By: Morgan Topol

Located less than three miles from UNC’s campus, Sal’s Pizza and Ristorante, better known as Sal’s Pizza, has been serving the community for more than two years. The restaurant has gained a reputation not only for its vast selection of Italian food, but also for its warm, dedicated service.

Owned by Carlos Serrano and located on Homestead Road in Chapel Hill, the eatery’s expansive selection of traditional Italian dishes includes pizza, calzones, pasta, sandwiches and more.

“When we started, we decided that if something wasn’t selling as much, we would cut it out of newer menus,” Serrano said. “But everything is selling, so we can’t remove anything. We just add.”

Sal’s Pizza proudly serves many different types of pizza, including Sicilian and deep-dish Chicago-style, but the most popular pie is unquestionably its signature, thin-crust New York-style pizza.

“It’s what’s been keeping us in business during the pandemic,” Serrano said. “A lot of people like the New York-style. It’s definitely the most popular.”

If you’re not in the mood for strictly Italian fare or traditional pizza, don’t fret. Sal’s has numerous specialty pizzas inspired by other parts of the world including a classic Greek pizza, a spicy Hawaiian pizza and a Philly steak pizza. You can even get a chicken gyro or a cheeseburger, if you’d like.

The Classic Greek Pizza, topped with mozzarella cheese, red onion, tomato, spinach, feta, kalamata olives, garlic and olive oil. (Source: Carlos Serrano)

Served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, Sal’s lunch menu is perfect for anyone on a tight schedule during the week. It features many thoughtfully priced combos that can be comfortably eaten in a short span of time. For dinner, Sal’s menu options are great for a sit-down meal.

“During lunch, customers who are running on very little time can just come in and buy their food, or they can quickly sit and eat it,” Serrano said. “During dinner, people usually have more time, so they can sit and enjoy with their families, which is why we use the other menu for that.”

Serrano’s desire to open his own restaurant was born at a different Sal’s Pizza many years prior, where he worked his first job as a young boy. He knew it would ultimately be an Italian restaurant, but he had no idea it would be a Sal’s Pizza of his own.

“Eventually, they gave me the opportunity to open my own restaurant, and my dream finally came true,” Serrano said.

Serrano says his favorite part of running Sal’s Pizza is serving the customers.

“When they come in to say, ‘Thank you for the food, it’s great’ and everything, that makes me happy because I get to say, ‘Oh ok, I’m doing a great job,’” Serrano said. “When the customers say they’re happy, I’m happy too.”

Sal’s Pizza offers dine-in, takeout and delivery within five miles of the restaurant. It is open from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. from Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday to Saturday, and noon to 9:30 p.m. on Sunday. To learn more, go to https://www.salspizzaofchapelhill.com/.

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