This intimate Italian pizzeria inside Margaritaville’s arcade has ‘delightful’ food

If you think Margaritaville Resort is only for kids, then you’ve got it all wrong.

It certainly is a family-friendly resort, but there is fun to be had by people of all ages. Escape is the entertainment complex that includes 450-foot river slide and a lovely pool, with a bar that you can swim up to.

There are several good restaurant options on the top floor, and if you have never been to Doe’s Eat Place, famed for its Delta location, you should give it a try. My favorite is Farruggio’s, a pizza place, located on the main floor.

It has high ceilings and low wall that separates it from the arcade, giving it an open feeling. There is also a long bar, with lots of TVs to watch the game you do not want to miss, and seating far enough apart to feel comfortable.

This is definitely not a low-light, intimate kind of place; there is a lot of energy about it that gives it a bright, fun vibe.

The menu at Farruggio’s is concise, with the favorites you might expect. The appetizer section is only four-strong, but varied enough for almost any appetite.

Look for garlic cheese bread, meatballs, which is one of the bestsellers, spinach dip and a good-looking quesadilla.

My friend, Taylor Gifford, and I tried the trio of meatballs and found them delightful. They were light and delicious, although I do have to admit to adding a good pinch of red pepper flakes, but that is just my palate.

Good meatballs are hard to come by, and are often nothing more than round hamburgers, but these were great. There is also a good selection of sandwiches, that includes an Italian sausage, Italian sub, Philly cheese steak and meatball sub that comes highly recommended.

The heart of Farruggio’s menu is the pizza section. There are eight pizzas to choose from and a build-your-own section too.

The bestselling pizza is always the pepperoni pizza, but we went for the meat lovers, made with mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, ham and a good marinara sauce. The crust was good, thin, with good texture.

The crust is where most pizza places fall down. It’s not supposed to be bread, and it should not be so thick that it dominates the pie. It is the platform by which a good sauce and toppings are delivered.

There is also a super supreme pizza if you like your pie loaded with everything on the menu. This one is topped with mozzarella, marinara sauce, sausage, ham, bacon, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, olives and peppers.

Another favorite is the Margherita pizza, made with the colors of the Italian flag: green from basil, white from mozzarella and red from the tomato sauce. If you do not see anything that appeals to you, build your own!

I enjoyed Farruggio’s and even though I am not an arcade kind of person, it is so easy to park in the garage and zip into the restaurant, I’ll be heading back there soon.

Farruggio’s Pizzeria

Location: Margaritaville Resort

Contact: 228-271-6377 or https://www.margaritavilleresortbiloxi.com/farruggios

Hours: Monday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

This story was originally published April 16, 2021 at 5:50 AM.