FTLToday Quik Bite: Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza, Pompano Beach
While deciding what to get for dinner on Saturday on the way back home from Boca Raton…we came up to Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza. They have many locations around South Florida and we happen to be passing the Pompano Beach location on US1.
(Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza - Pompano Beach, FL)
The restaurant appears to be an old Pizza Hut building. As you walk up to the restaurant, you can smell the coal oven (and some of the wood from Carrabba's grill). The inside of the restaurant is your typical Italian/Pizza place with a bar in the center with some TV's to catch the game. It looked like a nice place to have dinner, but we opted for take-out. They have a separate counter for take-out orders and even offer 'curbside' service if you call ahead.
(Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza - Diningroom)
(Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza - Kitchen area and coal oven)
You can see the coal glowing in the oven and it's fun to watch the pizza guy constantly moving the pizzas and other menu items around while they cooked. The coal oven cooks really fast and the high temperature creates a 'well done' crisp crust. They even have signs all over the restaurant that say "our pizzas are well done'. I'm guessing that unsuspecting diners have expressed concern more than once and they are spinning that in a way that is supposed to be 'funny'.
We opted for the 10 wings and a small pizza with pepperoni and onions. It took about 15 minutes and we were on our way.
(Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza - 10 Wings with onions)
The wings are cooked in the coal oven and are topped with their special 'onions'. You also get a wedge of thin bread…almost like a pizza crust…with rosemary and garlic. The wings are not sauced…but are freshly coal fired. The onions appear to be also cooked in the oven as there are some charred bits of onions in the serving. Well….let me just say that the wings were GREAT. They were seasoned and the method they use to cook them (coal oven) gives them a great char taste. They were not dry at all. The onions were good…but it's a little puzzling on why they pile on so many. They are cooked pretty well and the only texture on them is the charred edges you see once in a while. The bread was good and fresh.
(Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza - Pepperoni and Onion)
(The 'well done' crust underbelly...kind of greasy in the middle)
The pizza looked and smelled great. We noticed the 'well done' appearance of the crust and it's easy to see why some people think it's burned. The pizza was still pretty warm even after the 20 min ride home. The crust is crisp and tasty…and doesn't taste burned at all. The onions on the pizza were the same as those on the wings, which I wasn't a fan of. They were too overcooked and didn't have much flavor. Actually…the pizza sauce I found to be on the bland side as well. While the pizza was good…I felt it was missing something. Maybe stronger garlic? I don't know.
Overall, it's an interesting pizza…but it's not one that I would go out of my way for. I'm not sure if my taste was off that day…or if we chose the wrong toppings. Then again…I've had some killer pizza with just cheese and pepperoni. They seem to push some 'specialty pizzas'. Maybe I would try one of those next. The wings were the highlight of the meal and would get them again without question. Another thing to note is that it's not the cheapest pizza around. This meal cost us about $25.
Anthonly's Coal Fired Pizza location:
1203 S Federal Hwy
Pompano Beach, Florida
FTLToday Score: C
(Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza - Pompano Beach, FL)
The restaurant appears to be an old Pizza Hut building. As you walk up to the restaurant, you can smell the coal oven (and some of the wood from Carrabba's grill). The inside of the restaurant is your typical Italian/Pizza place with a bar in the center with some TV's to catch the game. It looked like a nice place to have dinner, but we opted for take-out. They have a separate counter for take-out orders and even offer 'curbside' service if you call ahead.
(Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza - Diningroom)
(Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza - Kitchen area and coal oven)
You can see the coal glowing in the oven and it's fun to watch the pizza guy constantly moving the pizzas and other menu items around while they cooked. The coal oven cooks really fast and the high temperature creates a 'well done' crisp crust. They even have signs all over the restaurant that say "our pizzas are well done'. I'm guessing that unsuspecting diners have expressed concern more than once and they are spinning that in a way that is supposed to be 'funny'.
We opted for the 10 wings and a small pizza with pepperoni and onions. It took about 15 minutes and we were on our way.
(Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza - 10 Wings with onions)
The wings are cooked in the coal oven and are topped with their special 'onions'. You also get a wedge of thin bread…almost like a pizza crust…with rosemary and garlic. The wings are not sauced…but are freshly coal fired. The onions appear to be also cooked in the oven as there are some charred bits of onions in the serving. Well….let me just say that the wings were GREAT. They were seasoned and the method they use to cook them (coal oven) gives them a great char taste. They were not dry at all. The onions were good…but it's a little puzzling on why they pile on so many. They are cooked pretty well and the only texture on them is the charred edges you see once in a while. The bread was good and fresh.
(Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza - Pepperoni and Onion)
(The 'well done' crust underbelly...kind of greasy in the middle)
The pizza looked and smelled great. We noticed the 'well done' appearance of the crust and it's easy to see why some people think it's burned. The pizza was still pretty warm even after the 20 min ride home. The crust is crisp and tasty…and doesn't taste burned at all. The onions on the pizza were the same as those on the wings, which I wasn't a fan of. They were too overcooked and didn't have much flavor. Actually…the pizza sauce I found to be on the bland side as well. While the pizza was good…I felt it was missing something. Maybe stronger garlic? I don't know.
Overall, it's an interesting pizza…but it's not one that I would go out of my way for. I'm not sure if my taste was off that day…or if we chose the wrong toppings. Then again…I've had some killer pizza with just cheese and pepperoni. They seem to push some 'specialty pizzas'. Maybe I would try one of those next. The wings were the highlight of the meal and would get them again without question. Another thing to note is that it's not the cheapest pizza around. This meal cost us about $25.
Anthonly's Coal Fired Pizza location:
1203 S Federal Hwy
Pompano Beach, Florida
FTLToday Score: C
Posted by Mark B at 6/2/2011 11:35 AM 
Categories: Food, pizza, Restaurant, Restaurant Grade C, Quik Bite, Review, Ft. Lauderdale
Categories: Food, pizza, Restaurant, Restaurant Grade C, Quik Bite, Review, Ft. Lauderdale
First of all, NEVER EVER get Anthony's pizza to go. (I see the cardboard box in your photo.) The box really does a job on it. Go back and eat in. You wont be sorry.
Also, the Pompano location is, at best, fair, compared to the ORIGINAL Anthony's at 2203 S Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale. Do yourself another favor and eat at that location. It really makes a difference.
After doing both my suggestions, I'm sure your "C" will change to an "A"
Reply to this