It's all about the pizza at Mr. P's. Not that everything else isn't alright, but the pies definitely stand out. When I don't get my standby, I go back and forth between the San Giorgio (Italian sausage and pepperoni) and the Alla Puttanesca with Goat Cheese (artichokes, capers, black olives, garlic and chevre).
On my first visit under the new ownership, Mr. P's pizza reminded me of a pizza joint I used to frequent in Bethesda, MD as a young Foodie-in-Waiting. I am not making this up: Turns out that Rick Thomas (owner/operator of Mr. P's, along with his brother Ray) was a partner at Il Forno Pizzeria–the very same place where this (now fully-formed) Foodie happily munched many years ago. Il Forno means “oven,” and at Mr. P's, it's the handmade Italian Ambrogi wood-burning oven that makes it all happen. There's nothing like the texture and taste imparted by the intense heat of glowing hardwood. The homemade dough puffs up to a satisfying crunch and “pull” with a yeasty flavor that stands up to the toppings. They offer a large selection of pizzas and calzones (21–count 'em)–all baked in that imported oven.
Rick has done some renovations, and we were pleased to see a great little bar. I can see that quickly becoming preferred seating on an off-season weekend. The bar faces the pizza preparation area and the oven, so I get to see them making my favorite pizza at Mr. P's: pepperoni and italian sausage and mushroom. I also like their mild and creamy cheese — and they are not stingy with it! I still change things up topping-wise, but right now that's my favorite. I always ask for it well done, though you have to be careful doing that with a wood-fired oven. The heat is intense, and a moment's inattention can turn a delightful crunchy crust into charcoal. But so far, so good. By the way, the sausage they use in their entrees and on the pizza it is terrific. I suspect because it's well-done and a little crunchy due to that hot fire. Nothing like some nice wood to keep you smiling!
Along with the bar comes 19 craft beers on tap (including Fat Tire and 16 Mile Amber Ale), plus nitro and cask beer.
Unlike the pizza, however, the pasta dishes are pretty ordinary. Several members of our party ordered the spaghetti. They didn't hate it, but they wished for more “personality.” The same verdict was pronounced on the Baked Pasta (touted as their “signature dish”). The marinara is OK, but the dish just comes off as bland. The ground Italian sausage in the sauce could just have easily been ground beef. C'mon, guys…kick it up a bit! We know you can do it!
Other than the pizza, there are a couple of shining stars that do stand out at Mr. P's. The first is the Italian Wedding Soup. It is flavorful, not too salty, and filled with lots of little meatballs and bright green spinach. The other secret is the Garlic Bread, made from their pizza dough, baked under the heat of that wood, and drizzled with olive oil and topped with garlic and cheese. Simple and straight-ahead. It might as well be their pizza. No wonder it's so good. I suspect that any Italian-style sub (like the Pizza Steak or Cheese Melt) would be good too, because they all get crisped-up in that oven where the pizzas get their crunchy, woody flavor.
I said it before and I'll say it again: It's all about the pizza at Mr. P's. If you must have a pasta dish, at least order it with the Italian Wedding Soup and a chunk of Garlic Bread. The service is friendly and accommodating, and by the way…they do serve slices during the day. Mr. P's is located in Town & Country Square, a little strip center at 1004 Kings Highway (on the left as you drive towards the Cape May/Lewes Ferry terminal).
They DO NOT take credit cards. However, they will happily refund the machine fee when you do a cash advance using their on-premises machine (if your check is at least $20). Check their hours in the off-season (302) 645-1900. Read Mr. P.'s pizza menu here. (L., D.) Price range: Moderate -.
Off-season Specials & Hours
Specials & Moods change quickly. Always call a restaurant first.Get slices from 11:30 'til 3
Get slices from 11:30 'til 3
Get slices from 11:30 'til 3
Get slices from 11:30 'til 3
Get slices from 11:30 'til 3
Get slices from 11:30 'til 3
Today 11/26/16 my husband and I went to Mr P’s and had a horrible experience. We got there a 11:43 and there were about 10 to 12 people. We ordered Drinks and Fried Zucchini and told the male waiter that we would start out with this. He came back with out drinks and we ordered a mushroom pizza. About 15 minutes later I noticed that people all around us were getting their food. I heard the female behind the counter asked the male waiter if we had gotten our Fried Zucchini as she was putting a mushroom pizza on a tray. She then put the pizza a side. Then about 6 minutes later we get our Zucchini. Then about 15 minutes later I see the girl trying to put a pizza tray under the mushroom pizza and was not able to so she just put another tray under the tray with the pizza on top. She brings the pizza to us and said that the tray under the pizza is hot. So we start eating the pizza and the crust is soggy and mushy. My husband said that for as much as we were paying for the pizza it should be right, I kept trying to get the male waiter to notice us with no luck. So I take the pizza up to the counter and tell the girl that the pizza is horrible. She offers to reheat the pizza then she finally offers to cook us another one. So I agree to a new pizza. So then we wait and wait. I know that it does not take very long for a pizza to cook in a wood fired oven. I kept seeing pizza after pizza come out of the oven . At this point I am tired waiting so I flag down the girl and tell her we want our check and she tells me that it is almost done. I tell her no, she also offers us the pizza to go. I say no. If I had wanted a to go pizza I would have ordered a to go pizza. She brings us our check and said to us that she only charged us for the drinks and the zucchini. A new Pizza for us should have been a top priority, This was horrible customer service. We should not have been charged anything for this lousy service. We are locals, my husband works in Lewes as a realtor. There was no excuse for the experience that we had.
Although the pizza is good, we have never had a good experience at Mr. P’s. We’ve been told that they’re not taking phone orders; we had to go in to order take-out. We’ve had to wait over 90 minutes for a pizza. We’ve gone in to eat at 5:15, and half of the tables were reserved for 6, so they wouldn’t seat us. That’s three strikes; we won’t be back. Too many other places to go that want our business.
Pizza here is delicious. No doubt, and if you are a toppings fan , yes just order double toppings and pay the extra money. Seems like everything else here tastes like basic food service stuff. Nothing special. I have a couple of issues with the way this place is run. Slices are available only until 3. I guess this is deliberately done to prevent the kids from High School stopping in for a slice. These kids won’t be kids forever, it just seams mean. Are you really that busy at 3 -3:30 PM? Also must pay cash. Irritating. And lastly, if you are open answer your telephone! A friend of mine left something in the restaurant and wanted to speak to someone about securing it and you had your phone unanswered because of being busy and not wanting any take out orders.
It s a very friendly atmosphere, and I will be sad to be further than walking distance from it later this year. Really good italian food and some of the best pizza in the neighborhood.
Got carry-out from Mr. P’s on Friday, April 12th and was very disappointed. We ordered the Margherita Pizza which was tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil. The tomato sauce tasted like it came from a can & there was only half a leaf of basil on each slice, literally. The pizza crust was good. My daughter ordered a Chicken Cheese Steak that she said was kind of soggy & didn’t have much taste. We also ordered fries for $4.99, & for that price I figured it would be enough fries for us to split. Unfortunately, the small styrofoam container only had enough limp, greasy fries for one person.
I started going there because of the foodie’s article, and the pizza is great. I wish they weren’t so cheap with the pepperoni, though. In the article, the foodie said that he orders double-pepperoni. I did that, and it’s about the normal amount you get anywhere else. And compared to Louie’s (covered in pepperoni), it’s downright stingy.
According to the Foodie’s newspaper article, pepperoni is the most popular pizza topping. Hey, Mr. P’s….are you sure this is where you want to cut costs?