I think I have been eating at Mario’s Pizza since the seventh grade, and have loved their pizza since my first visit. Even if you have never been to New York you can taste its style in the pizza at Mario’s.

The pizzeria has several locations in North Carolina; including two in Greensboro, 4215 W. Wendover Ave. Suite A and 1575 New Garden Road. Mario’s and its brother company Tony’s Pizza were founded by Mario Alessio and Tony Franzese. Born in Italy, the two grew up in Brooklyn, New York and quickly became childhood friends.

They both worked in pizzerias in Brooklyn growing up, in 1980 Tony opened a place in North Carolina and the year following Mario also did. In ’98 their brothers moved to N.C. and the two merged their businesses. They now have 11 stores and plan on opening two every year. Most of the stores are managed by family members.

All the stores use the same recipe, and the dough is freshly made each day. Mario’s receives their main ingredients from New York and all The pizzas are hand stretched and tossed.

Darrell Coltrane, the Wendover Avenue manager, said, “I have been working for them for 10 years.” Coltrane, 25, has been in the restaurant business his entire life. He said that Mario’s is different from other pizza places because everything is made fresh and the pie makers have to go throughout training.

I had a19 inch half and half pizza with beef and pepperoni on one side and cheese on the other side. The appetizer was garlic cheese bread. It was good, the sauce made it better, but the pizza was delicious.

Mario’s Pizza offers regular pies, pizza by the slice, Sicilian pizza, calzones, Stromboli, salads, sandwiches, original sandwiches, hot Italian specialties, appetizers, desserts and drinks.

The regular pizzas come in the 19, 17, and 15-inch sizes. The toppings available are the all time favorites sausage, pepperoni, and beef. There are also different toppings such as Canadian bacon, mushrooms, anchovies, fresh garlic, spinach, pineapple, salami, fresh tomatoes, and jalapenos.

With the regular pizza, Mario’s special is also available and comes with pepperoni, sausage, beef, Canadian bacon, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, and black olives. The pizza by the slice is only cheese and pepperoni.

The Sicilian pizza has a thick crust and is square. Mario’s special is available with this pizza and comes with the same toppings as the regular pizza special.

The calzone comes with ham, ricotta, and mozzarella cheese, and the spinach calzone comes with spinach, ricotta, and mozzarella cheese. The Stromboli has pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, and cheese.The salad choices are garden, chef, and chicken.

The sandwich choices are Italian, roast beef, pastrami, turkey, grilled sausage, veggie, eggplant parmigiana, meatball parmigiana, and sausage parmigiana. Mario’s famous sandwiches are Philly steak, steak and cheese, Chic-O-Phil, chicken parmigiana, and veal parmigiana.

The appetizers are hot chicken wings, french fries, jalapeno poppers, cheese sticks with sauce, garlic bread, and garlic cheese bread. Like I said the garlic cheese bread is okay, but the hot chicken wing are great.

The desserts are cannoli and Italian pastry, cheesecake, and tira mi su. The choices of drinks are wine, beer and sodas.Mario’s pizza also has a couple of perks. They offer student discounts with student I.D. There is also free pizza card that is good at any Mario’s or Tony’s Pizza.

Mario’s Pizza’s is locations are in Winston-Salem, Clemmons, and Greensboro. Tony’s Pizza locations are in Hickory, Huntersville, Mooresville, Jacksonville, Charlotte, and in Raleigh.

Mario’s Pizza is a good place to eat; it supplies great pizza, friendly service, alcohol, benefits for being students, and fair prices for its food. The Wendover location has been opened for almost three years and is doing a re-grand opening in a few months as a celebration of four years. So, if you are looking for some New York style pizza, visit Mario’s.

• Marvin Powell