RESTAURANT REVIEW

Bill of Fare: Campus Pollyeyes

BGSU campus favorite still has the goods

Campus Pollyeyes veggie sub

THE BLADE
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Campus Pollyeyes stuffed breadsticks.

Campus Pollyeyes 'Hawaiian Punch' pizza with ham and pineapple.

BOWLING GREEN — To call Campus Pollyeyes a pizza place is a bit of an understatement.

Situated a stone's throw from Bowling Green State University at 440 E. Court St., Pollyeyes serves very good pizza, subs, salads, nachos, and more, but it's the "world's best stuffed breadsticks" that makes this eatery stand out.

Available in a half order (three sticks for $9) or a full order (six sticks for $14.75), the breadsticks are true to their name and stuffed with mozzarella cheese, a choice of chicken, buffalo chicken, roast beef, or steak, and basted with garlic butter. The sticks are also available with just cheese (three for $7 or six for $11.75), and any pizza topping can be added for $1.

MENU: Campus Pollyeyes

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I chose the chicken, and the result was outstanding. The breadsticks are baked until the ends are crispy and the cheese is stringy.

For dipping, the house ranch dressing is amazing, but the Jalapeno cheese is also a tasty option. The ranch dressing is so popular that it's sold a la carte ($5 for 12 ounces or $8 for a quart). Other dipping options are pizza sauce, barbecue sauce, and buffalo sauce.

Though the prices might seem a bit high at first glance, a full order — stuffed with meat, at least — is big enough to feed two people and still have leftovers.

Whether they are "the world's best" as advertised on the restaurant's website, I don't have much to compare them to. But, as they say, don't mess with perfection.

Pollyeyes' breadsticks are absolutely five-star comfort food.

Once you've tried the breadsticks, it's tempting to forget that Pollyeyes offers anything else. But in reality, the restaurant features many solid menu options.

The pizzas, for example, are available with traditional thin, pan-style, or screen-style crust. Screen-style is baked on a screen and is popular across New England.

We ordered a 10-inch Hawaiian Punch ($8.25) with pan-style crust, a 10-inch basic cheese pizza ($7) with thin crust, and a 10-inch vegetarian special ($10.75) with pan-style crust. Each pie was cut into six slices.

The Hawaiian Punch, featuring pineapple and ham, stood out with just the right mixture of sweet and salty and the pie was baked until the edges of the ham were nice and crispy. The at least 1-inch thick crust wasn't greasy, rather light and airy, and the edges had a great crunch.

The sauce, savory rather than sweet, is thicker than I normally prefer, but the texture complemented the pan pizza well and managed not to overpower the thin crust.

Campus Pollyeyes veggie sub

The subs are served on a hearty hoagie roll. The baked vegetarian sub ($6.50) was packed full of tomato, lettuce, mushrooms, red onions, green peppers, pickles, black olives, mozzarella cheese, and just enough pizza sauce to tie the flavors together without making the roll soggy. When reading the description, the addition of pickles struck me as a bit odd, but they added a tartness that made the sandwich memorable.

The grilled chicken salad ($7) is also a satisfying lunch option. Served on a bed of iceberg lettuce is a generous helping of grilled chicken, tomatoes, green peppers, red onions, two kinds of cheese, and croutons. Don't pass up the house ranch dressing.

With its proximity to BGSU, it's easy to overlook Pollyeyes as just another college hangout; but a recent Saturday night visit revealed the restaurant's success in attracting college students, professionals, and families alike.

The dining room is nothing exciting. The classic wooden chairs in a small area give it the feel of a home dining room arranged for a family celebration. A couple televisions keep diners tuned in to the sports world.

Regular specials are offered, including buy-one-get-one pizzas on Mondays; any $10 large on Tuesdays; and a regular lunch special featuring all-you-can-eat soup, salad, (standard) breadsticks from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays.

Pollyeyes also offers ample beer options and features a $0.50 off happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. But the focus here is clearly the food.

Contact Bill of Fare at fare@theblade.com.

Star ratings are based on comparisons of similar restaurants. The Blade pays for critics' meals.

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