Satchel's Pizza. Gainesville, FL

Owned by the same people who run Leonardo’s pizza in Gainesville, this place really extends the word strange to a different level. Satchels can be spotted from the street with its jolly Christmas lights lit all year round. It’s usually a crowded place so while your waiting you can admire the decore from the outside and inside. Take a gander at their junk store called Lightning Salvage. There you can buy a beer or a soda in the glass bottle and shop for a few of the hundreds of little fun trinkets they sell that date back to your childhood. Tops, bouncy balls, horns, tiny action figures, flip books, fake mustaches for every day of the week, puzzle boxes, and dashboard Jesus's (the list goes on). Enjoy a live folk band playing every week in the bar next to the shop.

When you can finally sit down to eat, you have a choice of eating outside on a patio (including inside a hollowed out legendary Hippie bus) or inside the restaurant. If you prefer inside like me, its a really cozy space. Decorated with countless pieces artwork on the walls and mobiles hanging from the ceiling, your eyes eventually wander to the menu. The pizzas range in size from a slice to THE MAJOR ( 4 toppings) and you can order from 30 different toppings. I would definitely recommend the spicy sausage or steak n’ onions on your pizza and make sure you sample the crust of the pizza because it has a distinct garlic and olive oil taste with a moist center. Try the salad as well; its famous at Satchels and smothered in a homemade balsamic dressing. You can buy the dressing in bulk at Lightning Salvage if you drool over it like I do. But don't try to ask for the recipe, the dressing is top secret and locked in a safe somewhere underground with a polar bear carrying a chainsaw guarding it. A small salad is big enough for 2-4 people to ravage over. Like Leonardo’s, they don't skimp on portions; a great way to keep their customers coming back.

Now the thing to remember about Satchels, in my opinion, is that it’s the atmosphere that makes the good time for its visitors. The pizza is great but its what’s around you that makes it memorable. On your way out pick up a free bumper sticker to promote the restaurant and express your undying goofy teenage love for the place. They are all a little different. Mine reads " ATCHELSAY IZZAPAY"…that’s pig Latin for Satchel’s Pizza.

(One more thing to remember, BRING CASH, this is a cash only joint but they do have an atm inside if you happen to forget. Its a great place for a date or a big dinner with all your buddies). Parking spots can be difficult to find on the weekends so carpool on Friday and Saturday if you can. Enjoy!