For 35 years, Bordenaro’s has been a staple of south-side dining, offering pizzas, pastas and subs in a casual setting. It’s not fancy (is that really what you want from a pizza place?), but the food is top- notch and the restaurant attracts a loyal clientele.
Bordenaro’s doesn’t have a lot of space, but they put it to good use. The large room is lined with booths, and tables run down the middle of the restaurant between them. At the far end of the restaurant you’ll find a small bar that was being occupied by diners over the lunch hour.
Besides pizzas, you will not find much on Bordenaro’s menu that costs more than $9. Every sandwich is $6, most pastas are $9 and pizzas top out at $16 for a 14-inch pie.
We started our meal with a small order of onion rings. For $4.50 we got a good-sized basket of thin, flaky rings. You can see the herbs used to flavor the batter clearly in each ring, giving them a unique look for onion rings and a delicious flavor.
A big downside to onion rings is the greasiness, but these didn’t leave our stomachs feeling too loaded before the main course.
My co-worker and I split a 12-inch Bordy’s Special for our lunch. It comes loaded with sausage, pepperoni, beef, cappicola, mushrooms, onions, green peppers and black olives (though we left the olives off our order). The pizza came on a thin, crisp crust that wasn’t greasy like some thin crust pizzas can be. The sauce has some spice to it, which worked well with the peppers, cappicola and sausage. A 12-inch pizza probably isn’t enough for a lunch for two people on its own, but with the onion rings things seemed to work out just right, with each of us getting three slices and a pile of rings.
Bordenero’s has more than history going for it — the quality of the ingredients really stand out. The pizza was great, but the onion rings were outstanding. I’m already craving a return visit for a full order of them with a pitcher of beer.
Our Receipt
Small order of onion rings ... $4.50
12" Bordy's Special pizza ... $12
Total with tax and tip ... $20
Bordenaro's Pizza
Find it: 6108 S.W. Ninth St.
Hours: Lunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday; Dinner 4:30-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4:30-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Info: bordenarospizza.com
