Townies Stole a Pizza My Heart

If you’ve driven down South Eighth Street, there’s a good chance you’ve seen a colorful building with an oversized chair and an equally vibrant car in front of it. And there’s an even better chance you stopped there to grab a slice of pizza due to the overwhelming love shown to Townies. This pizza place has cemented itself into the very fiber of Fernandina, but does it deliver? That question is rhetorical — of course, they literally deliver to you, but the flavor is what I’m after.

With the weather being comfortably chipper, my heart was set on pizza. There’s always something so satisfying about eating a warm slice of pizza on a chilly day. It had been quite some time since I ordered from Townies, and this was as good of an excuse as any. I’ve usually enjoyed what I ordered from the establishment, but I wanted to try a few unique items I wouldn’t normally get.

Townies is known for its eclectic menu and that starts immediately with the appetizers. The blue cheese chips called my name, as well as the monkey knots. The prior is a fun take on nachos, where they use kettle-cooked chips drizzled with ranch and that poignant blue cheese flavor. And it’s fantastic. Salty, greasy, and the blue cheese adds a fantastic bite. While the name monkey knots makes me smile, they were what I expected. They’re on the doughier side, so be prepared to do some chewing.

If you’re not in the mood for appetizers — or even pizza — there are other options. With a healthy selection of salads, sandwiches, calzones and cheese rolls, I nabbed the meatball sandwich. Have you eaten a meatball sub in the last few years? Then you’ll immediately know the taste. The meatballs are hefty and juicy while the sauce adds a nice zip without being too smothered by the mozzarella. Mamma mia!

A side note for vegans reading this: Townies offers a vegan pizza. The “Flaco’s Veggie” comes with a beautiful spread of veggies and vegan cheese. I’m not a vegan, and instead opted for the cheeseburger pizza and a build-your-own. Townies’ very own “Tasty” cheeseburger pizza is exactly what you would imagine — a cheeseburger pizza. And it’s wonderful! If you’ve ever wanted to eat a cheeseburger without a bun, this has your name written on it.

My build-your-own pizza is where I found Townies to truly shine. While I’ve enjoyed their offerings, most of the “specialty” pizzas don’t interest me too much. What did interest me was pepperoni, spinach and feta cheese. I went with the original crust and a crispy bake. The dough is thick enough to hold its own, but the extra bake time added some wonderful crispy bits while the feta and spinach mellowed out the greasy pepperoni. I’m going to have dreams of this pizza.

I haven’t talked about the atmosphere, which I usually do earlier, but let’s talk about it now. The inside of the building is what you would expect from the larger-than-life exterior. It’s laid back, casual and comfortable, and oozing style, making for a relaxing hangout experience. With TVs on the wall, drinks and greasy food, Townies perfectly encapsulates what it sets out to be.

My only downside with Townies is the price. The 10” cheeseburger pizza came to $15 and while that doesn’t seem too bad, it’s hard for me to justify that amount for such a small pizza. However, the build-your-own was a much better deal, with my medium pizza coming out at roughly the same price and having plenty of leftovers. Be prepared to spend a pretty penny when you come here, but it will be a memorable experience and a tasty one.