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A tasty look at 3 of Glendale's mom and pop restaurants

These places are too legit to quit (eating).

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Almost every street and corner in Glendale is home to a mom and pop business. And when it comes to restaurants, there’s enough to wake up every single taste bud.

A Touch of European Cafe

Margoret and Waldeemar Okula moved to Arizona in 2003 and brought unique cuisine with them.

“Pierogi, kielbasa, hunter's stew which is called bigos, hungarian goulash, cabbage rolls, sausage," said Margoret.

The cafe's list includes more than 60 varieties of soups and sandwiches.

“We do everything from scratch here, I grind my own meat, my seasoning, it’s good quality homemade cooking," said Waldeemar.

Passion, love and sleepless nights make for the best food, especially the hunter’s stew.

“24 hours, keep cooking and cooking and drinking on the side and get up and still cooking, have a shot of vodka and you say okay this is it, done deal," said Waldeemar.

“You are going to be treated as part of the family and have delicious homemade foods," said Margoret.

“We love what we do. We still have the passion and many many many years to go," said Waldeemar.

To get ready for the unique experience, visit www.atouchofeuropeancafe.com.

La Piazza Al Forno

Justin Piazza is the lead singer of this delicious band.

“We have a lot of great pizza’s here but we are one of the only ones that do pizza’s the way they are made in Naples," said Piazza.

In fact, they are VPN certified.

“Verace Pizza Napoletana," said Piazza.

It's too legit to quit eating.

Everything is fresh, made from scratch or brought over from Italy. For example, they use San Marzano tomatoes grown at the foot of Mount Vesuvius. Their dough is made the VPN way and their mozzarella is made fresh every day.

The oven is also unique. It came to restaurant all the way from Naples, Italy.

"Stefano Ferrara, a personal friend of mine, he made this oven by hand. The inside even has ash from Mount Vesuvius," said Piazza.

“These ovens are like a Ferrari, we usually keep it at 850 to 900 degrees. If you turn around for two seconds the pizza is burnt. It’s no good," said Piazza.

A few regular customers had a nice things to say, each while chewing on a mouth full of pizza.

“The pizza is always fresh, everything’s good, the ingredients are top quality.”

“You don’t have to be a good cook to enjoy good food and this is good food.”

“The pastas are awesome, the pizzas are unbelievable and it’s made by a guy and family that’s really passionate about what they do.”

Visit www.lapiazzaalforno.com to see the full menu.

The Spicery in Our 1895 Home

“The Spicery was really the first tea house in Arizona," said owner Matt Borowski.

The restaurant is located in one of the oldest homes in the historic Catlin Court area of downtown Glendale.

Lunch is served Monday through Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., but you really have to try the three-course afternoon tea.

“We start with a pot of tea with buttermilk scones, shortbread with lemon curd and chantilly cream, then four bite-sized sandwiches of chicken salad, tuna salad, a warm ham biscuit, cucumber with alfalfa sprouts and then dessert, which is a parfait with custard, strawberries, whipped cream, brownie bites, pecan sandies, coconut macaroons, lemon bars and raspberry walnut bars," said Borowski.

There are several themed rooms to dine in. The Rose, Pink and Blue rooms were originally the living, dining and one of the bedrooms. The Library and two more original bedrooms offer dining and space for small groups.

So pick a room and sip your way back in time with tea and food like grandma used to make.

Visit www.1895spicery.com for more information.

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