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Isabella's Pizzeria

Greater Baton Rouge Area

Written by Lynn McMorris

Baton Rouge, LA

Just so you know, we read our forums, too. And we couldn’t help but notice the comments regarding the opening of Isabella’s Pizza. The original restaurant is a local favorite in Covington, Louisiana. The new restaurant, located on George O’Neal Road, brings the same great recipes to the Baton Rouge area. Open now for just two months, Isabella’s Pizzeria offers Gourmet Pizza at a family friendly price.

We stopped in for a casual dinner and met the owners, Sinan and Simla Ozsegin. They explained the secret of their success as, “always fresh, all the time”. They bake their own bread and nothing is frozen. On their recommendation, we tried the Chicken Caesar Sandwich and the Spinach, Artichoke & Shrimp Dip.

The Sandwich arrived warm and golden brown. A peak inside revealed an ample helping of grilled white meat chicken above a layer of melted mozzarella cheese and topped with crisp romaine lettuce and Caesar dressing. One bite later and I was hooked. The bread was outstanding. It could have stood alone as an enjoyable experience. The chicken was lightly seasoned and tender. Half the sandwich was enough for a meal, not that we had the restraint to stop.

The Spinach, Artichoke & Shrimp Dip was accompanied by flat bread, also freshly baked. The dip was warm and cheesy and, again, obviously fresh. The shrimp were a nice addition to the Spinach and Artichoke dip done by so many restaurants. It was very good.

A later visit allowed us to sample their pizza. The “Four Season” Pizza allows you the luxury of tasting four different gourmet pies, enough to satisfy the family that can never agree or the diner like myself who hates to choose just one. Problem solved, you can just have it all. The crust was thin with a little crisp to it. The toppings were flavorful. The sauce well seasoned.

Isabella’s also offers a variety of pasta’s, calzones, wraps and salads. We’ll be trying those in the future. We’ve become repeat customers already.