Driving east on State Road 60, a colorful sight of a 2-story building painted a hue akin to a ripened Ruskin tomato — at 107 N. Kings Ave., just north of the thoroughfare also known as Brandon Boulevard, emerges from the cluttered signage.
It is the home of Babe’s Pizza, a Brandon family dining fixture since 1978, and now in the 21st century it continues not as merely a spot one plugs into a contraption for directions to fetch food, but as a neighborhood treasure seasoned with the flavor of a double-decker pizza.
The fact that the doors are still open after 47 years, reopening on October 7 after a hiatus, is a testament to a determination to fulfill appetites of neighbors with tasty food and an enjoyable atmosphere. The responsibility of keeping Babe’s doors open now rests with Naitik and Shivangi Patel, who recently bought the business from their friends Craig and Sofia Patel, who had operated the restaurant since 2019 after purchasing it from longtime owners Pat and Rich Paddock.
Naitik, who is also known by associates as Nick, said he recognizes the place Babe’s Pizza has in the community and is keeping the core elements in place, like background music that’s a spectral echo of a vintage Q105 playlist, the train circling above the dining area and of course the popular double-decker pizza. Other pizza offerings honor local sports tribes, such as the Lightning Strikes and Buccaneer pies.
The ingredients are fresh, but Babe’s is not some artisanal, farm-to-table fantasy; it is the real deal with food that is meant to satisfy the senses completely, from the aroma of cheese and sauce upon entering to the fulfillment experienced after dining.
Golden, crisp fries offer a satisfying counterpoint to the menu offerings, which include subs made of varying combinations of meat, cheese, herbs and dressings. The pastas offer a deep dive into Italian flavor, such as the baked spaghetti a la DeSantis or the baked spaghetti a la Brady. Desserts like cannoli round out a meal.
Since reopening, Naitik, who grew up in Tampa, said Babe’s has been busy.
“I’m super excited that people are coming back,” he stated.
Naitik added that he wants to grow Babe’s legacy by possibly expanding hours to include lunch and offering pizza slices. There are upgrades to be made in the kitchen as well, and perhaps an additional location, but in the end, he declared, “It has to be Babe’s.”
Visit https://babespizzafl.com/.
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