When I woke up this morning, I was really in the pizza mood. It was 12:10 after I finished showering and I was in the mood for cheese and pizza sauce. I've heard a lot about this place on Valley Mills called Poppa Rollo’s and wanted to check it out. My friend Katy decided to join me to try out this place that some people call the “Best Pizza in Waco.”

          Upon arriving, the place looked like a whole in the wall, dingy place. We parked in the parking lot out back and walked up. This first thing I noticed was a miniature carousel for kids. It brought be back to younger days when my family used to go to the fair together.

          Ah, those were such sweet times.

          The interior of the restaurant is extremely different from the rugged, rundown-look outside. It was dark with a classic look and relatively clean. There are four distinct seating areas in Poppa Rollo’s: the bar, the classic oldies area, a more modern party room and an arcade seating area for kids. There were booths in tables in the area Katy and I were sitting in, the classic oldies area. The décor included dim lighting from mini glass-bottomed chandeliers and old pictures and articles all along the walls. On the television was an old, black and white show covering The Beatles.

          My meal consisted of a dinner salad, focaccia and the classic Texas special, filled with The Works’ toppings. The Works is topped with Italian sausage, pepperoni, onions, green bell peppers, mushrooms and jalapenos.

          The dinner salad and focaccia came out pretty quick. The dinner salad, which I got with 1000 island dressing on the side, was delicious. It was a simple salad with bacon bits. The lettuce was pretty fresh and crisp, and the dressing was amazing. The focaccia, basically bread cooked with olive oil and covered in cheese, was pretty decent. It was a simple dish that came with marinara and ranch. My thoughts on the focaccia were that it tasted like a milder, less salty version of a Cheez-It. Katy thought otherwise. She said that the dish tasted more like a croissant and that I was just trying to justify the orange color of the bread. I decided to stick to my opinion and she stuck to hers.

          Now the main dish took a little longer, probably because baking pizza takes a while. I was a little confused when it was brought out. It was baked like a bowl in the shape of the great state of Texas, but I couldn't see anything but cheese. After my first cut into I realized that the toppings were underneath the cheese, like a reverse pizza. It was pretty cool and the pizza tasted great as well. I wouldn't say that it was the best I had ever had, but it satisfied my hunger and I would definitely come back for more.

          After Katy and I had finished, we asked the waitress for to-go boxes because we had a lot leftover. The pizza, particularly the Texas special was a little pricey, but the staffing and atmosphere were great. The waitress was really nice and friendly. The building awkwardly put together and as one customer put it, “This place is weird!” However, overall I would definitely recommend this place as a place to try at least once. The food is pretty good and I would encourage everyone to explore the building a little. One of the doors looks like a vault and another door looks like a brick wall. It’s a pretty unique destination.