Marzoni’s Brick Oven & Brewing Company opened its doors earlier this September in the former location of TGI Friday’s at 1215 N. Atherton St. The chain originated in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and has continued to expand over the last 20 years. The State College location is Marzoni’s fifth restaurant and first in Centre County.

While Marzoni’s prides itself on its brick oven pizzas, it has an extensive menu of craft beer, handhelds, pub grub, seafood, and more. No matter what mood you’re in, you’ll be sure to find something that satisfies your cravings.

Several hungry staffers headed over to Marzoni’s to see if its food lives up to the hype.

Crispy Fried Brussels Sprouts

Alex Pepe: As stated by our taste-testing group, “These are the best Brussels sprouts I’ve ever had at a restaurant.”

No lie though, these brussels sprouts were exactly what we needed. The portion size was giant, but the food was so delicious we were scraping the plate for every last bit. Not only were the brussels sprouts crispy and flavorful, but the aioli on the side was a perfect addition. Last but not least, there were bits of bacon pieces in the dish, which added some crunch while not being overpowering. Definitely add these to your order.

Vik Raj: An easy 10 out of 10, and the star of the show. There were so many Brussels sprouts, and they were the perfect amount of crispy and crunchy. Paring this with the “stingin’ honey and garlic aioli” makes this a definite must-try if you plan on visiting Marzoni’s.

Crab Dip

Aidan Conrad: I’m a sucker for crab dip so this was a no-brainer to order as an appetizer. This didn’t just meet my expectations but surpassed them. I will definitely be getting it again next time.

Hailey Stutzman: As someone who can never resist ordering crab dip as an appetizer, it was very good and tasteful. The chips were covered in Old Bay, which is my favorite. Yet, the dip fell just shy of peaking my rating, partly due to the small portion size.

Luke Pieczynski: Centre County may be landlocked, but that seafood tasted like it was straight from the water. The tortilla chips were dusted with Old Bay, and I was already having the best experience one could have at a restaurant. How could it get any better?

Mikey DeAngelis: Wow. I mean, this was fantastic. Calling this “crab dip” is a bit misleading because this is basically cheesy heaven dip with some lump crab meat somewhere in there. I thoroughly enjoyed every bite. This was probably my favorite menu item that I tried.

Brew Pub Shrimp

Aidan Conrad: I wasn’t sure about ordering shrimp because we already decided on the crab dip. Would it be too much seafood? Nope. This was fantastic as well and I’ve come to the conclusion that Marzoni’s appetizers are simply amazing.

Hailey Stutzman: The shrimp was covered in yum-yum sauce and served over celery and mixed greens. The sauce was incredible, to say the least. It exceeded my expectations.

Mikey DeAngelis: Over the last couple of years, many restaurants have entered the world of vaguely-Asian-inspired shrimp. I’m all for it. I love a good fried shrimp, and this one is on the list of the better ones that I’ve had. The sauce was good and the shrimp were nice and crispy. This will definitely be a crowd-favorite appetizer.

Soft Pretzels

Vik Raj: Honestly, soft pretzels are hard to mess up, so there’s no surprise that these were pretty good. The pretzels, of course, were very soft and tasted amazing on their own. The beer cheese sauce, however, was nothing to write home about.

The Butcher

Aidan Conrad: I had high hopes for this meat lover’s pizza, so much so that I got the large instead of the personal. My expectations were tempered when the dough was slightly undercooked, which made the pizza super floppy and difficult to eat. A positive takeaway was that when I saved the rest for leftovers it was much better to eat cold.

Seafood Manicotti

Hailey Stutzman: For my entree, I stuck with the shrimp and crab theme from the appetizers and went with a seafood manicotti. It was stuffed with crab and topped with shrimp. I really enjoyed my meal and would definitely order it again.

Cranberry Chicken Croissant

Vik Raj: This was incredible. The chicken salad tasted amazing, the croissant was perfectly buttered and so flakey, and the cranberries added a subtle sweetness to the meal. My only complaint was that there weren’t more cranberries, but nonetheless, this was a great choice.

Smokin’ Turkey Ergler

Luke Pieczynski: I ordered the smokin’ turkey ergler, which is pretty much an adult grilled cheese with turkey, bacon, and coleslaw. In what world would a turkey sandwich on griddled sourdough not be good?

Much to my delight, it was absolutely fantastic. The side of kettle chips was pretty average and was something that I’ve probably had in a thousand restaurants before. Not terrible but also not the greatest thing in the world. I also am not a sides (or chips) person, so I won’t hold it against Marzoni’s too much.

Corleone Stromboli

Vik Raj: I thought that this stromboli was really good, especially for the huge portion you receive. While it was a bit greasy and messy to eat, it was packed full of cheese and sauce. I felt satisfied by my meal and the best part was that it didn’t leave me feeling gross afterwards.

xXxtreme Pepperoni Pizza

Mikey DeAngelis: This pizza was advertised for “lovers of pepperoni,” and they weren’t lying. This thing was absolutely covered in pepperoni. There were even a couple of layers of pepperoni under the sauce and cheese. As far as the pizza itself goes, I think it’s one of the better pizza options in the State College area.

Créme Brûlée Cheesecake

Aidan Conrad: This dessert was *chef’s kiss.* I went into dinner not expecting to have dessert and left happy I did. I’m excited to try again and would recommend it to anyone going.

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie

Mikey DeAngelis: After knocking out a whole personal pizza and my share of appetizers, I was ready to burst by the time dessert hit the table. However, this cookie was so good I still managed to eat the whole thing. It came out warm with a healthy serving of vanilla ice cream on top. Warm, gooey, = delicious, and the perfect way to end the meal.

Hailey Stutzman: Even though I was stuffed, my sweet tooth couldn’t resist. As the chocolate lover I am, I went with the chocolate chip cookie topped with ice cream. Folks, this was a treat. I wish I ordered two.

Italian Cream Cake

Luke Pieczynski: My eyes gravitated to the Italian cream cake, described on the menu as a “refreshing lemon cream filled cake topped with vanilla cake crumb, a dusting of sugar and raspberry sauce.” Inject that straight into my veins.

Some people are intensely passionate about French onion soup, others mac n’ cheese, but for me, if it’s a lemon-flavored dessert, I will be ordering it. This thing was incredible and it really does breathe new life into the phrase “save the best for last” because the raspberry sauce was probably the greatest thing on the planet. That is, for the brief two minutes it existed on this earth before I wiped the plate clean.