BY DANI TIETZ
dani@mahometnews.com
Owning a restaurant like Patricio’s Pizza has always been a dream for Lazaro and Vanney Patricio.
“It was something that was planning for a long, long time,” Lazaro said. “I found this small spot and I decided to rent and give it a shot.”
Patricio’s Pizza opened at 703 Eastwood Plaza in December.
Since then, potential customers have taken to Facebook to gather reviews from family and friends. The response has been positive.
At this time, Lazaro is keeping the menu selections minimal so that he can perfect something that will be a staple for the restaurant.
Lazaro, who is making the pizzas with a sauce and dough that he created, is gathering feedback on what customers like and don’t like.
“We make our own over here so we try to keep everything fresh,” he said.
“Hopefully in the future, as things go well with this, we might be able to start bringing in more toppings for the pizza.”
Patricio’s Pizza is also serving up wings, some pasta, meatballs and cheeseburgers.
Lazaro got his start in the food business in Chicago where he envisioned owning his own establishment one day.
“I’ve been working on pizzas long time,” he said.
Hailing from Chicago did not stop Lazaro from pulling in some influences from New York when he created his pizza pie.
“Some will say your pizza tastes like Chicago (style), some people say it tastes like New York,” he said.
“The crust is not too thick and not too thin.”
Knowing that the Mahomet business crowd might like to grab a quick bite to eat over their lunch hour, Patricio’s Pizza provides pizza by the slice from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“Also, people can get a trial slice if they like it, then they can come and get our whole pie,” he said.
At this time, Patricio’s Pizza only offers carryout or dine-in Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 a.m. and Sunday 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.
In the future, Lazaro hopes to expand to his original vision of pairing the pizza parlor with a coffee shop.
Alongside enjoying the pizza, customers have commented on how friendly the Patricios are to their customers.
Lazaro said Mahomet residents are equally as friendly.
“People are nice over here, it is a nice town,” he said. “I saw this spot, and I said, ‘Why not give it a shot over here?’
“That was a dream to me.”
