The French bread pizza sandwich at Manzella’s Italian Patio is superb. I had it at the Champaign trattoria yesterday as part of the restaurant’s lunch special of minestrone and a half sandwich ($13.25). Because the Italian sandwich was customizable with any toppings from the pizza part of the menu, I picked pepperoni, sausage, and onion. Served open faced, it looked like a pizza on first glance — instead of crust, toasted bread.
Look at this saucy sandwich.
Manzella’s soft baguette was toasted super crispy, crinkling and cracking, especially along the edges. With all the toppings sandwiched in the center, the inner layer of bread sopped up the red sauce, and so the folded seam was gooey with melted mozzarella. Seasoned with Italian herbs, the sausage was porky deliciousness, made in house and so flavorful. For me, no pizza is complete without pepperoni, and there was a good amount here, same with the onions. Globs of hot marinara and fennel seeds fell from the sando, but I slid the sandwich along the plate and didn’t miss any of it.
Open since 1960, Manzella’s has more than just really good pizza sandwiches. It’s a nice spot for a cozy dinner, and I like the Italian beef here, too. Manzella’s menu offers pasta, pizza, calamari, parmigiano, lasagna, and meaty sandwiches in addition to vegetarian options like breaded mushrooms, cheese manicotti, spinach fettuccini alfredo, and toasted ravioli.
My friend Tara got the same lunch special but with the Italian beef, and of course, it was good. The minestrone had soft ditali pasta, white beans, carrots, tomato, soft celery, potato, and onions in a hearty tomato broth. Our half sandwich and soup lunch didn’t come with a half soup — not even a cup of soup, either; it was a full bowl of soup. And though the menu says the sandwiches are half sandwiches, they’re really more like three-quarters, and I love them for that.
Check out the lunch menu available Tuesday through Friday.
Manzella’s is located on First Street just down the road from Avionics near the corner of First and University Avenues. Diners can usually find metered street parking in front of the restaurant and along Chester Street.
For the dinner menu and more info, visit the Italian restaurant’s website.
Manzella’s Italian Patio
115 S First St
Champaign
T-Th 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. + 5 to 8:30 p.m.
F 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. + 5 to 9:30 p.m.
Sa 5 to 9:30 p.m.
