Andy's Pizza (Justin)

We've mentioned Andy's Pizza on here before, but a post in honor of the restaurant chain is long overdue!
You can learn a lot about Andy's from their website, which has an English translation. Recently, they introduced a "Mexican Menu," complete with Chili con Carne and Fajitas. Now, the burrito is more like Mexican Pizza (have you ever had a burrito with veal and eggplant?) but it's also quite tasty. (On the prices listed on the website, divide the Lei price by 11.6 and you have what it costs us in dollars today).

Andy's also serves an interesting breakfast, "gourmet coffee," excellent deserts and milkshakes, and of course, pizza (with your choice of thick or thin crust!).

Supposedly, Andy's was started by a Moldovan who worked for a pizza chain in the U.S. He apparently realized you can attract customers by providing quality service, playgrounds for kids, delivery, and catering especially to ex-pats. The result is that there are now 13 Andy's in Chisinau alone, and several more in other parts of the country. Here is the one that is a 5 minute walk from our house.
"Together with your family and friends you will have a wonderful time in our pizzeria picnicking among sunflowers, forest grass and children’s’ laugh. It is an ideal place for all your family, children and friends to have a rest because here, every customer will find all that he/she needs: a comfortable separate area in any hall, terrace to have supper in the open, and a playground for children."

Every Andy's has a playground for kids so parents love to go there. The food is relatively cheap, even by Moldovan standards. Many just go for desert. The service is fast, we always have our food within 30 minutes. Every item on the menu is written in English, and accompanied by a picture so you can see what it is. Every ingredient is translated into Russian and Romanian as well. So, many ex-pats and tourists practically live there.

I actually prefer their lunch menu because the selection is more national (borscht and usually something more Moldovan). We've never used the delivery service, but I'm told that they store your phone number (a la Papa Johns) and you can just tell them "my usual, please."

Imitation is the highest form of flattery. Other restaurants in town offer delivery, have similar playgrounds, and I imagine are simply trying to copy Andy's success. But none offer the same high-quality service or the great website. Andy's blows McDonalds way out of the water!