James Sears, Staff Writer
Attention pizza lovers: there’s a new contender in town, Marco’s Pizza, which opened its doors in December on Wade Green Road.
Dec. 10 marked the grand opening of Kennesaw’s newest pizza place.
On Dec. 9 at 5 p.m., Marco’s Pizza had a free sampling of its pizza for customers who brought a canned food product. People lined up outside of Marco’s Pizza anxiously waiting to taste Kennesaw’s newest pizza.
“Marco’s Pizza has been around for over 35 years, starting in Ohio, now serving the
Kennesaw and KSU community, serving ‘Ah!thentic’ Italian Pizza, subs, wings, salads, Cheezybread, and Cinnasquares,” said Mark Weingarten, manager of the Marco’s Pizza on Wade Green Road. Marco’s opened its first store in Toledo, Ohio in 1978 and has grown rapidly since then.
The free sampling event had a tent set up outside the store front with Marco’s specialty pizzas, salads and cheezybread laid out buffet style. Various attractions such as music and raffles were also present for attendees.
Marco’s laid out a variety of pizzas for customers to taste. This included specialties such as the Deluxe Uno, Garden, Meat Supremo, Pepperoni Magnif, Chicken Fresco, White Cheezy and more. After trying these varieties, by far my favorite was the Deluxe Uno, which features classic pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, green peppers and onions with an extra dash of cheese.
Along with pizza, Marco’s also makes subs. Last week, I stopped by to try one.
The types of sandwiches include Italiano; Steak & Cheese Bruno; Ham & Cheese Leonardo; Chicken Club Tuscano; Meatball Fabio; Veggie Fresco; Turkey & Ham Maximo; and Turkey Club Bravo. Marco’s offers 12-inch or 6-inch subs on a white Italian roll or wheat roll. I ordered a 6-inch Steak & Cheese Bruno, which contains steak, mushrooms, cheese and mayonnaise, on a white hoagie roll.
The sandwich itself had a well-cooked quality as the steak shreds dominated the flavor.
The mushrooms also provided a sweet aftertaste when it was finished. In addition to the sub, I ordered a small 1-topping pizza with mushrooms (Yes, I love mushrooms).
Marco’s pizza gives the option of three different crusts: the original classic crust, the crispy thin crust and a thick crust. I ordered the original crust, which has a golden brown texture. Biting into the crust gave the impression that it was freshly baked in an oven from home. The mushrooms on the pizza were super smooth, flavorful and looked to be sautéed beforehand, unlike most other pizza places.
What I enjoyed most about the food was that I could taste the flavor that came from the oven, much like a burger from off the grill has a different taste from a burger that was cooked in a frying pan. Marco’s bakes tasty pizza that has an old-world quality that makes the taste buds dance.
Besides the food, Marco’s has a lovely interior. It’s a small place with few seats, but the inside packs plenty of character. When the customer walks in they are greeted with an attractive mural that depicts Italian architecture. Brick walls also make up part of the interior to give the impression of an Italian pizza kitchen.
One excellent perk is that Kennesaw State University students who present their IDs get 10 percent off regular menu prices. KSU faculty and alumni get 15 percent off regular menu prices with their orders. Weingarten said that the store is working with off-campus housing and also support the KSU Athletic Department.
With this in mind, Marco’s proves to be a viable option for KSU students, so if one has a craving for pizza, I would definitely recommend giving Marco’s a call.
