When designing their menu of freshly made pizzas, the chefs at Gambino's Pizza were determined to include all five food groups. The crunchy crusts would represent the grains, the pure mozzarella and provolone cheeses would deliver the dairy—even fruits would appear in the form of savory olives, tangy pineapple slices, and their sweet and spicy homestyle tomato sauce. After mastering the recipes of more than 10 specialty pizzas, the chefs turned their creativity and ambition to hearty, Italian-inspired pastas and subs.

Clad in cheerful green T-shirts, servers bear freshly baked pies to the dining room, where families gather at tabletops and booths beneath a colorful mural adorning the back wall. If guests are lucky, they might even run into the restaurant's pizza mascot, whose giant foam costume delights children and helps impede those who confuse it for an edible pizza.