Pompeii is like a good looking woman with a sorry attitude in ways. The pizza by far is the best in town that's a fact, HOWEVER the service by the OWNER is TERRIBLE (see my tip). Walking in the place is very nice, very pleasant to the sight and nose, but here we go!! Calling in: The restaurant has a guy on the road constantly dancing with a sign to increase business, knowing this I would expect even better service...that's not the case. If you call in for take out here's the process. The owner has it set up that if the person that greets you at the door isn't the person who just happened to answer the phone when you called in, well...your S.O.L and you have to wait around until that person (whoever it may be, and God help you if it's the owner you spoke to) is ready and available to take your money EVEN if your food is ready, waiting, sitting on the bar top and getting cold (personally when I eat cold food that should be hot it's a major turn off). So yesterday 4/11, I go in there, knowing of this service we order 2 pies. Typical sorry service and you guessed it!!! The person that took the call wasn't the one who greeted me and it was put in the owners name. She was motioned at to come and check me out...she looked up, nodded her head, saw me waiting with money ready to pay & WALKED TO THE BACK. I said something to the line of.."yep here we go, same typical sorry ass service!!". A waitress had to go to the back to fetch her! As I state in my tip get ready to be treated like a dirty, stray dog (see my picture I added) if you call in and the person who takes your order over the phone doesn't happen to greet you when you arrive. What a sorry ass way to run a customer loyalty driven, perishable inventory based business!!! Needless to say with a carryout experience as this I would much rather deal with a Pizza Hut than this kind of service/treatment. It's almost as if the owner knows (like a good looking woman with a sorry attitude) she has the best pizza in town, however since she knows this, well...I guess I need to wait around on her! As far as dining in. See Caron S's review on 12/31/12, I couldn't agree more! I love the pizza...hate, ABSOLUTELY HATE THE SERVICE of the OWNER!!!! It takes allot for me to log on to Yelp and leave a 'review', I'm pretty much a tip kind of guy, but I had to leave this review! This one takes the cake!! Beware
(2)
Nora B.
I've been to Pompeii twice now and both times have been a very enjoyable experience. The prices are reasonable, the service has been friendly every time and the pizza is consistently delicious. I would recommend Pompeii to anyone looking for a good pizza joint that isn't chain(:
(5)
Brittany E.
Loved the lasagna and yummy focaccia bread! Delicious!
(4)
Sara H.
I really wish I could give this place zero stars. I bought several Groupons to give this restaurant a few tries. I will say that the food is pretty good, although sometimes they are a little heavy handed with the seasonings. There have been a few times where the red sauce was way too salty. The wait staff is always really great. They're attentive and polite and generally very friendly. The downfall here is the kitchen staff and the owner. Tonight I used my last coupon and I will never be back to this establishment. I have never waited less than 45 minutes to get a pizza here (eat-in, I've never placed an order to go). My group arrived for a very early dinner and there were only two other tables occupied. Both tables looked miserable and neither had food. After the hostess seated us we waited several minutes until the owner wandered over, stopped in front of our table said hello and then proceeded to just stare at us like were an inconvenience. After several moments of awkward silence she asks if we wanted to order some drinks or something. We all place our order and soon after our server comes to bring the drink orders. I asked which drink mine was since I was the only one who had ordered a different soda from the rest. He apologized and said she (being the owner) hadn't informed him the drinks were different and thought they were all cokes. He was polite enough to wait and see if my drink was correct and offered to get replacements if need be. We promptly placed an order for a large and small pizza and waited for over 40 minutes with nothing happening. However, the take out line was non-stop business. There were always 4-5 pizzas waiting to be picked up and not one person who came in to pick up a pizza had to wait on their order. While we were waiting one of the servers was wiping down a table and the owner appeared from nowhere and motioned for the tip he had in his hand and snatched it away from him. Now, I was a server once and I understand that sometimes tips are pooled and split evenly among all wait staff, however the way she demanded the money and walked away counting it was very unusual. Around the 45 minute mark the small pizza finally came out. Shortly after the owner comes wandering over and trying to be funny said "Oh you didn't buy one of my salads!" As a side note her side salads are almost $6 and the garlic bread appetizer is $7, all of her appetizers are ridiculously over priced. By this point I was beyond annoyed because half of the party did not have food and the other half's was getting cold. I explained to her that no we did not order salad but we did however order a 2nd pizza and it was nearing an hour and we still hadn't seen it. She explained that yeah that's the way it was and the kitchen was very busy. I pointed out that we were the only table in the restaurant (at this point the other two had left) and that not one person in her take out line had to wait. I made the comment that the to go orders certainly seemed to take priority over her dine-in guests. She actually had the nerve to look down her nose at me and tell me that of course those orders came first. So at this point my understanding is that her dining patronage means absolutely nothing to this woman. After another 20 minutes we explain to our server that we no longer want to wait and to please cancel the pizza and give us the bill for what we did get. As he's ringing up our bill the owner shows up with the pizza. We explain to her that after waiting well over an hour there is no way we want that pizza and that she needs to take it off our bill and get the check. She immediately gets an attitude and grabs the server and brings him over to explain that he forgot to put our order in. The poor guy was mortified and at that point I had had enough. I told her that was insane and she was over the line to blame her employee for something that he did not do. I asked her how we had received one of the pizzas if he didn't put the entire order in, and that regardless she had been aware of the missing food for close to half an hour because she and I had talked about it!. She stormed off and as were trying to pay and leave she shows up with the chef at our table! He said it was his fault and he missed part of our order (so when I wouldn't let her blame her server, she got the chef to be the scapegoat). Now, it is entirely possibly that the chef really did over look part of our order. However, the excuses she made and her arrogance in blaming her employees is beyond excuse when she was PERSONALLY made aware of the situation. The chef keeps yelling at me to let him explain and after telling him five times his reasons didn't matter and that we were done the owner starts muttering under her breath in Spanish. They refused to tell us what she said and the chef made her leave . This owner is obscenely arrogant and condescending, finds it acceptable to yell at customers and does not understand customer service. Avoid at all costs
(1)
Morgan M.
I gotta say, we came here tonight after reading the reviews about how great the food is.. And yes it's VERY good pizza. However, the service sucks! We were greeted and seated as soon as we entered. After about 10 minutes of just sitting there our waitress finally came to our table (mind you we were the only people in the restaurant). Our waitress ended up being, who I only assume, was the owner. She was extremely unfriendly. She never introduced herself or asked any questions, she just stood there. We told her our order and she just nodded her head and walked away. Our food came out shortly after. We got the large meat lovers. It was very tasty. A little greasy, but very good. Unfortunately I'd have to say we will not be returning here. Even though the food was yummy, the service was a huge turn off. It's pretty sad when you get better service from Pizza Hut! Oh well, we gave it a try.
(2)
Delisa K.
We had decided that we were doomed to crappy greasy 5 buck pizzas until we found this place by accident. The pizza tastes fresh and the coal fired wings smothered in onion are fantastic. The service is hit or miss, I saw people review the owner as rude but I have just found him to be on the shy side. They do offer delivery which we have found to be a great option.
(4)
Jim H.
3 visits and 3 good experiences.
(5)
Lindsay D.
2 hours for cheese pizza. Rude rude rude owner. Raised his voice at us when we spoke to him. Give your hard earn money to another business who appreciates it. Will never come here again.
(1)
Katie E.
Pizza was delicious service on point. Great place because I don't have to buy a whole dang pizza to be able to eat some ! Awesome deals two slices and a drink under 5$ the pizza is exactly how I love it. If you want a quick family date business bite whatever it may be I'd say come here for some good priced pizza among other things ! Don't listen to the negative nellies this place is good and Very picky about my pizza!!!!
(5)
Ahmad H.
I'm a pizza lover. I can't go a month without having pizza. This place has awesome pizza, in many different types. My favorite is the tomato and basil one, I suggest you start with that when you come here. The staff is friendly, the place is clean, plenty of parking outside, and they deliver! Best pizza in town hands down.
(5)
Josh W.
eehhh.
(3)
Cody Y.
Freshest pizza we've ever had. We ordered the calamari and a half cheese / half fresh mozzerella / tomato basil pizza, all was good. Excellent thin, crisp and flavorful crust. Food is made fresh not frozen. No issues with service, waiter was friendly, explained the menu offerings and even boxed the leftovers for us. Good atmosphere as well. Will definitely go back. Edit: We did not apparently meet the owner during our visit which there have been many complaints about. We would like to go back and will update accordingly.
(4)
Sarah P.
Pompeii's is a small, well atmosphered restaurant with good food to offer. I've seen them advertising for lunch specials and decided to try them for dinner. While at fist our waiter seemed a little stand offish about which pizzas we might enjoy the most, after awhile he really opened up and by the end of the evening he had many recommendations for our next visit. Since then, we've tried several pizzas, one of which was fantastic and the other two which were pretty delicious. I wish I could remember which ones they were, but the menu is not being accessable online. Appetizers are good as well. Pompeii's is a restaurant that we will continue to visit when good pizza is the calling. I look forward to trying more items on the menu and experiencing this restaurant's vibe again.
(4)
Robert N.
Robert N Here in Jacksonville Florida setting up a new company repair site and everywhere I go I search out any pizza joints that cook with coal ovens. Been doing this now for a few years but I am NOT a affecianado or whatever the word is. I am also from the Los Angeles area so it explains my not being able to experience much beyond the Dominos and Pizza Hut joints. But coal adds something that I cannot explain, just makes me melt away in the taste. In California they do NOT allow coal to be burned best I can tell. Nanny state it is. So I drove about 15 miles out of my way here to Pompeii's for a pizza. The reviews for their pizza's were good but reviews for their service were bad. Well I am here to say as of last night those reviews were only half right. The pizza for my non foodie taste buds were to die for. That was all i would have hoped for since it was all about the pizza, but the service for me AND watching what it was like for others was excellent. Not sure if there were any management or personnel changes but the service was NOT what others have said combine that with the GREAT pizza. Hey what else do you need. Of coarse it costs more then a pizza from Dominos, but it was not enuff to deter me from going back, I will be going Friday if I can. Glad I decided on this store on Park though, mentioned to the server and he said the other is closed down now. So I would recommend Pompeii for anyone, non foodies might appreciate it more then the "pros" though.
(5)
Jason T.
Very good pizza! Friendly service. The only problem I had was the pizza was just a little bit under cooked for being coal fire. Will deff return.
(4)
John M.
Jacksonville continues to surprise me. This pizza was as good or better than some NYC pizza's I have had. This will be a regular stop for me whenever I am in Jacksonville. This pizza was cooked perfectly unlike many other brick oven pizza places that burn the pizza beyond recognition.
(5)
Caron S.
Wow. We finally dined in and had a horrific (and overpriced) experience. We will never return. We ordered the coal fire wings to start, which come with one side of sauce. We chose ranch then ordered a large tomato, fresh mozzarella and basil pizza, half a Greek salad ($1.99 extra for feta - in a Greek salad?), a water, Diet Coke and Duke's brown nose ale. Our waitress came by twice without the beer. When it arrived it tasted old and had a few inches of foam. Later we'd find out it was $7.95. One locally brewed beer, at a pizza restaurant. After my salad came, I ate it. Earlier I had asked what dressing comes on it and she said "It's just like Olive Garden's." Okay. It arrives and is nothing like Olive Gardens but it is good. No wings. About 20 minutes later still no wings. Finally the wings arrive but our waitress informs us they are out of ranch. We don't care for blue cheese so ask for a side of marinara, which she brings. She stops by twice to let us know she won't charge us the .75 cents for the sauce since they don't have it (this should be a given). Then our pizza comes. The crust is a soggy mess. The toppings won't stay on to the point that it's not even able to be picked up and eaten. We chalk it up as a loss. The bill arrives: one pizza, wings, one diet soda, one half salad and one 16 ounce beer - $51! And the best part - a .75 charge for "extra side of ranch." I pointed this out and she said that was for the marinara. We said that we had subbed the marinara for the ranch since they were out of it. "Well I don't know how to remove that..." she said. I asked her to ask someone else. She did and it was removed. We eat out several times a week and this was one of the worst experiences (food and service) we've had this year. Maybe an exceptionally off night but we won't return to find out what a good night would be.
(1)
Kristen M.
Decent food, if and when they get your order right. Okay prices. Consistently lousy service. Ugly cluttery decor. So wish it was better!
(2)
Danny G.
Hands down best pizza in Jax. Not that I've been to other pizza places, as I'm new here, but this place has AMAZING pizza. I lived in NYC for years, and this is the closest I can get to Patsy's or Vezzo's in NYC. Great pizza. Simple, fresh ingredients, double filtered water and a 900 degree coal fired oven. Likewise, their house salad is just simple and refreshing. Not that I love Peroni, but it's great with real italian style pizza and it's on tap. Somebody said something about the thickness of the crust: they have a thick crust special, but most of their pizzas are pretty thin-crusted and are appropriate for the style. I've heard their chicken wings are also out of control, I have yet to try them...maybe tomorrow...RUN don't walk to this place and get yourself some real pizza not that Papa John's BS. I've also had the pizza in Italy when I lived there and this is closer to it than most pizza in the US. Only downside: I don't care for the look inside the restaurant, but who cares? You didn't go there for fine dining folks, you went for amazing pizza. Sitting outside is nice.
(5)
brooke n.
We will never return. The food was average to good but the service left much to be desired. It started out great, our server was friendly and attentive, took our order quickly and made sure we were never without a full drink. But it didn't take long to spiral downward. About 10 minutes after we had given our order to the server she comes back over and wants to confirm what we ordered because she had to put it in the computer. We figured it was already in the process of being made but then she came back and said, "Ok, I just put that in and I your cheese sticks should be up any minute so you can have something to munch on while your pizza is cooking." We had asked for the cheese sticks to be an appetizer in the first place. Then 20 minutes later she comes back and tells us that our cheese sticks will be another 4-5 minutes. I have made fried cheese sticks, I know how long it takes for grease to heat up and for frozen cheese sticks to fry and it isn't 25-30 minutes. Still no word on our pizza. We were a party of 3 and arrived just before another party of 3, we were seated within 30 seconds of each other. We placed our order before them but they were asking for boxes to take home before we had even received our appetizer. Eventually we did get our 6 cheese sticks($7.95) and pizza and it was good but the damage was already done. The whole time there is a woman who I assume was the manager walking around the restaurant talking to people at other tables but she wouldn't come near our table, even after I made eye contact with her and basically stared her down several times. After we were finished I asked our server for a box, she never returned with one. Finally the manager (?) recognizes that we need a box and picks one up to bring to us, she came over and boxed our pizza and cleared our table without saying a single word. We finally got up to walk to the register to pay because we were tired of waiting for someone to bring us our check, the manager was at the register and again never said a single word except what our total was...$33.00 for a Diet Coke, large pizza and cheese sticks. I know that we aren't entitled to anything free but they could have at least comped the cheese sticks to try to appease us or even just apologized. Next time we'll spend an extra couple bucks and to go Mellow Mushroom.
(1)
Tony T.
I have been to this restaurant a few times. There is great wine and Italian food. The pizza is not typical American. It is more like the pizza's I had while living in Italy. If you want to try something different that is really good you should definitely give this place a go.
(4)
Rick R.
This is a family run restaurant on 17 in a strip mall right before the bridge towered Fleming Island. Ambience is nice with adequate lighting. The Italian food including Spaghetti, Pasta and Brick oven pizza are excellent. The waitstaff are friendly, helpful and attentive. There is a lunch buffet that serves salad, pizza, pasta and a meat dish. Selection is limited and the attention to keeping the food coming is slow by buffet standards. The owner doesn't talk. He wears a white T-shirt and doesn't smile. Not too personable. That's ok since he doesn't interact with you. I do find it odd how an owner whose livelihood depends upon repeat customers and consumer loyalty acts in that way. There are a variety of pizza pies and the quality has been variable (burnt crust to just right). It's a decent place if you want to eat something other than the standard delivery pizza. There are better places to go, in my opinion, for the purposes of a more friendly atmosphere and consistency of service. However, try them out for yourself. They seem to be a favorite of many friends. To me, Meh!
(2)
David C.
Great pizza, who knew Dominicans could make a wicked awesome pie? Not me! But it's pretty delicious. They have lunch specials that are great values for the food you get. Check it out.
(4)
Jamie F.
Great pizza! No way I can ever order anywhere else after having one of theirs!
(4)
John L.
My last visit was Friday night, the WORST service ever. I like the food but the owner and the clueless teenager at the cash register have to go. I waited 50 minutes past when my pick up order was said to be ready and then it was the wrong pizza. There wasn't a happy customer in the place. Everyone had mistakes on their bill and the orders were all mixed up. This place is going down hill rapidly.
(1)
Greg D.
Good pizza. Much better than the "usual" fare. The veggies seem fresh cut and the coal oven char gives the crust good taste. The only holdback from a perfect "5" is the thickness of the crust (too thick for the nice, crunchy finish a coal pie should have), and the prosciutto, which is also thick.
(4)
Gail J.
Food is always very good, but the service seems to get worse each time we go. Ordered two large pizzas and two large salads. It took forever. Three different servers came to our table with excuses about why it was taking so long. We asked about the salads and were told they'd be out soon. Next, we were told that it might be awhile on the pizzas because they had a lot orders at one time. Then as we asked if they could bring the salads, they brought one pizza and said it would be a few minutes on the other one. Within a minute, the other pizza was brought to the table. It took close to an hour to be served.
(3)
Hollie M.
Salad was very fresh with zesty house dressing. Had the "healthy" veggie calzone with ham, which was very good. Very flavorful ingredients. Tea was freshly brewed. Service was good and employees were friendly and attentive. Atmosphere is more family dining than date worthy.
(4)
Tina H.
Great pizza, great prices, nice staff. Daily specials make it an economical choice too! It may take a while to get to your pizza as they hand make them all in order, but well worth the wait. Just call ahead so you are not hangry!
(4)
ALex W.
Hands down the absolute best thin style pizza I've ever had. They'll actually listen to your requests if you ask for a little more this and a little less that. Friendly staff and welcoming atmosphere but the real star of this gem is the pizza. If you live in orange park than be a friend to yourself and try this place.
(5)
Krissie E.
Since coming here from NY, I'm always on the hunt for good pizza and the pizza here was better than expected but the appetizer was blech, the sweet tea was gross (how does that happen?) the place was dirty and the chairs were way too low for the table we sat at so It felt like sitting on the toilet. I don't think its worth a second chance
(2)
Chris F.
I discovered this place when it first opened. A gentleman named Ruben was running it. He was charming, good with people. The pizza reminded me of pizza from back home in NY. Needless to say we became regulars..After some time Ruben was no longer around , and his mother was running the restaurant. .She is the polar opposite, devoid of charm and seemingly angry most of the time. The last pizza I purchased had a hole in the middle when I opened the box.
(1)
Laura G.
So let's start with the positive first. The service is good. Our waitress was wonderful and is inspiration to us all when it comes to overcoming challenges. She deserves a raise! Now about the food... It really wasn't anything to jump up and down about. The Greek salad was just ok. The pizza was pretty good but definitely not the best we've ever had and left room for imagination. Now about the bruschetta.. It wasn't bruschetta AT ALL. It was absolutely terrible. They should either learn how to make it correctly or remove it from the menu. It was the WRONG type of tomatoes on top of plain pizza bread with mozzarella cheese sprinkled on top. No pine nuts, no basil, no seasoning, no vinaigrette.
(2)
Bob R.
Great pizza! I suggest the meatball ricotta pizza and bruschetta. Great people who are very friendly. Average wait time.
(4)
Chris G.
I was a very loyal customer, but several bad experiences over several months caused me to find other options. After a long day traveling, I decided to give them one more try. And they failed miserably. Was told it was 45 minute wait for a take out pizza. I showed up after 50 minutes, was greeted by the cook with an attitude who said it was gonna be another 30 minutes. No one could care less or explain why they couldn't at least call me. I'm done for good this time. It is a shame, because they have good pizza if you can overcome the BS.
(1)
Chris C.
My mom and I went there on a Tuesday afternoon. She is in a wheelchair and the nice young man manning the pizza oven had the doors open for us before we even hit the curb. Once inside our server, Tabitha greeted us cheerfully and took our order. Hot coffee for my mom, which comes in a huge mug.. a big plus on a cool day. In addition we ordered a pizza with sauteed garlic and a non-menu item of Fettucini with sauteed garlic and olive oil ( it was delicious and should be a menu add in) we also took home a Stromboli for my other half who was under the weather that day. Everything was great including their excellent house salad and warm Focaccia bread that came with the pasta. The Stromboli was large with probably a half pound of high quality cheeses stuffed inside and a nice marina sauce on the side. I've already said enought about Pompeiis's wonderful pizza in a previous review. Upon leaving, Tabitha our cheerful and excellent server also gave us the royal treatment by holding the doors open on our way out. Whatever former issues Pompeii may have had with their staff appears to have been fully smoothed out. For your holiday gatherings or a fun birthday ( hint hint to my family!) they also have a large room off to the side with its own full bar.
(5)
Mandi R.
I can't say enough good things about Pompeii. The food always tastes fresh, and the staff is friendly and welcoming. When our kids are with us, the owner is very nice to them, and you would think they are her grandchildren by how she fawns over them. I highly recommend their alfredo, the sauce is creamy, but not super heavy. Our most recent visit was for Valentine's Day, and my hubby and I had the special; I had chicken alfredo, and he had chicken parm. Both tasted fantastic. We can't wait to go back again!
(5)
Kim M.
Poor customer service. The guy on the phone had zero phone etiquettes. He told me to call back bc the liquor person was in the store. Ordered a blue cheese burger w/ crispy fries. He said they can't do crispy fries bc it's going to go stale when they close the box anyways. Then I was told its Gorgonzola cheese but I wouldn't know the difference, one is just aged more than the other. In fact he mentioned that they don't even carry blue cheese. I paid $11 for a burger w/ fries and couldn't have it the way I wanted. I would never recommend this restaurant to anyone.
(1)
Travis K.
Food & service are always phenomenal. Their all meat pizza & stromboli are the best around.
(5)
Maris R.
This place is a great locally owned and operated spot in the heart of Orange Park, FL. With national chain restaurants everywhere its refreshing to have this spot to fall back on. The owners are pleasant and you can often catch them in the restaurant daily, where they say hello! The pizza is cooked in a coal fired oven right in the restaurant and you can see the chef cooking right while sitting in the restaurant. Coal fired oven pizza is crispy and in my opinion better than the 'brick oven" style. Crispy on the bottom and crust, and cooked to perfection! They also have daily homemade specials which are very well priced, and delicious. Definitely a spot to check out wit family and friends and they also have full bar with nice wine selection as well. We will definitely continue to visit here!
(5)
Kim M.
Poor customer service. The guy on the phone had zero phone etiquettes. He told me to call back bc the liquor person was in the store. Ordered a blue cheese burger w/ crispy fries. He said they can't do crispy fries bc it's going to go stale when they close the box anyways. Then I was told its Gorgonzola cheese but I wouldn't know the difference, one is just aged more than the other. In fact he mentioned that they don't even carry blue cheese. I paid $11 for a burger w/ fries and couldn't have it the way I wanted. I would never recommend this restaurant to anyone.
(1)
Travis K.
Food & service are always phenomenal. Their all meat pizza & stromboli are the best around.
(5)
Chris C.
My mom and I went there on a Tuesday afternoon. She is in a wheelchair and the nice young man manning the pizza oven had the doors open for us before we even hit the curb. Once inside our server, Tabitha greeted us cheerfully and took our order. Hot coffee for my mom, which comes in a huge mug.. a big plus on a cool day. In addition we ordered a pizza with sauteed garlic and a non-menu item of Fettucini with sauteed garlic and olive oil ( it was delicious and should be a menu add in) we also took home a Stromboli for my other half who was under the weather that day. Everything was great including their excellent house salad and warm Focaccia bread that came with the pasta. The Stromboli was large with probably a half pound of high quality cheeses stuffed inside and a nice marina sauce on the side. I've already said enought about Pompeiis's wonderful pizza in a previous review. Upon leaving, Tabitha our cheerful and excellent server also gave us the royal treatment by holding the doors open on our way out. Whatever former issues Pompeii may have had with their staff appears to have been fully smoothed out. For your holiday gatherings or a fun birthday ( hint hint to my family!) they also have a large room off to the side with its own full bar.
(5)
Mandi R.
I can't say enough good things about Pompeii. The food always tastes fresh, and the staff is friendly and welcoming. When our kids are with us, the owner is very nice to them, and you would think they are her grandchildren by how she fawns over them. I highly recommend their alfredo, the sauce is creamy, but not super heavy. Our most recent visit was for Valentine's Day, and my hubby and I had the special; I had chicken alfredo, and he had chicken parm. Both tasted fantastic. We can't wait to go back again!
(5)
Nora B.
I've been to Pompeii twice now and both times have been a very enjoyable experience. The prices are reasonable, the service has been friendly every time and the pizza is consistently delicious. I would recommend Pompeii to anyone looking for a good pizza joint that isn't chain(:
(5)
Brittany E.
Loved the lasagna and yummy focaccia bread! Delicious!
(4)
Krissie E.
Since coming here from NY, I'm always on the hunt for good pizza and the pizza here was better than expected but the appetizer was blech, the sweet tea was gross (how does that happen?) the place was dirty and the chairs were way too low for the table we sat at so It felt like sitting on the toilet. I don't think its worth a second chance
(2)
Chris F.
I discovered this place when it first opened. A gentleman named Ruben was running it. He was charming, good with people. The pizza reminded me of pizza from back home in NY. Needless to say we became regulars..After some time Ruben was no longer around , and his mother was running the restaurant. .She is the polar opposite, devoid of charm and seemingly angry most of the time. The last pizza I purchased had a hole in the middle when I opened the box.
(1)
Tina H.
Great pizza, great prices, nice staff. Daily specials make it an economical choice too! It may take a while to get to your pizza as they hand make them all in order, but well worth the wait. Just call ahead so you are not hangry!
(4)
ALex W.
Hands down the absolute best thin style pizza I've ever had. They'll actually listen to your requests if you ask for a little more this and a little less that. Friendly staff and welcoming atmosphere but the real star of this gem is the pizza. If you live in orange park than be a friend to yourself and try this place.
(5)
Laura G.
So let's start with the positive first. The service is good. Our waitress was wonderful and is inspiration to us all when it comes to overcoming challenges. She deserves a raise! Now about the food... It really wasn't anything to jump up and down about. The Greek salad was just ok. The pizza was pretty good but definitely not the best we've ever had and left room for imagination. Now about the bruschetta.. It wasn't bruschetta AT ALL. It was absolutely terrible. They should either learn how to make it correctly or remove it from the menu. It was the WRONG type of tomatoes on top of plain pizza bread with mozzarella cheese sprinkled on top. No pine nuts, no basil, no seasoning, no vinaigrette.
(2)
Chris G.
I was a very loyal customer, but several bad experiences over several months caused me to find other options. After a long day traveling, I decided to give them one more try. And they failed miserably. Was told it was 45 minute wait for a take out pizza. I showed up after 50 minutes, was greeted by the cook with an attitude who said it was gonna be another 30 minutes. No one could care less or explain why they couldn't at least call me. I'm done for good this time. It is a shame, because they have good pizza if you can overcome the BS.
(1)
Maris R.
This place is a great locally owned and operated spot in the heart of Orange Park, FL. With national chain restaurants everywhere its refreshing to have this spot to fall back on. The owners are pleasant and you can often catch them in the restaurant daily, where they say hello! The pizza is cooked in a coal fired oven right in the restaurant and you can see the chef cooking right while sitting in the restaurant. Coal fired oven pizza is crispy and in my opinion better than the 'brick oven" style. Crispy on the bottom and crust, and cooked to perfection! They also have daily homemade specials which are very well priced, and delicious. Definitely a spot to check out wit family and friends and they also have full bar with nice wine selection as well. We will definitely continue to visit here!
(5)
Bob R.
Great pizza! I suggest the meatball ricotta pizza and bruschetta. Great people who are very friendly. Average wait time.
(4)
John V.
Pompeii is like a good looking woman with a sorry attitude in ways. The pizza by far is the best in town that's a fact, HOWEVER the service by the OWNER is TERRIBLE (see my tip). Walking in the place is very nice, very pleasant to the sight and nose, but here we go!! Calling in: The restaurant has a guy on the road constantly dancing with a sign to increase business, knowing this I would expect even better service...that's not the case. If you call in for take out here's the process. The owner has it set up that if the person that greets you at the door isn't the person who just happened to answer the phone when you called in, well...your S.O.L and you have to wait around until that person (whoever it may be, and God help you if it's the owner you spoke to) is ready and available to take your money EVEN if your food is ready, waiting, sitting on the bar top and getting cold (personally when I eat cold food that should be hot it's a major turn off). So yesterday 4/11, I go in there, knowing of this service we order 2 pies. Typical sorry service and you guessed it!!! The person that took the call wasn't the one who greeted me and it was put in the owners name. She was motioned at to come and check me out...she looked up, nodded her head, saw me waiting with money ready to pay & WALKED TO THE BACK. I said something to the line of.."yep here we go, same typical sorry ass service!!". A waitress had to go to the back to fetch her! As I state in my tip get ready to be treated like a dirty, stray dog (see my picture I added) if you call in and the person who takes your order over the phone doesn't happen to greet you when you arrive. What a sorry ass way to run a customer loyalty driven, perishable inventory based business!!! Needless to say with a carryout experience as this I would much rather deal with a Pizza Hut than this kind of service/treatment. It's almost as if the owner knows (like a good looking woman with a sorry attitude) she has the best pizza in town, however since she knows this, well...I guess I need to wait around on her! As far as dining in. See Caron S's review on 12/31/12, I couldn't agree more! I love the pizza...hate, ABSOLUTELY HATE THE SERVICE of the OWNER!!!! It takes allot for me to log on to Yelp and leave a 'review', I'm pretty much a tip kind of guy, but I had to leave this review! This one takes the cake!! Beware
(2)
Morgan M.
I gotta say, we came here tonight after reading the reviews about how great the food is.. And yes it's VERY good pizza. However, the service sucks! We were greeted and seated as soon as we entered. After about 10 minutes of just sitting there our waitress finally came to our table (mind you we were the only people in the restaurant). Our waitress ended up being, who I only assume, was the owner. She was extremely unfriendly. She never introduced herself or asked any questions, she just stood there. We told her our order and she just nodded her head and walked away. Our food came out shortly after. We got the large meat lovers. It was very tasty. A little greasy, but very good. Unfortunately I'd have to say we will not be returning here. Even though the food was yummy, the service was a huge turn off. It's pretty sad when you get better service from Pizza Hut! Oh well, we gave it a try.
(2)
Delisa K.
We had decided that we were doomed to crappy greasy 5 buck pizzas until we found this place by accident. The pizza tastes fresh and the coal fired wings smothered in onion are fantastic. The service is hit or miss, I saw people review the owner as rude but I have just found him to be on the shy side. They do offer delivery which we have found to be a great option.
(4)
Jim H.
3 visits and 3 good experiences.
(5)
Sara H.
I really wish I could give this place zero stars. I bought several Groupons to give this restaurant a few tries. I will say that the food is pretty good, although sometimes they are a little heavy handed with the seasonings. There have been a few times where the red sauce was way too salty. The wait staff is always really great. They're attentive and polite and generally very friendly. The downfall here is the kitchen staff and the owner. Tonight I used my last coupon and I will never be back to this establishment. I have never waited less than 45 minutes to get a pizza here (eat-in, I've never placed an order to go). My group arrived for a very early dinner and there were only two other tables occupied. Both tables looked miserable and neither had food. After the hostess seated us we waited several minutes until the owner wandered over, stopped in front of our table said hello and then proceeded to just stare at us like were an inconvenience. After several moments of awkward silence she asks if we wanted to order some drinks or something. We all place our order and soon after our server comes to bring the drink orders. I asked which drink mine was since I was the only one who had ordered a different soda from the rest. He apologized and said she (being the owner) hadn't informed him the drinks were different and thought they were all cokes. He was polite enough to wait and see if my drink was correct and offered to get replacements if need be. We promptly placed an order for a large and small pizza and waited for over 40 minutes with nothing happening. However, the take out line was non-stop business. There were always 4-5 pizzas waiting to be picked up and not one person who came in to pick up a pizza had to wait on their order. While we were waiting one of the servers was wiping down a table and the owner appeared from nowhere and motioned for the tip he had in his hand and snatched it away from him. Now, I was a server once and I understand that sometimes tips are pooled and split evenly among all wait staff, however the way she demanded the money and walked away counting it was very unusual. Around the 45 minute mark the small pizza finally came out. Shortly after the owner comes wandering over and trying to be funny said "Oh you didn't buy one of my salads!" As a side note her side salads are almost $6 and the garlic bread appetizer is $7, all of her appetizers are ridiculously over priced. By this point I was beyond annoyed because half of the party did not have food and the other half's was getting cold. I explained to her that no we did not order salad but we did however order a 2nd pizza and it was nearing an hour and we still hadn't seen it. She explained that yeah that's the way it was and the kitchen was very busy. I pointed out that we were the only table in the restaurant (at this point the other two had left) and that not one person in her take out line had to wait. I made the comment that the to go orders certainly seemed to take priority over her dine-in guests. She actually had the nerve to look down her nose at me and tell me that of course those orders came first. So at this point my understanding is that her dining patronage means absolutely nothing to this woman. After another 20 minutes we explain to our server that we no longer want to wait and to please cancel the pizza and give us the bill for what we did get. As he's ringing up our bill the owner shows up with the pizza. We explain to her that after waiting well over an hour there is no way we want that pizza and that she needs to take it off our bill and get the check. She immediately gets an attitude and grabs the server and brings him over to explain that he forgot to put our order in. The poor guy was mortified and at that point I had had enough. I told her that was insane and she was over the line to blame her employee for something that he did not do. I asked her how we had received one of the pizzas if he didn't put the entire order in, and that regardless she had been aware of the missing food for close to half an hour because she and I had talked about it!. She stormed off and as were trying to pay and leave she shows up with the chef at our table! He said it was his fault and he missed part of our order (so when I wouldn't let her blame her server, she got the chef to be the scapegoat). Now, it is entirely possibly that the chef really did over look part of our order. However, the excuses she made and her arrogance in blaming her employees is beyond excuse when she was PERSONALLY made aware of the situation. The chef keeps yelling at me to let him explain and after telling him five times his reasons didn't matter and that we were done the owner starts muttering under her breath in Spanish. They refused to tell us what she said and the chef made her leave . This owner is obscenely arrogant and condescending, finds it acceptable to yell at customers and does not understand customer service. Avoid at all costs
(1)
Lindsay D.
2 hours for cheese pizza. Rude rude rude owner. Raised his voice at us when we spoke to him. Give your hard earn money to another business who appreciates it. Will never come here again.
(1)
Katie E.
Pizza was delicious service on point. Great place because I don't have to buy a whole dang pizza to be able to eat some ! Awesome deals two slices and a drink under 5$ the pizza is exactly how I love it. If you want a quick family date business bite whatever it may be I'd say come here for some good priced pizza among other things ! Don't listen to the negative nellies this place is good and Very picky about my pizza!!!!
(5)
Ahmad H.
I'm a pizza lover. I can't go a month without having pizza. This place has awesome pizza, in many different types. My favorite is the tomato and basil one, I suggest you start with that when you come here. The staff is friendly, the place is clean, plenty of parking outside, and they deliver! Best pizza in town hands down.
(5)
Josh W.
eehhh.
(3)
Cody Y.
Freshest pizza we've ever had. We ordered the calamari and a half cheese / half fresh mozzerella / tomato basil pizza, all was good. Excellent thin, crisp and flavorful crust. Food is made fresh not frozen. No issues with service, waiter was friendly, explained the menu offerings and even boxed the leftovers for us. Good atmosphere as well. Will definitely go back. Edit: We did not apparently meet the owner during our visit which there have been many complaints about. We would like to go back and will update accordingly.
(4)
Sarah P.
Pompeii's is a small, well atmosphered restaurant with good food to offer. I've seen them advertising for lunch specials and decided to try them for dinner. While at fist our waiter seemed a little stand offish about which pizzas we might enjoy the most, after awhile he really opened up and by the end of the evening he had many recommendations for our next visit. Since then, we've tried several pizzas, one of which was fantastic and the other two which were pretty delicious. I wish I could remember which ones they were, but the menu is not being accessable online. Appetizers are good as well. Pompeii's is a restaurant that we will continue to visit when good pizza is the calling. I look forward to trying more items on the menu and experiencing this restaurant's vibe again.
(4)
Robert N.
Robert N Here in Jacksonville Florida setting up a new company repair site and everywhere I go I search out any pizza joints that cook with coal ovens. Been doing this now for a few years but I am NOT a affecianado or whatever the word is. I am also from the Los Angeles area so it explains my not being able to experience much beyond the Dominos and Pizza Hut joints. But coal adds something that I cannot explain, just makes me melt away in the taste. In California they do NOT allow coal to be burned best I can tell. Nanny state it is. So I drove about 15 miles out of my way here to Pompeii's for a pizza. The reviews for their pizza's were good but reviews for their service were bad. Well I am here to say as of last night those reviews were only half right. The pizza for my non foodie taste buds were to die for. That was all i would have hoped for since it was all about the pizza, but the service for me AND watching what it was like for others was excellent. Not sure if there were any management or personnel changes but the service was NOT what others have said combine that with the GREAT pizza. Hey what else do you need. Of coarse it costs more then a pizza from Dominos, but it was not enuff to deter me from going back, I will be going Friday if I can. Glad I decided on this store on Park though, mentioned to the server and he said the other is closed down now. So I would recommend Pompeii for anyone, non foodies might appreciate it more then the "pros" though.
(5)
Jason T.
Very good pizza! Friendly service. The only problem I had was the pizza was just a little bit under cooked for being coal fire. Will deff return.
(4)
John M.
Jacksonville continues to surprise me. This pizza was as good or better than some NYC pizza's I have had. This will be a regular stop for me whenever I am in Jacksonville. This pizza was cooked perfectly unlike many other brick oven pizza places that burn the pizza beyond recognition.
(5)
Caron S.
Wow. We finally dined in and had a horrific (and overpriced) experience. We will never return. We ordered the coal fire wings to start, which come with one side of sauce. We chose ranch then ordered a large tomato, fresh mozzarella and basil pizza, half a Greek salad ($1.99 extra for feta - in a Greek salad?), a water, Diet Coke and Duke's brown nose ale. Our waitress came by twice without the beer. When it arrived it tasted old and had a few inches of foam. Later we'd find out it was $7.95. One locally brewed beer, at a pizza restaurant. After my salad came, I ate it. Earlier I had asked what dressing comes on it and she said "It's just like Olive Garden's." Okay. It arrives and is nothing like Olive Gardens but it is good. No wings. About 20 minutes later still no wings. Finally the wings arrive but our waitress informs us they are out of ranch. We don't care for blue cheese so ask for a side of marinara, which she brings. She stops by twice to let us know she won't charge us the .75 cents for the sauce since they don't have it (this should be a given). Then our pizza comes. The crust is a soggy mess. The toppings won't stay on to the point that it's not even able to be picked up and eaten. We chalk it up as a loss. The bill arrives: one pizza, wings, one diet soda, one half salad and one 16 ounce beer - $51! And the best part - a .75 charge for "extra side of ranch." I pointed this out and she said that was for the marinara. We said that we had subbed the marinara for the ranch since they were out of it. "Well I don't know how to remove that..." she said. I asked her to ask someone else. She did and it was removed. We eat out several times a week and this was one of the worst experiences (food and service) we've had this year. Maybe an exceptionally off night but we won't return to find out what a good night would be.
(1)
Kristen M.
Decent food, if and when they get your order right. Okay prices. Consistently lousy service. Ugly cluttery decor. So wish it was better!
(2)
Danny G.
Hands down best pizza in Jax. Not that I've been to other pizza places, as I'm new here, but this place has AMAZING pizza. I lived in NYC for years, and this is the closest I can get to Patsy's or Vezzo's in NYC. Great pizza. Simple, fresh ingredients, double filtered water and a 900 degree coal fired oven. Likewise, their house salad is just simple and refreshing. Not that I love Peroni, but it's great with real italian style pizza and it's on tap. Somebody said something about the thickness of the crust: they have a thick crust special, but most of their pizzas are pretty thin-crusted and are appropriate for the style. I've heard their chicken wings are also out of control, I have yet to try them...maybe tomorrow...RUN don't walk to this place and get yourself some real pizza not that Papa John's BS. I've also had the pizza in Italy when I lived there and this is closer to it than most pizza in the US. Only downside: I don't care for the look inside the restaurant, but who cares? You didn't go there for fine dining folks, you went for amazing pizza. Sitting outside is nice.
(5)
brooke n.
We will never return. The food was average to good but the service left much to be desired. It started out great, our server was friendly and attentive, took our order quickly and made sure we were never without a full drink. But it didn't take long to spiral downward. About 10 minutes after we had given our order to the server she comes back over and wants to confirm what we ordered because she had to put it in the computer. We figured it was already in the process of being made but then she came back and said, "Ok, I just put that in and I your cheese sticks should be up any minute so you can have something to munch on while your pizza is cooking." We had asked for the cheese sticks to be an appetizer in the first place. Then 20 minutes later she comes back and tells us that our cheese sticks will be another 4-5 minutes. I have made fried cheese sticks, I know how long it takes for grease to heat up and for frozen cheese sticks to fry and it isn't 25-30 minutes. Still no word on our pizza. We were a party of 3 and arrived just before another party of 3, we were seated within 30 seconds of each other. We placed our order before them but they were asking for boxes to take home before we had even received our appetizer. Eventually we did get our 6 cheese sticks($7.95) and pizza and it was good but the damage was already done. The whole time there is a woman who I assume was the manager walking around the restaurant talking to people at other tables but she wouldn't come near our table, even after I made eye contact with her and basically stared her down several times. After we were finished I asked our server for a box, she never returned with one. Finally the manager (?) recognizes that we need a box and picks one up to bring to us, she came over and boxed our pizza and cleared our table without saying a single word. We finally got up to walk to the register to pay because we were tired of waiting for someone to bring us our check, the manager was at the register and again never said a single word except what our total was...$33.00 for a Diet Coke, large pizza and cheese sticks. I know that we aren't entitled to anything free but they could have at least comped the cheese sticks to try to appease us or even just apologized. Next time we'll spend an extra couple bucks and to go Mellow Mushroom.
(1)
Tony T.
I have been to this restaurant a few times. There is great wine and Italian food. The pizza is not typical American. It is more like the pizza's I had while living in Italy. If you want to try something different that is really good you should definitely give this place a go.
(4)
Rick R.
This is a family run restaurant on 17 in a strip mall right before the bridge towered Fleming Island. Ambience is nice with adequate lighting. The Italian food including Spaghetti, Pasta and Brick oven pizza are excellent. The waitstaff are friendly, helpful and attentive. There is a lunch buffet that serves salad, pizza, pasta and a meat dish. Selection is limited and the attention to keeping the food coming is slow by buffet standards. The owner doesn't talk. He wears a white T-shirt and doesn't smile. Not too personable. That's ok since he doesn't interact with you. I do find it odd how an owner whose livelihood depends upon repeat customers and consumer loyalty acts in that way. There are a variety of pizza pies and the quality has been variable (burnt crust to just right). It's a decent place if you want to eat something other than the standard delivery pizza. There are better places to go, in my opinion, for the purposes of a more friendly atmosphere and consistency of service. However, try them out for yourself. They seem to be a favorite of many friends. To me, Meh!
(2)
David C.
Great pizza, who knew Dominicans could make a wicked awesome pie? Not me! But it's pretty delicious. They have lunch specials that are great values for the food you get. Check it out.
(4)
Jamie F.
Great pizza! No way I can ever order anywhere else after having one of theirs!
(4)
John L.
My last visit was Friday night, the WORST service ever. I like the food but the owner and the clueless teenager at the cash register have to go. I waited 50 minutes past when my pick up order was said to be ready and then it was the wrong pizza. There wasn't a happy customer in the place. Everyone had mistakes on their bill and the orders were all mixed up. This place is going down hill rapidly.
(1)
Greg D.
Good pizza. Much better than the "usual" fare. The veggies seem fresh cut and the coal oven char gives the crust good taste. The only holdback from a perfect "5" is the thickness of the crust (too thick for the nice, crunchy finish a coal pie should have), and the prosciutto, which is also thick.
(4)
Gail J.
Food is always very good, but the service seems to get worse each time we go. Ordered two large pizzas and two large salads. It took forever. Three different servers came to our table with excuses about why it was taking so long. We asked about the salads and were told they'd be out soon. Next, we were told that it might be awhile on the pizzas because they had a lot orders at one time. Then as we asked if they could bring the salads, they brought one pizza and said it would be a few minutes on the other one. Within a minute, the other pizza was brought to the table. It took close to an hour to be served.
(3)
Hollie M.
Salad was very fresh with zesty house dressing. Had the "healthy" veggie calzone with ham, which was very good. Very flavorful ingredients. Tea was freshly brewed. Service was good and employees were friendly and attentive. Atmosphere is more family dining than date worthy.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Pizza is a famous Italian dish savored around the world. The entire credit for the popularity of Pizza in the United States goes to the chain of pizzerias all over the country. While the base and the texture of Pizza remains same across the globe, it's the toppings that differs from country to country. In the United States, you will find the top pizzerias serving pizzas with the toppings of mainly beef, bacon, chicken, ham, and sausage for the non-vegetarians. Other than these famous meat options, Pizzas with veg toppings such as mushrooms, pepperonis, garlic, tomatoes, spinach, etc. are also famous in most restaurants in the United States.
Irrespective of your locality, you will find a variety of different restaurants in your cities offering pizzas of all different types. Pizza is hot favorite among people of all ages in the United States. A large size pizza is enough to feed a family of 3 or 4 at large. Pizza is also the most preferred food whenever a group of friends is hanging out together. Pizza gained popularity in the United States after the American soldiers stationed in Italy returned from World War II.
Over the years, different pizzerias in the United States have developed their own respective regional variations. Pizza gained popularity as the iconic dish in the United States in the second half of the 20th century. Whether you prefer thin or thick crust pizza, you can find a pizza of your preference at the best pizza restaurants in your city.
Italian Cuisine
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
John V.
Pompeii is like a good looking woman with a sorry attitude in ways. The pizza by far is the best in town that's a fact, HOWEVER the service by the OWNER is TERRIBLE (see my tip). Walking in the place is very nice, very pleasant to the sight and nose, but here we go!! Calling in: The restaurant has a guy on the road constantly dancing with a sign to increase business, knowing this I would expect even better service...that's not the case. If you call in for take out here's the process. The owner has it set up that if the person that greets you at the door isn't the person who just happened to answer the phone when you called in, well...your S.O.L and you have to wait around until that person (whoever it may be, and God help you if it's the owner you spoke to) is ready and available to take your money EVEN if your food is ready, waiting, sitting on the bar top and getting cold (personally when I eat cold food that should be hot it's a major turn off). So yesterday 4/11, I go in there, knowing of this service we order 2 pies. Typical sorry service and you guessed it!!! The person that took the call wasn't the one who greeted me and it was put in the owners name. She was motioned at to come and check me out...she looked up, nodded her head, saw me waiting with money ready to pay & WALKED TO THE BACK. I said something to the line of.."yep here we go, same typical sorry ass service!!". A waitress had to go to the back to fetch her! As I state in my tip get ready to be treated like a dirty, stray dog (see my picture I added) if you call in and the person who takes your order over the phone doesn't happen to greet you when you arrive. What a sorry ass way to run a customer loyalty driven, perishable inventory based business!!! Needless to say with a carryout experience as this I would much rather deal with a Pizza Hut than this kind of service/treatment. It's almost as if the owner knows (like a good looking woman with a sorry attitude) she has the best pizza in town, however since she knows this, well...I guess I need to wait around on her! As far as dining in. See Caron S's review on 12/31/12, I couldn't agree more! I love the pizza...hate, ABSOLUTELY HATE THE SERVICE of the OWNER!!!! It takes allot for me to log on to Yelp and leave a 'review', I'm pretty much a tip kind of guy, but I had to leave this review! This one takes the cake!! Beware
(2)Nora B.
I've been to Pompeii twice now and both times have been a very enjoyable experience. The prices are reasonable, the service has been friendly every time and the pizza is consistently delicious. I would recommend Pompeii to anyone looking for a good pizza joint that isn't chain(:
(5)Brittany E.
Loved the lasagna and yummy focaccia bread! Delicious!
(4)Sara H.
I really wish I could give this place zero stars. I bought several Groupons to give this restaurant a few tries. I will say that the food is pretty good, although sometimes they are a little heavy handed with the seasonings. There have been a few times where the red sauce was way too salty. The wait staff is always really great. They're attentive and polite and generally very friendly. The downfall here is the kitchen staff and the owner. Tonight I used my last coupon and I will never be back to this establishment. I have never waited less than 45 minutes to get a pizza here (eat-in, I've never placed an order to go). My group arrived for a very early dinner and there were only two other tables occupied. Both tables looked miserable and neither had food. After the hostess seated us we waited several minutes until the owner wandered over, stopped in front of our table said hello and then proceeded to just stare at us like were an inconvenience. After several moments of awkward silence she asks if we wanted to order some drinks or something. We all place our order and soon after our server comes to bring the drink orders. I asked which drink mine was since I was the only one who had ordered a different soda from the rest. He apologized and said she (being the owner) hadn't informed him the drinks were different and thought they were all cokes. He was polite enough to wait and see if my drink was correct and offered to get replacements if need be. We promptly placed an order for a large and small pizza and waited for over 40 minutes with nothing happening. However, the take out line was non-stop business. There were always 4-5 pizzas waiting to be picked up and not one person who came in to pick up a pizza had to wait on their order. While we were waiting one of the servers was wiping down a table and the owner appeared from nowhere and motioned for the tip he had in his hand and snatched it away from him. Now, I was a server once and I understand that sometimes tips are pooled and split evenly among all wait staff, however the way she demanded the money and walked away counting it was very unusual. Around the 45 minute mark the small pizza finally came out. Shortly after the owner comes wandering over and trying to be funny said "Oh you didn't buy one of my salads!" As a side note her side salads are almost $6 and the garlic bread appetizer is $7, all of her appetizers are ridiculously over priced. By this point I was beyond annoyed because half of the party did not have food and the other half's was getting cold. I explained to her that no we did not order salad but we did however order a 2nd pizza and it was nearing an hour and we still hadn't seen it. She explained that yeah that's the way it was and the kitchen was very busy. I pointed out that we were the only table in the restaurant (at this point the other two had left) and that not one person in her take out line had to wait. I made the comment that the to go orders certainly seemed to take priority over her dine-in guests. She actually had the nerve to look down her nose at me and tell me that of course those orders came first. So at this point my understanding is that her dining patronage means absolutely nothing to this woman. After another 20 minutes we explain to our server that we no longer want to wait and to please cancel the pizza and give us the bill for what we did get. As he's ringing up our bill the owner shows up with the pizza. We explain to her that after waiting well over an hour there is no way we want that pizza and that she needs to take it off our bill and get the check. She immediately gets an attitude and grabs the server and brings him over to explain that he forgot to put our order in. The poor guy was mortified and at that point I had had enough. I told her that was insane and she was over the line to blame her employee for something that he did not do. I asked her how we had received one of the pizzas if he didn't put the entire order in, and that regardless she had been aware of the missing food for close to half an hour because she and I had talked about it!. She stormed off and as were trying to pay and leave she shows up with the chef at our table! He said it was his fault and he missed part of our order (so when I wouldn't let her blame her server, she got the chef to be the scapegoat). Now, it is entirely possibly that the chef really did over look part of our order. However, the excuses she made and her arrogance in blaming her employees is beyond excuse when she was PERSONALLY made aware of the situation. The chef keeps yelling at me to let him explain and after telling him five times his reasons didn't matter and that we were done the owner starts muttering under her breath in Spanish. They refused to tell us what she said and the chef made her leave . This owner is obscenely arrogant and condescending, finds it acceptable to yell at customers and does not understand customer service. Avoid at all costs
(1)Morgan M.
I gotta say, we came here tonight after reading the reviews about how great the food is.. And yes it's VERY good pizza. However, the service sucks! We were greeted and seated as soon as we entered. After about 10 minutes of just sitting there our waitress finally came to our table (mind you we were the only people in the restaurant). Our waitress ended up being, who I only assume, was the owner. She was extremely unfriendly. She never introduced herself or asked any questions, she just stood there. We told her our order and she just nodded her head and walked away. Our food came out shortly after. We got the large meat lovers. It was very tasty. A little greasy, but very good. Unfortunately I'd have to say we will not be returning here. Even though the food was yummy, the service was a huge turn off. It's pretty sad when you get better service from Pizza Hut! Oh well, we gave it a try.
(2)Delisa K.
We had decided that we were doomed to crappy greasy 5 buck pizzas until we found this place by accident. The pizza tastes fresh and the coal fired wings smothered in onion are fantastic. The service is hit or miss, I saw people review the owner as rude but I have just found him to be on the shy side. They do offer delivery which we have found to be a great option.
(4)Jim H.
3 visits and 3 good experiences.
(5)Lindsay D.
2 hours for cheese pizza. Rude rude rude owner. Raised his voice at us when we spoke to him. Give your hard earn money to another business who appreciates it. Will never come here again.
(1)Katie E.
Pizza was delicious service on point. Great place because I don't have to buy a whole dang pizza to be able to eat some ! Awesome deals two slices and a drink under 5$ the pizza is exactly how I love it. If you want a quick family date business bite whatever it may be I'd say come here for some good priced pizza among other things ! Don't listen to the negative nellies this place is good and Very picky about my pizza!!!!
(5)Ahmad H.
I'm a pizza lover. I can't go a month without having pizza. This place has awesome pizza, in many different types. My favorite is the tomato and basil one, I suggest you start with that when you come here. The staff is friendly, the place is clean, plenty of parking outside, and they deliver! Best pizza in town hands down.
(5)Josh W.
eehhh.
(3)Cody Y.
Freshest pizza we've ever had. We ordered the calamari and a half cheese / half fresh mozzerella / tomato basil pizza, all was good. Excellent thin, crisp and flavorful crust. Food is made fresh not frozen. No issues with service, waiter was friendly, explained the menu offerings and even boxed the leftovers for us. Good atmosphere as well. Will definitely go back. Edit: We did not apparently meet the owner during our visit which there have been many complaints about. We would like to go back and will update accordingly.
(4)Sarah P.
Pompeii's is a small, well atmosphered restaurant with good food to offer. I've seen them advertising for lunch specials and decided to try them for dinner. While at fist our waiter seemed a little stand offish about which pizzas we might enjoy the most, after awhile he really opened up and by the end of the evening he had many recommendations for our next visit. Since then, we've tried several pizzas, one of which was fantastic and the other two which were pretty delicious. I wish I could remember which ones they were, but the menu is not being accessable online. Appetizers are good as well. Pompeii's is a restaurant that we will continue to visit when good pizza is the calling. I look forward to trying more items on the menu and experiencing this restaurant's vibe again.
(4)Robert N.
Robert N Here in Jacksonville Florida setting up a new company repair site and everywhere I go I search out any pizza joints that cook with coal ovens. Been doing this now for a few years but I am NOT a affecianado or whatever the word is. I am also from the Los Angeles area so it explains my not being able to experience much beyond the Dominos and Pizza Hut joints. But coal adds something that I cannot explain, just makes me melt away in the taste. In California they do NOT allow coal to be burned best I can tell. Nanny state it is. So I drove about 15 miles out of my way here to Pompeii's for a pizza. The reviews for their pizza's were good but reviews for their service were bad. Well I am here to say as of last night those reviews were only half right. The pizza for my non foodie taste buds were to die for. That was all i would have hoped for since it was all about the pizza, but the service for me AND watching what it was like for others was excellent. Not sure if there were any management or personnel changes but the service was NOT what others have said combine that with the GREAT pizza. Hey what else do you need. Of coarse it costs more then a pizza from Dominos, but it was not enuff to deter me from going back, I will be going Friday if I can. Glad I decided on this store on Park though, mentioned to the server and he said the other is closed down now. So I would recommend Pompeii for anyone, non foodies might appreciate it more then the "pros" though.
(5)Jason T.
Very good pizza! Friendly service. The only problem I had was the pizza was just a little bit under cooked for being coal fire. Will deff return.
(4)John M.
Jacksonville continues to surprise me. This pizza was as good or better than some NYC pizza's I have had. This will be a regular stop for me whenever I am in Jacksonville. This pizza was cooked perfectly unlike many other brick oven pizza places that burn the pizza beyond recognition.
(5)Caron S.
Wow. We finally dined in and had a horrific (and overpriced) experience. We will never return. We ordered the coal fire wings to start, which come with one side of sauce. We chose ranch then ordered a large tomato, fresh mozzarella and basil pizza, half a Greek salad ($1.99 extra for feta - in a Greek salad?), a water, Diet Coke and Duke's brown nose ale. Our waitress came by twice without the beer. When it arrived it tasted old and had a few inches of foam. Later we'd find out it was $7.95. One locally brewed beer, at a pizza restaurant. After my salad came, I ate it. Earlier I had asked what dressing comes on it and she said "It's just like Olive Garden's." Okay. It arrives and is nothing like Olive Gardens but it is good. No wings. About 20 minutes later still no wings. Finally the wings arrive but our waitress informs us they are out of ranch. We don't care for blue cheese so ask for a side of marinara, which she brings. She stops by twice to let us know she won't charge us the .75 cents for the sauce since they don't have it (this should be a given). Then our pizza comes. The crust is a soggy mess. The toppings won't stay on to the point that it's not even able to be picked up and eaten. We chalk it up as a loss. The bill arrives: one pizza, wings, one diet soda, one half salad and one 16 ounce beer - $51! And the best part - a .75 charge for "extra side of ranch." I pointed this out and she said that was for the marinara. We said that we had subbed the marinara for the ranch since they were out of it. "Well I don't know how to remove that..." she said. I asked her to ask someone else. She did and it was removed. We eat out several times a week and this was one of the worst experiences (food and service) we've had this year. Maybe an exceptionally off night but we won't return to find out what a good night would be.
(1)Kristen M.
Decent food, if and when they get your order right. Okay prices. Consistently lousy service. Ugly cluttery decor. So wish it was better!
(2)Danny G.
Hands down best pizza in Jax. Not that I've been to other pizza places, as I'm new here, but this place has AMAZING pizza. I lived in NYC for years, and this is the closest I can get to Patsy's or Vezzo's in NYC. Great pizza. Simple, fresh ingredients, double filtered water and a 900 degree coal fired oven. Likewise, their house salad is just simple and refreshing. Not that I love Peroni, but it's great with real italian style pizza and it's on tap. Somebody said something about the thickness of the crust: they have a thick crust special, but most of their pizzas are pretty thin-crusted and are appropriate for the style. I've heard their chicken wings are also out of control, I have yet to try them...maybe tomorrow...RUN don't walk to this place and get yourself some real pizza not that Papa John's BS. I've also had the pizza in Italy when I lived there and this is closer to it than most pizza in the US. Only downside: I don't care for the look inside the restaurant, but who cares? You didn't go there for fine dining folks, you went for amazing pizza. Sitting outside is nice.
(5)brooke n.
We will never return. The food was average to good but the service left much to be desired. It started out great, our server was friendly and attentive, took our order quickly and made sure we were never without a full drink. But it didn't take long to spiral downward. About 10 minutes after we had given our order to the server she comes back over and wants to confirm what we ordered because she had to put it in the computer. We figured it was already in the process of being made but then she came back and said, "Ok, I just put that in and I your cheese sticks should be up any minute so you can have something to munch on while your pizza is cooking." We had asked for the cheese sticks to be an appetizer in the first place. Then 20 minutes later she comes back and tells us that our cheese sticks will be another 4-5 minutes. I have made fried cheese sticks, I know how long it takes for grease to heat up and for frozen cheese sticks to fry and it isn't 25-30 minutes. Still no word on our pizza. We were a party of 3 and arrived just before another party of 3, we were seated within 30 seconds of each other. We placed our order before them but they were asking for boxes to take home before we had even received our appetizer. Eventually we did get our 6 cheese sticks($7.95) and pizza and it was good but the damage was already done. The whole time there is a woman who I assume was the manager walking around the restaurant talking to people at other tables but she wouldn't come near our table, even after I made eye contact with her and basically stared her down several times. After we were finished I asked our server for a box, she never returned with one. Finally the manager (?) recognizes that we need a box and picks one up to bring to us, she came over and boxed our pizza and cleared our table without saying a single word. We finally got up to walk to the register to pay because we were tired of waiting for someone to bring us our check, the manager was at the register and again never said a single word except what our total was...$33.00 for a Diet Coke, large pizza and cheese sticks. I know that we aren't entitled to anything free but they could have at least comped the cheese sticks to try to appease us or even just apologized. Next time we'll spend an extra couple bucks and to go Mellow Mushroom.
(1)Tony T.
I have been to this restaurant a few times. There is great wine and Italian food. The pizza is not typical American. It is more like the pizza's I had while living in Italy. If you want to try something different that is really good you should definitely give this place a go.
(4)Rick R.
This is a family run restaurant on 17 in a strip mall right before the bridge towered Fleming Island. Ambience is nice with adequate lighting. The Italian food including Spaghetti, Pasta and Brick oven pizza are excellent. The waitstaff are friendly, helpful and attentive. There is a lunch buffet that serves salad, pizza, pasta and a meat dish. Selection is limited and the attention to keeping the food coming is slow by buffet standards. The owner doesn't talk. He wears a white T-shirt and doesn't smile. Not too personable. That's ok since he doesn't interact with you. I do find it odd how an owner whose livelihood depends upon repeat customers and consumer loyalty acts in that way. There are a variety of pizza pies and the quality has been variable (burnt crust to just right). It's a decent place if you want to eat something other than the standard delivery pizza. There are better places to go, in my opinion, for the purposes of a more friendly atmosphere and consistency of service. However, try them out for yourself. They seem to be a favorite of many friends. To me, Meh!
(2)David C.
Great pizza, who knew Dominicans could make a wicked awesome pie? Not me! But it's pretty delicious. They have lunch specials that are great values for the food you get. Check it out.
(4)Jamie F.
Great pizza! No way I can ever order anywhere else after having one of theirs!
(4)John L.
My last visit was Friday night, the WORST service ever. I like the food but the owner and the clueless teenager at the cash register have to go. I waited 50 minutes past when my pick up order was said to be ready and then it was the wrong pizza. There wasn't a happy customer in the place. Everyone had mistakes on their bill and the orders were all mixed up. This place is going down hill rapidly.
(1)Greg D.
Good pizza. Much better than the "usual" fare. The veggies seem fresh cut and the coal oven char gives the crust good taste. The only holdback from a perfect "5" is the thickness of the crust (too thick for the nice, crunchy finish a coal pie should have), and the prosciutto, which is also thick.
(4)Gail J.
Food is always very good, but the service seems to get worse each time we go. Ordered two large pizzas and two large salads. It took forever. Three different servers came to our table with excuses about why it was taking so long. We asked about the salads and were told they'd be out soon. Next, we were told that it might be awhile on the pizzas because they had a lot orders at one time. Then as we asked if they could bring the salads, they brought one pizza and said it would be a few minutes on the other one. Within a minute, the other pizza was brought to the table. It took close to an hour to be served.
(3)Hollie M.
Salad was very fresh with zesty house dressing. Had the "healthy" veggie calzone with ham, which was very good. Very flavorful ingredients. Tea was freshly brewed. Service was good and employees were friendly and attentive. Atmosphere is more family dining than date worthy.
(4)Tina H.
Great pizza, great prices, nice staff. Daily specials make it an economical choice too! It may take a while to get to your pizza as they hand make them all in order, but well worth the wait. Just call ahead so you are not hangry!
(4)ALex W.
Hands down the absolute best thin style pizza I've ever had. They'll actually listen to your requests if you ask for a little more this and a little less that. Friendly staff and welcoming atmosphere but the real star of this gem is the pizza. If you live in orange park than be a friend to yourself and try this place.
(5)Krissie E.
Since coming here from NY, I'm always on the hunt for good pizza and the pizza here was better than expected but the appetizer was blech, the sweet tea was gross (how does that happen?) the place was dirty and the chairs were way too low for the table we sat at so It felt like sitting on the toilet. I don't think its worth a second chance
(2)Chris F.
I discovered this place when it first opened. A gentleman named Ruben was running it. He was charming, good with people. The pizza reminded me of pizza from back home in NY. Needless to say we became regulars..After some time Ruben was no longer around , and his mother was running the restaurant. .She is the polar opposite, devoid of charm and seemingly angry most of the time. The last pizza I purchased had a hole in the middle when I opened the box.
(1)Laura G.
So let's start with the positive first. The service is good. Our waitress was wonderful and is inspiration to us all when it comes to overcoming challenges. She deserves a raise! Now about the food... It really wasn't anything to jump up and down about. The Greek salad was just ok. The pizza was pretty good but definitely not the best we've ever had and left room for imagination. Now about the bruschetta.. It wasn't bruschetta AT ALL. It was absolutely terrible. They should either learn how to make it correctly or remove it from the menu. It was the WRONG type of tomatoes on top of plain pizza bread with mozzarella cheese sprinkled on top. No pine nuts, no basil, no seasoning, no vinaigrette.
(2)Bob R.
Great pizza! I suggest the meatball ricotta pizza and bruschetta. Great people who are very friendly. Average wait time.
(4)Chris G.
I was a very loyal customer, but several bad experiences over several months caused me to find other options. After a long day traveling, I decided to give them one more try. And they failed miserably. Was told it was 45 minute wait for a take out pizza. I showed up after 50 minutes, was greeted by the cook with an attitude who said it was gonna be another 30 minutes. No one could care less or explain why they couldn't at least call me. I'm done for good this time. It is a shame, because they have good pizza if you can overcome the BS.
(1)Chris C.
My mom and I went there on a Tuesday afternoon. She is in a wheelchair and the nice young man manning the pizza oven had the doors open for us before we even hit the curb. Once inside our server, Tabitha greeted us cheerfully and took our order. Hot coffee for my mom, which comes in a huge mug.. a big plus on a cool day. In addition we ordered a pizza with sauteed garlic and a non-menu item of Fettucini with sauteed garlic and olive oil ( it was delicious and should be a menu add in) we also took home a Stromboli for my other half who was under the weather that day. Everything was great including their excellent house salad and warm Focaccia bread that came with the pasta. The Stromboli was large with probably a half pound of high quality cheeses stuffed inside and a nice marina sauce on the side. I've already said enought about Pompeiis's wonderful pizza in a previous review. Upon leaving, Tabitha our cheerful and excellent server also gave us the royal treatment by holding the doors open on our way out. Whatever former issues Pompeii may have had with their staff appears to have been fully smoothed out. For your holiday gatherings or a fun birthday ( hint hint to my family!) they also have a large room off to the side with its own full bar.
(5)Mandi R.
I can't say enough good things about Pompeii. The food always tastes fresh, and the staff is friendly and welcoming. When our kids are with us, the owner is very nice to them, and you would think they are her grandchildren by how she fawns over them. I highly recommend their alfredo, the sauce is creamy, but not super heavy. Our most recent visit was for Valentine's Day, and my hubby and I had the special; I had chicken alfredo, and he had chicken parm. Both tasted fantastic. We can't wait to go back again!
(5)Kim M.
Poor customer service. The guy on the phone had zero phone etiquettes. He told me to call back bc the liquor person was in the store. Ordered a blue cheese burger w/ crispy fries. He said they can't do crispy fries bc it's going to go stale when they close the box anyways. Then I was told its Gorgonzola cheese but I wouldn't know the difference, one is just aged more than the other. In fact he mentioned that they don't even carry blue cheese. I paid $11 for a burger w/ fries and couldn't have it the way I wanted. I would never recommend this restaurant to anyone.
(1)Travis K.
Food & service are always phenomenal. Their all meat pizza & stromboli are the best around.
(5)Maris R.
This place is a great locally owned and operated spot in the heart of Orange Park, FL. With national chain restaurants everywhere its refreshing to have this spot to fall back on. The owners are pleasant and you can often catch them in the restaurant daily, where they say hello! The pizza is cooked in a coal fired oven right in the restaurant and you can see the chef cooking right while sitting in the restaurant. Coal fired oven pizza is crispy and in my opinion better than the 'brick oven" style. Crispy on the bottom and crust, and cooked to perfection! They also have daily homemade specials which are very well priced, and delicious. Definitely a spot to check out wit family and friends and they also have full bar with nice wine selection as well. We will definitely continue to visit here!
(5)Kim M.
Poor customer service. The guy on the phone had zero phone etiquettes. He told me to call back bc the liquor person was in the store. Ordered a blue cheese burger w/ crispy fries. He said they can't do crispy fries bc it's going to go stale when they close the box anyways. Then I was told its Gorgonzola cheese but I wouldn't know the difference, one is just aged more than the other. In fact he mentioned that they don't even carry blue cheese. I paid $11 for a burger w/ fries and couldn't have it the way I wanted. I would never recommend this restaurant to anyone.
(1)Travis K.
Food & service are always phenomenal. Their all meat pizza & stromboli are the best around.
(5)Chris C.
My mom and I went there on a Tuesday afternoon. She is in a wheelchair and the nice young man manning the pizza oven had the doors open for us before we even hit the curb. Once inside our server, Tabitha greeted us cheerfully and took our order. Hot coffee for my mom, which comes in a huge mug.. a big plus on a cool day. In addition we ordered a pizza with sauteed garlic and a non-menu item of Fettucini with sauteed garlic and olive oil ( it was delicious and should be a menu add in) we also took home a Stromboli for my other half who was under the weather that day. Everything was great including their excellent house salad and warm Focaccia bread that came with the pasta. The Stromboli was large with probably a half pound of high quality cheeses stuffed inside and a nice marina sauce on the side. I've already said enought about Pompeiis's wonderful pizza in a previous review. Upon leaving, Tabitha our cheerful and excellent server also gave us the royal treatment by holding the doors open on our way out. Whatever former issues Pompeii may have had with their staff appears to have been fully smoothed out. For your holiday gatherings or a fun birthday ( hint hint to my family!) they also have a large room off to the side with its own full bar.
(5)Mandi R.
I can't say enough good things about Pompeii. The food always tastes fresh, and the staff is friendly and welcoming. When our kids are with us, the owner is very nice to them, and you would think they are her grandchildren by how she fawns over them. I highly recommend their alfredo, the sauce is creamy, but not super heavy. Our most recent visit was for Valentine's Day, and my hubby and I had the special; I had chicken alfredo, and he had chicken parm. Both tasted fantastic. We can't wait to go back again!
(5)Nora B.
I've been to Pompeii twice now and both times have been a very enjoyable experience. The prices are reasonable, the service has been friendly every time and the pizza is consistently delicious. I would recommend Pompeii to anyone looking for a good pizza joint that isn't chain(:
(5)Brittany E.
Loved the lasagna and yummy focaccia bread! Delicious!
(4)Krissie E.
Since coming here from NY, I'm always on the hunt for good pizza and the pizza here was better than expected but the appetizer was blech, the sweet tea was gross (how does that happen?) the place was dirty and the chairs were way too low for the table we sat at so It felt like sitting on the toilet. I don't think its worth a second chance
(2)Chris F.
I discovered this place when it first opened. A gentleman named Ruben was running it. He was charming, good with people. The pizza reminded me of pizza from back home in NY. Needless to say we became regulars..After some time Ruben was no longer around , and his mother was running the restaurant. .She is the polar opposite, devoid of charm and seemingly angry most of the time. The last pizza I purchased had a hole in the middle when I opened the box.
(1)Tina H.
Great pizza, great prices, nice staff. Daily specials make it an economical choice too! It may take a while to get to your pizza as they hand make them all in order, but well worth the wait. Just call ahead so you are not hangry!
(4)ALex W.
Hands down the absolute best thin style pizza I've ever had. They'll actually listen to your requests if you ask for a little more this and a little less that. Friendly staff and welcoming atmosphere but the real star of this gem is the pizza. If you live in orange park than be a friend to yourself and try this place.
(5)Laura G.
So let's start with the positive first. The service is good. Our waitress was wonderful and is inspiration to us all when it comes to overcoming challenges. She deserves a raise! Now about the food... It really wasn't anything to jump up and down about. The Greek salad was just ok. The pizza was pretty good but definitely not the best we've ever had and left room for imagination. Now about the bruschetta.. It wasn't bruschetta AT ALL. It was absolutely terrible. They should either learn how to make it correctly or remove it from the menu. It was the WRONG type of tomatoes on top of plain pizza bread with mozzarella cheese sprinkled on top. No pine nuts, no basil, no seasoning, no vinaigrette.
(2)Chris G.
I was a very loyal customer, but several bad experiences over several months caused me to find other options. After a long day traveling, I decided to give them one more try. And they failed miserably. Was told it was 45 minute wait for a take out pizza. I showed up after 50 minutes, was greeted by the cook with an attitude who said it was gonna be another 30 minutes. No one could care less or explain why they couldn't at least call me. I'm done for good this time. It is a shame, because they have good pizza if you can overcome the BS.
(1)Maris R.
This place is a great locally owned and operated spot in the heart of Orange Park, FL. With national chain restaurants everywhere its refreshing to have this spot to fall back on. The owners are pleasant and you can often catch them in the restaurant daily, where they say hello! The pizza is cooked in a coal fired oven right in the restaurant and you can see the chef cooking right while sitting in the restaurant. Coal fired oven pizza is crispy and in my opinion better than the 'brick oven" style. Crispy on the bottom and crust, and cooked to perfection! They also have daily homemade specials which are very well priced, and delicious. Definitely a spot to check out wit family and friends and they also have full bar with nice wine selection as well. We will definitely continue to visit here!
(5)Bob R.
Great pizza! I suggest the meatball ricotta pizza and bruschetta. Great people who are very friendly. Average wait time.
(4)John V.
Pompeii is like a good looking woman with a sorry attitude in ways. The pizza by far is the best in town that's a fact, HOWEVER the service by the OWNER is TERRIBLE (see my tip). Walking in the place is very nice, very pleasant to the sight and nose, but here we go!! Calling in: The restaurant has a guy on the road constantly dancing with a sign to increase business, knowing this I would expect even better service...that's not the case. If you call in for take out here's the process. The owner has it set up that if the person that greets you at the door isn't the person who just happened to answer the phone when you called in, well...your S.O.L and you have to wait around until that person (whoever it may be, and God help you if it's the owner you spoke to) is ready and available to take your money EVEN if your food is ready, waiting, sitting on the bar top and getting cold (personally when I eat cold food that should be hot it's a major turn off). So yesterday 4/11, I go in there, knowing of this service we order 2 pies. Typical sorry service and you guessed it!!! The person that took the call wasn't the one who greeted me and it was put in the owners name. She was motioned at to come and check me out...she looked up, nodded her head, saw me waiting with money ready to pay & WALKED TO THE BACK. I said something to the line of.."yep here we go, same typical sorry ass service!!". A waitress had to go to the back to fetch her! As I state in my tip get ready to be treated like a dirty, stray dog (see my picture I added) if you call in and the person who takes your order over the phone doesn't happen to greet you when you arrive. What a sorry ass way to run a customer loyalty driven, perishable inventory based business!!! Needless to say with a carryout experience as this I would much rather deal with a Pizza Hut than this kind of service/treatment. It's almost as if the owner knows (like a good looking woman with a sorry attitude) she has the best pizza in town, however since she knows this, well...I guess I need to wait around on her! As far as dining in. See Caron S's review on 12/31/12, I couldn't agree more! I love the pizza...hate, ABSOLUTELY HATE THE SERVICE of the OWNER!!!! It takes allot for me to log on to Yelp and leave a 'review', I'm pretty much a tip kind of guy, but I had to leave this review! This one takes the cake!! Beware
(2)Morgan M.
I gotta say, we came here tonight after reading the reviews about how great the food is.. And yes it's VERY good pizza. However, the service sucks! We were greeted and seated as soon as we entered. After about 10 minutes of just sitting there our waitress finally came to our table (mind you we were the only people in the restaurant). Our waitress ended up being, who I only assume, was the owner. She was extremely unfriendly. She never introduced herself or asked any questions, she just stood there. We told her our order and she just nodded her head and walked away. Our food came out shortly after. We got the large meat lovers. It was very tasty. A little greasy, but very good. Unfortunately I'd have to say we will not be returning here. Even though the food was yummy, the service was a huge turn off. It's pretty sad when you get better service from Pizza Hut! Oh well, we gave it a try.
(2)Delisa K.
We had decided that we were doomed to crappy greasy 5 buck pizzas until we found this place by accident. The pizza tastes fresh and the coal fired wings smothered in onion are fantastic. The service is hit or miss, I saw people review the owner as rude but I have just found him to be on the shy side. They do offer delivery which we have found to be a great option.
(4)Jim H.
3 visits and 3 good experiences.
(5)Sara H.
I really wish I could give this place zero stars. I bought several Groupons to give this restaurant a few tries. I will say that the food is pretty good, although sometimes they are a little heavy handed with the seasonings. There have been a few times where the red sauce was way too salty. The wait staff is always really great. They're attentive and polite and generally very friendly. The downfall here is the kitchen staff and the owner. Tonight I used my last coupon and I will never be back to this establishment. I have never waited less than 45 minutes to get a pizza here (eat-in, I've never placed an order to go). My group arrived for a very early dinner and there were only two other tables occupied. Both tables looked miserable and neither had food. After the hostess seated us we waited several minutes until the owner wandered over, stopped in front of our table said hello and then proceeded to just stare at us like were an inconvenience. After several moments of awkward silence she asks if we wanted to order some drinks or something. We all place our order and soon after our server comes to bring the drink orders. I asked which drink mine was since I was the only one who had ordered a different soda from the rest. He apologized and said she (being the owner) hadn't informed him the drinks were different and thought they were all cokes. He was polite enough to wait and see if my drink was correct and offered to get replacements if need be. We promptly placed an order for a large and small pizza and waited for over 40 minutes with nothing happening. However, the take out line was non-stop business. There were always 4-5 pizzas waiting to be picked up and not one person who came in to pick up a pizza had to wait on their order. While we were waiting one of the servers was wiping down a table and the owner appeared from nowhere and motioned for the tip he had in his hand and snatched it away from him. Now, I was a server once and I understand that sometimes tips are pooled and split evenly among all wait staff, however the way she demanded the money and walked away counting it was very unusual. Around the 45 minute mark the small pizza finally came out. Shortly after the owner comes wandering over and trying to be funny said "Oh you didn't buy one of my salads!" As a side note her side salads are almost $6 and the garlic bread appetizer is $7, all of her appetizers are ridiculously over priced. By this point I was beyond annoyed because half of the party did not have food and the other half's was getting cold. I explained to her that no we did not order salad but we did however order a 2nd pizza and it was nearing an hour and we still hadn't seen it. She explained that yeah that's the way it was and the kitchen was very busy. I pointed out that we were the only table in the restaurant (at this point the other two had left) and that not one person in her take out line had to wait. I made the comment that the to go orders certainly seemed to take priority over her dine-in guests. She actually had the nerve to look down her nose at me and tell me that of course those orders came first. So at this point my understanding is that her dining patronage means absolutely nothing to this woman. After another 20 minutes we explain to our server that we no longer want to wait and to please cancel the pizza and give us the bill for what we did get. As he's ringing up our bill the owner shows up with the pizza. We explain to her that after waiting well over an hour there is no way we want that pizza and that she needs to take it off our bill and get the check. She immediately gets an attitude and grabs the server and brings him over to explain that he forgot to put our order in. The poor guy was mortified and at that point I had had enough. I told her that was insane and she was over the line to blame her employee for something that he did not do. I asked her how we had received one of the pizzas if he didn't put the entire order in, and that regardless she had been aware of the missing food for close to half an hour because she and I had talked about it!. She stormed off and as were trying to pay and leave she shows up with the chef at our table! He said it was his fault and he missed part of our order (so when I wouldn't let her blame her server, she got the chef to be the scapegoat). Now, it is entirely possibly that the chef really did over look part of our order. However, the excuses she made and her arrogance in blaming her employees is beyond excuse when she was PERSONALLY made aware of the situation. The chef keeps yelling at me to let him explain and after telling him five times his reasons didn't matter and that we were done the owner starts muttering under her breath in Spanish. They refused to tell us what she said and the chef made her leave . This owner is obscenely arrogant and condescending, finds it acceptable to yell at customers and does not understand customer service. Avoid at all costs
(1)Lindsay D.
2 hours for cheese pizza. Rude rude rude owner. Raised his voice at us when we spoke to him. Give your hard earn money to another business who appreciates it. Will never come here again.
(1)Katie E.
Pizza was delicious service on point. Great place because I don't have to buy a whole dang pizza to be able to eat some ! Awesome deals two slices and a drink under 5$ the pizza is exactly how I love it. If you want a quick family date business bite whatever it may be I'd say come here for some good priced pizza among other things ! Don't listen to the negative nellies this place is good and Very picky about my pizza!!!!
(5)Ahmad H.
I'm a pizza lover. I can't go a month without having pizza. This place has awesome pizza, in many different types. My favorite is the tomato and basil one, I suggest you start with that when you come here. The staff is friendly, the place is clean, plenty of parking outside, and they deliver! Best pizza in town hands down.
(5)Josh W.
eehhh.
(3)Cody Y.
Freshest pizza we've ever had. We ordered the calamari and a half cheese / half fresh mozzerella / tomato basil pizza, all was good. Excellent thin, crisp and flavorful crust. Food is made fresh not frozen. No issues with service, waiter was friendly, explained the menu offerings and even boxed the leftovers for us. Good atmosphere as well. Will definitely go back. Edit: We did not apparently meet the owner during our visit which there have been many complaints about. We would like to go back and will update accordingly.
(4)Sarah P.
Pompeii's is a small, well atmosphered restaurant with good food to offer. I've seen them advertising for lunch specials and decided to try them for dinner. While at fist our waiter seemed a little stand offish about which pizzas we might enjoy the most, after awhile he really opened up and by the end of the evening he had many recommendations for our next visit. Since then, we've tried several pizzas, one of which was fantastic and the other two which were pretty delicious. I wish I could remember which ones they were, but the menu is not being accessable online. Appetizers are good as well. Pompeii's is a restaurant that we will continue to visit when good pizza is the calling. I look forward to trying more items on the menu and experiencing this restaurant's vibe again.
(4)Robert N.
Robert N Here in Jacksonville Florida setting up a new company repair site and everywhere I go I search out any pizza joints that cook with coal ovens. Been doing this now for a few years but I am NOT a affecianado or whatever the word is. I am also from the Los Angeles area so it explains my not being able to experience much beyond the Dominos and Pizza Hut joints. But coal adds something that I cannot explain, just makes me melt away in the taste. In California they do NOT allow coal to be burned best I can tell. Nanny state it is. So I drove about 15 miles out of my way here to Pompeii's for a pizza. The reviews for their pizza's were good but reviews for their service were bad. Well I am here to say as of last night those reviews were only half right. The pizza for my non foodie taste buds were to die for. That was all i would have hoped for since it was all about the pizza, but the service for me AND watching what it was like for others was excellent. Not sure if there were any management or personnel changes but the service was NOT what others have said combine that with the GREAT pizza. Hey what else do you need. Of coarse it costs more then a pizza from Dominos, but it was not enuff to deter me from going back, I will be going Friday if I can. Glad I decided on this store on Park though, mentioned to the server and he said the other is closed down now. So I would recommend Pompeii for anyone, non foodies might appreciate it more then the "pros" though.
(5)Jason T.
Very good pizza! Friendly service. The only problem I had was the pizza was just a little bit under cooked for being coal fire. Will deff return.
(4)John M.
Jacksonville continues to surprise me. This pizza was as good or better than some NYC pizza's I have had. This will be a regular stop for me whenever I am in Jacksonville. This pizza was cooked perfectly unlike many other brick oven pizza places that burn the pizza beyond recognition.
(5)Caron S.
Wow. We finally dined in and had a horrific (and overpriced) experience. We will never return. We ordered the coal fire wings to start, which come with one side of sauce. We chose ranch then ordered a large tomato, fresh mozzarella and basil pizza, half a Greek salad ($1.99 extra for feta - in a Greek salad?), a water, Diet Coke and Duke's brown nose ale. Our waitress came by twice without the beer. When it arrived it tasted old and had a few inches of foam. Later we'd find out it was $7.95. One locally brewed beer, at a pizza restaurant. After my salad came, I ate it. Earlier I had asked what dressing comes on it and she said "It's just like Olive Garden's." Okay. It arrives and is nothing like Olive Gardens but it is good. No wings. About 20 minutes later still no wings. Finally the wings arrive but our waitress informs us they are out of ranch. We don't care for blue cheese so ask for a side of marinara, which she brings. She stops by twice to let us know she won't charge us the .75 cents for the sauce since they don't have it (this should be a given). Then our pizza comes. The crust is a soggy mess. The toppings won't stay on to the point that it's not even able to be picked up and eaten. We chalk it up as a loss. The bill arrives: one pizza, wings, one diet soda, one half salad and one 16 ounce beer - $51! And the best part - a .75 charge for "extra side of ranch." I pointed this out and she said that was for the marinara. We said that we had subbed the marinara for the ranch since they were out of it. "Well I don't know how to remove that..." she said. I asked her to ask someone else. She did and it was removed. We eat out several times a week and this was one of the worst experiences (food and service) we've had this year. Maybe an exceptionally off night but we won't return to find out what a good night would be.
(1)Kristen M.
Decent food, if and when they get your order right. Okay prices. Consistently lousy service. Ugly cluttery decor. So wish it was better!
(2)Danny G.
Hands down best pizza in Jax. Not that I've been to other pizza places, as I'm new here, but this place has AMAZING pizza. I lived in NYC for years, and this is the closest I can get to Patsy's or Vezzo's in NYC. Great pizza. Simple, fresh ingredients, double filtered water and a 900 degree coal fired oven. Likewise, their house salad is just simple and refreshing. Not that I love Peroni, but it's great with real italian style pizza and it's on tap. Somebody said something about the thickness of the crust: they have a thick crust special, but most of their pizzas are pretty thin-crusted and are appropriate for the style. I've heard their chicken wings are also out of control, I have yet to try them...maybe tomorrow...RUN don't walk to this place and get yourself some real pizza not that Papa John's BS. I've also had the pizza in Italy when I lived there and this is closer to it than most pizza in the US. Only downside: I don't care for the look inside the restaurant, but who cares? You didn't go there for fine dining folks, you went for amazing pizza. Sitting outside is nice.
(5)brooke n.
We will never return. The food was average to good but the service left much to be desired. It started out great, our server was friendly and attentive, took our order quickly and made sure we were never without a full drink. But it didn't take long to spiral downward. About 10 minutes after we had given our order to the server she comes back over and wants to confirm what we ordered because she had to put it in the computer. We figured it was already in the process of being made but then she came back and said, "Ok, I just put that in and I your cheese sticks should be up any minute so you can have something to munch on while your pizza is cooking." We had asked for the cheese sticks to be an appetizer in the first place. Then 20 minutes later she comes back and tells us that our cheese sticks will be another 4-5 minutes. I have made fried cheese sticks, I know how long it takes for grease to heat up and for frozen cheese sticks to fry and it isn't 25-30 minutes. Still no word on our pizza. We were a party of 3 and arrived just before another party of 3, we were seated within 30 seconds of each other. We placed our order before them but they were asking for boxes to take home before we had even received our appetizer. Eventually we did get our 6 cheese sticks($7.95) and pizza and it was good but the damage was already done. The whole time there is a woman who I assume was the manager walking around the restaurant talking to people at other tables but she wouldn't come near our table, even after I made eye contact with her and basically stared her down several times. After we were finished I asked our server for a box, she never returned with one. Finally the manager (?) recognizes that we need a box and picks one up to bring to us, she came over and boxed our pizza and cleared our table without saying a single word. We finally got up to walk to the register to pay because we were tired of waiting for someone to bring us our check, the manager was at the register and again never said a single word except what our total was...$33.00 for a Diet Coke, large pizza and cheese sticks. I know that we aren't entitled to anything free but they could have at least comped the cheese sticks to try to appease us or even just apologized. Next time we'll spend an extra couple bucks and to go Mellow Mushroom.
(1)Tony T.
I have been to this restaurant a few times. There is great wine and Italian food. The pizza is not typical American. It is more like the pizza's I had while living in Italy. If you want to try something different that is really good you should definitely give this place a go.
(4)Rick R.
This is a family run restaurant on 17 in a strip mall right before the bridge towered Fleming Island. Ambience is nice with adequate lighting. The Italian food including Spaghetti, Pasta and Brick oven pizza are excellent. The waitstaff are friendly, helpful and attentive. There is a lunch buffet that serves salad, pizza, pasta and a meat dish. Selection is limited and the attention to keeping the food coming is slow by buffet standards. The owner doesn't talk. He wears a white T-shirt and doesn't smile. Not too personable. That's ok since he doesn't interact with you. I do find it odd how an owner whose livelihood depends upon repeat customers and consumer loyalty acts in that way. There are a variety of pizza pies and the quality has been variable (burnt crust to just right). It's a decent place if you want to eat something other than the standard delivery pizza. There are better places to go, in my opinion, for the purposes of a more friendly atmosphere and consistency of service. However, try them out for yourself. They seem to be a favorite of many friends. To me, Meh!
(2)David C.
Great pizza, who knew Dominicans could make a wicked awesome pie? Not me! But it's pretty delicious. They have lunch specials that are great values for the food you get. Check it out.
(4)Jamie F.
Great pizza! No way I can ever order anywhere else after having one of theirs!
(4)John L.
My last visit was Friday night, the WORST service ever. I like the food but the owner and the clueless teenager at the cash register have to go. I waited 50 minutes past when my pick up order was said to be ready and then it was the wrong pizza. There wasn't a happy customer in the place. Everyone had mistakes on their bill and the orders were all mixed up. This place is going down hill rapidly.
(1)Greg D.
Good pizza. Much better than the "usual" fare. The veggies seem fresh cut and the coal oven char gives the crust good taste. The only holdback from a perfect "5" is the thickness of the crust (too thick for the nice, crunchy finish a coal pie should have), and the prosciutto, which is also thick.
(4)Gail J.
Food is always very good, but the service seems to get worse each time we go. Ordered two large pizzas and two large salads. It took forever. Three different servers came to our table with excuses about why it was taking so long. We asked about the salads and were told they'd be out soon. Next, we were told that it might be awhile on the pizzas because they had a lot orders at one time. Then as we asked if they could bring the salads, they brought one pizza and said it would be a few minutes on the other one. Within a minute, the other pizza was brought to the table. It took close to an hour to be served.
(3)Hollie M.
Salad was very fresh with zesty house dressing. Had the "healthy" veggie calzone with ham, which was very good. Very flavorful ingredients. Tea was freshly brewed. Service was good and employees were friendly and attentive. Atmosphere is more family dining than date worthy.
(4)