Laurienzo Wood Fired Cafe

My parents flew in, and my mom liked this place when they visited a few years ago so of course thought it would be good to go back on the way home from the airport.

I know we were there 5 minutes before opening, but I thought I saw a chair just inside the door. My mother is disabled, uses a cane, was in pain, and needed to sit.

What were we met with? A guy raising his voice telling us to get out and wait outside, and refused to listen when I said sorry I thought a chair was right here and she needs to sit.

This restaurant is going out of business, closing in just days. The food and waitress was nice, but if it wasn't for family visiting I would have chewed that jerk out. We waited outside in the drizzle while my mom tried to lean against the window.

It doesn't matter how good the food is if the vulnerable are treated. I wouldn't go back even if they stayed in business.

Started with the butternut squash ravioli for $13.
Then ordered the harvest salad $9 with salmon for an extra $8.
Food was very tasty. The ravioli were not too heavy and had a nice oil glaze but I wish it had more walnuts.
The harvest salad had a nice mix of greens, feta, pumpkin seeds and squash. Didn't care for the dressing.
The salmon was cooked perfectly and the fresh sliced Parmesan and fresh basil took it over the top!!!
Problems-cut the greens up. Serve the salad in a bowl, especially if I have to cut up my greens. Portion size of all of my items was too small for what I paid.
The folks with the pizza next to me had a huge portion. Maybe that's what I get for looking for something a little lighter in a pizza place??
Service and ambience were awesome!!

So you're in Mt Airy, MD and want some decent pizza. Boom, you land at Laurienzo place. The pizza, is good, not the best we've had, but really a tweaks and it'd be on point.

We started with the Octoberfest wings. They were ok, but I'm more of a traditional wing guy so to each their own. It had a sauce which was eh, and pumpkin seeds sprinkled in. Wouldn't get them again.

Pizza, we got 3. Each pizza easily feeds 2 adults. But we didn't mind having leftovers plus trying a restaurant's take on certain things. Cheese pizza for the kids, nothing per say to note, it was cheese pizza. Next we got the carnivore pizza, and it is loaded with the meats, no questions that no skimping was done, for $31 there better not be! But honestly, it was too much meat like I was eating a steak on top, maybe a bit less Meat or finer chopped but it's a lot. 3rd pizza we got was the Polynesian pizza. Reading the description we gathered it'd have a slight sweet, salty, a bit of heat profile. Well we were so wrong, the Hawaiian drizzle must have ghost peppers infused bc my mouth was on fire and I was in the sweats and the pizza was not enjoyable. I refused to throw it out or be that customer, so I ate it the next 2 days for lunch, didn't like it still.

I'd recommend slightly less meats on the carnivore. Note to customers the drizzle is a fire hazard to your health bc it's not stated. Pizza overall could be cooked about another minute underneath for a bit more crisp. And the dough is missing a little something, salt or something.

All in all, not bad, wouldn't go out of my way. But now you know so you can adjust accordingly to have great pizza.

Laurienzo's is an adorable restaurant located on Mt. Airy's historic Main street. The parking is street parking so wear your comfy shoes in case you have to walk.

Entering the restaurant, you immediately feel warm and cozy. The decor and ambiance is very relaxing. The staff immediately welcomed us and seated us without issue. Our server was Allison. She was very sweet and friendly. I think they may have been short staff that evening because we had long waiting periods between her visits. Its all good. Allison still made it a pleasant experience.

I ordered the Fire Glazed Meatloaf which includes a beef and pork blend, peppers and onions, tomato and vinegar glaze, garlic mashed potato, green bean. This is the best meatloaf that I have had in my life. No exaggeration. A++. The meat was nicely seasoned, moist, and plentiful. The mash potatoes aren't normal. They had to put some magic in them; they are so velvety and buttery. The portion sizes were very large, I was able to get three additional meals out of it.

For my adult beverage, I ordered the Apple Bourbon Fizz. This cocktail includes Bulliet Rye, apple butter, cinnamon, and ginger beer with a brown sugar rim. It was pretty good and perfect for the fall/winter weather. Recommendation: Consider drinking this warm.

This was my first time at Laurienzos but it will not be my last.

Great staff, decor, overhead music, and food. The woman at the door nicely accommodated my walk-up request for a table for 5 family members that turned into a table for 4 that only had 2 of us when we first sat down.

Ian was attentive, informative, and fun! We received our 2 apps, perfectly sauteed green haricots verts and broccoli and a nice dish of shrimp with bread that Ian recommended we dip in the garlic onion butter oil, apparently immediately following their obviously fresh preparation.

The 2 pizzas that we four shared were well prepared and unusual. A nice chew to the crust that was tasty and crisp, but not as thin, so not as crisp, as New York pizza. Their locally famous crab white pizza was loved by all, but beware that their take Hawaiian pizza, which I was surprised that I enjoyed so much (I never order Hawaiian pizza), is handsomely drizzled with bbq sauce, and has unremovable minced fresh (not pickled) jalapeno that makes it too spicy for some people (not me).

Main Street of Mount Airy is in the town's little historic district. There is some street parking, and a free lot that is not handicap friendly due to the steep hill between it and Main Street. There was nothing else open when we went on a Saturday evening, so be sure to make reservations when you want to eat at Laurienzo's on a Saturday.

We're looking forward to returning and trying the house pizza, a pasta, and the crab cakes that are supposed to be excellent and which are always available but are discounted on Tuesdays.

Very friendly owner, good options. I had the house salad with chicken. It's freshly made so I could remove the croutons and the cheese.

My husband had the baked ziti and it looked really cheesy.

Two pizza ovens, only 14" pizza offered.

Very clean and very cute inside!

Came here for dinner last night with friends. Plenty of room. I believe there are more tables upstairs but did not need to explore since it wasn't overcrowded. The service was great as well as the food and drinks. Went with bunch of winos so they did some damage. A friend had the espresso martini so I gave it a try. It's been about 30 years since I had some Kahlua Liqueur but that's what it reminded me of. Great food, great atmosphere. Not much else to ask for when dining.

Looking at some of the older reviews from last year, most patrons did not like the Panera cafeteria style the restaurant implemented. Not sure if it was just the COVID accommodations adjustment at the time but everyone can be rest assured that the regular restaurant style table service is back.

Don't miss the cream of crab soup. It is out of this world. We ate this and a specialty pizza out on their sidewalk patio. Lovely little Mount Airy providing the backdrop. Service was excellent.

Great food, fun servers. What's not to like!

Brick Oven Pizza made to perfection with choice of fresh toppings.

We stopped to eat on a nice afternoon. The interior is nice. It appeared the were understaffed but we were seated. It took a few minutes to be waited on so we ordered quickly. We ordered a pizza which came out barely warm. It seemed to be sitting under the heat lamp as the cheese had cooled. It was flavorful and probably would have been much better out of the oven. Server seemed rushed and barely checked on us. We might come back if we visit again.