Pizza and more at Big Pete's

News

Staff Writer

“I love pizza. I eat it everyday, sometimes for breakfast,” said Nathan Siva, co-owner and general manager of Big Pete’s Pizzeria at 118 N. Julia St. near the AT&T Tower.

Siva’s family purchased the restaurant in December 2004 and have since added some exotic variations on the Italian theme to the menu and developed a following of regular customers who come in for the food and the neighborhood atmosphere.

“We keep our prices reasonable because we know everyone is hurting right now,” said Siva. “We feel that if we take care of our customers, they’ll take care of us, and we’re always busy.”

He gave as an example the everyday special. For $2.99, customers get two slices of pizza and a soft drink. Another everyday special is five chicken wings and a slice of pizza with a soft drink for $5.

“We marinate our wings overnight then bake them. The Cajun wings are very popular,” said Siva.

In addition to pizza, there’s also stromboli and calzone, salads, sandwiches and pasta dishes on the menu. Some of the items have an Indian flair, such as the curry chicken pizza. Another hot seller, said Siva, is the “Famous 60/40 sub,” a combination of grilled Italian sausage and meatballs in homemade marinara sauce with mozzarella cheese melted on top.

“It’s for the person who can’t decide between sausage and meatballs. Just get both,” he added.

The pizzeria opens at 11 a.m. Monday-Friday, but the kitchen staff arrives hours earlier to prepare the ingredients and bake bread for the day’s sandwiches. The pizza crust is also prepared in-house.

“The only things we purchase already made are pepperoni and cheese,” said Siva.

The restaurant is open until 9 p.m. and has become a First Wednesday Art Walk stop. Siva said he’s hiring a band to play on the street in front of the pizzeria July 7 and is planning to feature belly dancers for the August Art Walk.

Like many eateries Downtown, Big Pete’s has benefited from business from the construction site for the new County Courthouse. Siva said the restaurant is a regular lunch stop for contractors and tradespeople and he’s selling pizzas just before he closes to night-shift workers. Area residents also have made Big Pete’s a regular destination for dinner during the week.

“Since we’re open later than most places, we have a lot of dinner customers who live at 11 East, The Carling, Metropolitan Lofts and Berkman Plaza,” said Siva. “We love Downtown. It’s a great place to have a business.”

Big Pete’s delivers to homes and offices with a minimum $10 order and the pizzeria also provides catering services. “One time we made 600 pizzas for one group,” said Siva.

Siva also said every once in a while, he’s asked if he ever gets tired of pizza. He tells people who inquire, “When I do, I’ll get in another business.”