Gabriel's Pizza: Real Italian Pie in Cleveland, Tennessee

Gabriel's Real Italian pie was the go to place for pizza tonight. Let me tell you it was really good. I would even say that Gabriel's was probably the best pizza that we have gotten in Cleveland, Tennessee so far. This local restaurant advertises "The best pizza in the universe" and a some locals will say that it is not an exaggeration.

Hubby and I began our meal with a half order of garlic bread sticks and a small cup of marinara. The half-order was enough to feed a small army. The sticks seemed to be made from the thick crust pizza dough. Garlic butter dripped from the crispy toasted bread sticks. The outside crust had a thick exterior, but the inside was soft, warm and delicious.

Our side salads were cool when the arrived. No sitting in a window next to warm food. These were straight from the cooler to the table. A cereal sized bowl of crisp leaf lettuce was adorned with thin slices of carrots. Four tomato wedges added color and chunks of onion were sprinkled on that. Hubby and I each chose the tasty Gabriel's Parmesan Italian dressing.

The appetizer and salad left us almost too full for the main event. We knew there would be plenty of pizza left over, but we did not realize how much. The 14 inch pie was covered in double cheese, bacon, sausage, ham and hamburger. It was the Stockyard Specialty Pizza, and you just about have to be working in a stockyard to build up the appetite to eat one. We took home almost the whole pie.

You'll have to check online for hours, but dinner at Gabriel's Real Italian Pie was reasonably priced. The side salads work up at 1.99. Drinks were 2.09 and the half order of breadsticks was 3.49. Our big 14 inch Stockyard Pizza was 19.62. Toss the  government on there and the price came to $36.51. Now that's pretty hard to beat.

The decor has a casual artsy vibe with both indoor and patio seating. Gabriel's the kind of place where you can meet with friends or grab a bite and use the wifi. Journey was playing over the speakers when we arrived. Hanging half-dome light fixtures  decorated with wire wrapped beads provide subdued lighting over the dark wood tables. Large paintings grace the wall and flatware is in soft cotton napkins.

A large picture window looks over the pizza dough area in the kitchen. We stood and watched as the dough took form and was set aside to rest. It was as though old world meets the 21st century at Gabriel's and the result couldn't be more charming.