Whenever we receive a recommendation from someone praising an attraction, park, or restaurant, there’s a high chance we’re going to check it out. When that recommendation comes from a local, then it’s pretty much a guarantee that we’ll check that place out if time allows. So after descending into the miniature rainforest and walking the trail that circles the massive sinkhole of Devil’s Millhopper Geological Park in Gainesville, Florida, we started chatting with some locals who saw us filming and they told us if we were filming in the area then we had to go to Satchel’s Pizza.
Being that we live in Jacksonville, an easy day trip from Gainesville, I had heard of Satchel’s Pizza before and I had even seen pictures and videos too. I knew they had bizarre, kooky, and even tacky decor all over the restaurant as well as unique seating areas. However, I had never heard anyone rave about the pizza or even talk about the food and that made me question if the restaurant was more about expressing a fun, unique, and wacky environment and less about serving amazing food and delicious pizza. But what did my elementary grade teacher always tell me about judging a book by its cover? The same goes with a pizzeria, never judge the pizza by their bizarre and unconventional decor is the lesson I learned that day.
With the recommendation from the locals we met at Devil’s Millhopper Geological Park, we made plans to drive back to Gainesville the following week to try Satchel’s Pizza. Satchel’s Pizza serves pizza, of course, along with homemade sodas, salads, calzones, and desserts.
Although I had my doubts about Satchel’s, I came with an open mind and decided to try a sampling of all that makes Satchel’s unique from other pizzerias. First, I ordered a flight of sodas. The menu states 6 yet our flight came with a total of 7 different sodas. The individual sodas were a decent size so at $6, I felt the flight was a great value.
My kids were each able to enjoy two sodas and there were still leftovers for London and I to try. The flight came with a cola, a zero-calorie cola, a lemon-lime soda, lemonade, ginger ale, root beer, and a grape soda at the end of our tasting board. We enjoyed all of the sodas except for the zero-calorie soda. With the exception of the zero-calorie soda, they all had great flavor but not a lot of carbonation or fizz.
For dinner, we decided to order the satch-pan pizza- a thick pizza with caramelized edges, three toppings, and a buttery crust. The menu states the satch-pan pizza isn’t always available but during our visit, we were able to order it. As we waited for our pizza to be prepared, we decided to explore the decor and various seating areas of Satchel’s.
While walking around Satchel’s, we noticed that nearly every surface of the restaurant was covered in some type of decor and I use the word decor very, very loosely. The items that were posted on the walls and grounds of the restaurant are not your typical decorations found in the home aisle of your local department store. There are bicycles, plates, trophies, counting blocks, kazoos, race cars, and that’s just a sampling of the variety of items that can be found on the property of Satchel’s.
The traditional indoor seating area of Satchel’s Pizza is relatively small and they add to the dining area with unique, alternative seating areas. The alternative seating areas are so different at Satchel’s, there’s a good chance you wouldn’t even want to eat in the actual restaurant portion. Why eat at a table with chairs when you can dine inside of a van, in a greenhouse, or below an airplane? The wait time flew by as we explored all of the eccentricities of Satchel’s Pizza. Before we knew it, our satch-pan pizza was ready.
Upon first glance of the pizza, my assumptions about Satchel’s began to change. The presentation of the pizza was outstanding. The toppings were plentiful and instead of the 3 toppings that came with the pizza, we actually had the opportunity to try 4 since our helpful server advised us we could have half sausage and half ham along with the full toppings of bacon and pepperoni. Furthermore, the crust was thick and golden and it looked both cheesy and tasty! After just a bite or two, all of the positives that we first observed were confirmed. The toppings were hearty, the crust was buttery and satisfying, the pizza was cheesy, and it tasted great!
The satch-pan pizza is recommended for a family of four but this foursome failed to eat all of the thick and filling pizza regardless of how badly we wanted to keep savoring this delicious pie. We requested a carryout box for our leftovers from another friendly and attentive employee and with our box came a view master which contained pictures of the available homemade desserts along with a dessert menu that included prices. My original intention was to order all that made Satchel’s Pizza unique and I was already highly impressed with the pizza, so ordering a dessert from the view master was a must!
My daughter chose the chocolate cake. The cake wasn’t as moist as I would have preferred but the cream cheese frosting was sweet and creamy enough to more than make up for the cake. The frosting was definitely the highlight of the cake for all of us.
After devouring the cake and gathering our carryout box half full of thick, savory pizza, we walked over to the bar. This is actually a multipurpose space. In addition to the bar, this is also where a patron can pick up carryout orders, come for live music, and purchase a souvenir or even a toy. A red ViewMaster for sale immediately caught my attention. Now that would serve as a toy and and an awesome souvenir of our visit to Satchel’s Pizza!
If you’re near Gainesville or passing through the Gainesville area, and it’s not a Sunday or Monday (the days that they are closed), head to Satchel’s Pizza. Not for the crazy, colorful decor and not for the cool, one-of-a-kind eating spaces, come for the pizza! In my opinion, all of the decor, the airplane, the van, and the greenhouse are just sides to the main draw, the pizza!
To see more of Satchel’s Pizza and watch our full experience there along with other fun things to do in Gainesville, check out our video here