Tortugas Café

It’s tucked away in the shopping center just behind Perrin’s & Son on Highway 280, so if you’re not looking for it, you’ll miss it. But once you find it, just “come on in and take a seat wherever you’d like.”

Perhaps the most unpretentious little pizza joint in the area, owner Dawn Gagliano and her staff will greet you with a friendly smile, and see to it that your dining experience is personal, comfortable, delicious and relaxed.

In four short years of service, the list of awards earned for their authentic Chicago style pizza is extensive: voted winner of the Birmingham News Primo Pizza Contest; Voted Birmingham’s Best Pizza by CityScene; voted Best Pizza in the South by Turner South’s “Blue Ribbon Show”; and voted Top 100 Places to Eat in Alabama Before You Die.

On our recent dining experience, we decided to invite a guest—a teenager. Who knows pizza better than a teenager? And guess, what—Tortugas got two thumbs up. She had never had a true, deep dish, Chicago- style pizza, and she was extremely excited about the experience when we left.

We started our night with the sampler appetizer, which included chicken fingers, mozzarella cheese sticks, and chicken wings. In addition, we ordered the garlic cheese bread, which had tons of cheese and was excellent. I was very pleased with the appetizer choices. After an afternoon of shopping, they made for a wonderful beginning to a great meal.

For our main course, we had the deep dish carne pizza. I loved how the sauce covered the top and the cheese was baked in the middle. All of the meat toppings were great. The pizza had sausage, bacon, Canadian bacon, and pepperoni. Two pieces each, and we were all full.

If you haven’t been by lately, now’s the time to go. The menu has recently been revised, and although it is still centered around their claim to fame, you can now enjoy a custom designed calzone, or an order of lasagna. They now offer a wider selection of salads including the new Caesar Salad or Turtle Salad, and you can start the evening with one of five new delicious appetizers like

Fried Mozzarella Cheese Sticks, Cheese Garlic Bread, Buffalo Style Chicken Wings, Café Sausage or a little bit of each on the Sampler Platter. The also offer one (and ONLY one) sandwich ~ “The Tuga” ~ “the only sandwich worthy of making the menu cut.” For $6.95 you can get a 6” Hogie Roll piled high with salami, Canadian bacon, pepperoni, topped with a mozzarella/cheddar cheese combination, plus lettuce, tomato, 1000 island dressing and their homemade vinaigrette, then toasted to perfection. Try finding that at your local sub shop! Keep in mind their pizza dough and sauce are made fresh everyday in the Tortugas kitchen.

Hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 11:00 am – 9:00 pm. Sunday 11:00 am – 4:00 pm. Closed on Mondays. Be sure to visit their website at tortugascafe280.com to check out their catering menu as well.