including local breweries), wine,, and cocktails for those over 21. Non-alcoholic options include coffee, tea, and sodas, including the Stubborn craft soda line.

For more details, visit PlayaPizza.com, where you can also sign up for their mailing list.

Disclaimer: CitySurfing Orlando was invited for a media preview. Our opinions are honest and our own.


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