reasons, I was told it was delicious and After a long few months of social distancing and self-quarantining for the safety of the community, many of us are itching to get back to normal. While it is true that we may not get back to "normal" for a while, the new normal we find ourselves in isn't all bad, especially when you find new restaurants to visit.

It's been a long time since I visited a public place, but for a friend's birthday a few of us ventured out to visit Park Pizza & Brewing Co. in Lake Nona. I wasn't sure what to expect, both in terms of food and in terms of safety measures during COVID-19, but I was pleasantly surprised on both fronts.

The staff was incredibly friendly and well-prepared. The entire staff was wearing custom Park Pizza face masks, their menus were disposable paper, and several tables around the restaurant were removed or closed off to allow for social distancing. It was very reassuring to see that staff being so careful while handing our food and drinks and it was great to see managers on the floor helping out as well to make sure everything was running smoothly and everyone was staying safe.

But enough of the safety measures, though they certainly are important when deciding where to eat nowadays, and on to the food!

The food menu at Park Pizza & Brewing Co. consists mainly of pizza (duh), but they also have some salad options for entrees and a few delicious appetizers and desserts. Our table started out with their Giant Soft Baked Pretzel with Jalapeño-Hefeweizen Cheese. The pretzel was incredibly soft and delicious and the cheese dip is way less spicy than it sounds.

We then each opted to order a 12" personal pizza rather than going for the larger sharable option, both because we all wanted to try different things and because sharing food probably isn't the best when you're trying to socially distance. I got the Chicken and Goat pizza which comes with garlic cream, goat cheese, fire-roasted chicken, and avocado (pictured below). If you have ever had white-top pizza, it was very similar to that, but the avocado gave it an interesting and delicious twist. All of their pizzas are brick-oven-fired so they have that crispy and smokey crust that you can only get from a true oven-fired pizza. I ended up with leftovers due to the large size of the pizza and how rich it was, but the slices were just as good the next day!

The staff surprised our friend with a pizza cookie with gelato for dessert; they even put in some candles our friend brought and sang happy birthday! Though I didn't have any of the dessert, again for obvious COVID-19 reasons, I was told it was delicious. It's definitely something I am looking forward to trying on my next visit!

Overall, I was very impressed with the staff and the food at Park Pizza & Brewing Co. The next time I decide to venture out of solitude for some pizza, I will definitely be heading there. I highly recommend you try it too!

Ileia Mooney