Guido's Pizza on U.S. 412 in Tontitown has gone through several changes since opening in 1994. When U.S. 412 was widened from a two-lane to a four-lane highway, the building was expanded during the rebuild farther from the road.
As an incidental celebration of 20 years in business, Guido's renovated that expansion to nearly double its seating capacity.
LOCATION: 363 W. Henri De Tonti Blvd., Springdale (U.S. 412 Tontitown)
PHONE: (479) 361-9101
LOCATION: 4275 S. Thompson St., Springdale (U.S. 71B/Shady Grove Road)
PHONE: (479) 750-7775
NICE TO KNOW: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon- Thur, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri & Sat, Closed Sun. NWA’s famous pizza place since 1994. Where quality always comes first for pizza, pasta, subs and salads. Dine-in or carry-out.
The Other Side offers a contemporary, bar setting. The new dining area has a stained concrete floor, ceramic tile that looks like birch wood, Razorback red painted walls and black matte trim.
Cafe-style tables and high tops offer table seating. A bar extends across the back of the room, and a side door opens to a covered deck.
"People were asking [during renovations] when is the 'other side' going to be open," owner Mark Zulpo said. "That's where the name came from."
In addition to casual seating, there are two pool tables, a Golden Tee electronic golf game and TouchTunes Jukebox. Sporting events are broadcast on nine large, flat-screen televisions around the room.
The traditional Guido's menu is offered, and more selections of beer and wine were added during the expansion kick-off, along with a frozen drink machine with wine-based margarita and sangria.
Happy hour is served 3-7 p.m. daily and supplies discounts on all domestic beer. Value is offered all-day, however.
In a time where quantity and quality are often mutually exclusive, it is a welcome surprise to visit a restaurant that serves generous portions of a quality product. Guido's Pizza menu is priced under $20, and many items hover around $6-$8.
Owner Mark Zulpo has maintained comparably fair pricing throughout the years, and the same principles are emphasized with service and quality of food.
"That's always what we go for, quality -- that's our game," Zulpo said.
A "mini" pizza, which is a generously sized personal pizza rolled out to 8 inches, starts at $5.50 for a single topping. A large pie, cut into 12 slices, measures 15 inches and rings in at $13.95.
The restaurant has two locations, in Springdale on South Thompson Street and Tontitown on U.S. 412. Both locations offer full-service, sit-down restaurants and carry-out options. The menu is built upon four pillars of Italian-influenced fare -- pizza, pasta, subs and salads.
The handmade pizza is prepared fresh each day. It is stretched and fitted to a pizza pan, sauced, then heavily loaded with toppings and finished with shredded cheese. The pizza is baked in a classic deck oven on a lightly oiled pan to get a crispy crust with a soft, chewy center.
"The [deck ovens] are harder to cook in, but you get a much better quality of pizza," Zulpo said.
Top selling pizzas include the signature creations of Papa Guido's, Uncle Tanoose and Cousin Vinnie's.
The Papa Guido's layers pepperoni, sausage, Canadian bacon, Italian sausage, green peppers and onions.
The Uncle Tanoose is topped with pepperoni, hamburger, onion, green pepper and mushrooms.
Cousin Vinnie's is all meat and no veggies with hamburger, pepperoni and Italian sausage.
The menu also offers toasted Italian sandwiches; flat pasta noodles topped with housemade meat sauce; and heaping bowls of crisp, fresh salads.
The spaghetti sauce is prepared in house from a family recipe passed down through generations. It is slowly simmered for several hours and served atop locally made spaghetti noodles.
Guido's has a second location at U.S. 71B and Shady Grove Road. Both settings incorporate a neighborhood cafe feel.
The Springdale location has high ceilings, a larger bar area and a room with several video games. The dining area is larger, and a full-length mural expands to the back of the restaurant. The mural depicts rolling hills, streetside cafes, a lake and a brick courtyard. The people in the mural are representatives of family members.
The pizzas typically take 20-25 minutes to cook. Sandwiches, because they are also heated, take about 10 minutes.
Customers can call in their orders to pick up, and with the exception of Friday and Saturday nights, calls to pre-order and dine-in are also welcome.
Hours for both locations are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
The Springdale location is across from Furniture Row at 4275 S. Thompson Street. The phone number is (479) 750-7775.
The Tontitown location is 363 W. Henri De Tonti Boulevard, approximately three miles west of Interstate 49. The phone number is (479) 361-9101.
NAN Dining Guide Cover on 02/20/2015