Oldie but goodie: Pizzaria Bar & Grill

Pizzaria Bar & Grill, located in the heart of Songsong Village on Rota, has been open since 2001. (MARK RABAGO)

SONGSONG, Rota—Pizzaria Bar & Grill is one of the must-try dining places on the southernmost island of the Northern Marianas chain.

Serving island residents and a smattering of tourists since 2001, the restaurant located in the heart of Songsong Village offers local, American, Mexican, Italian, and Filipino dishes and of course its best-selling pizzas.

Manager Jacquelina Manglona, who is the daughter of founders Rita and Joaquin Manglona, said all along Pizzaria Bar & Grill’s goal is to give customers a pleasurable dining experience with incredible taste and a welcoming atmosphere.

Manager Jacqueline Manglona, third from left, poses with staff of Pizzaria Bar & Grill. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

And this mantra in running their restaurant has obviously worked as Pizzaria Bar & Grill has stood the test of time, weathering typhoons, economic crisis after economic crisis, and even the COVID-19 pandemic.  

“We have been able to weather the pandemic through following safety protocols, availing any pandemic assistance provided for small businesses that we were qualified for, etc.,” she said alluding to the most recent challenge that faced the CNMI.

Pizzaria Bar & Grill’s best-selling Around the World Pizza. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Just recently, Pizzaria Bar & Grill was awarded a grant from the Building Optimism, Opportunity and Stability Together, or BOOST Program, and Manglona can’t wait to use the money to improve the restaurant’s operations.

“We plan to use the grant funds that were awarded to Pizzaria as we indicated in our application. These uses include restaurant facilities improvements, equipment, and furniture.”

Manglona said 2022 actually was a busy year for Rota’s second longest operating restaurant, as the easing of COVID-19 restrictions on the island resulted in more of the community dining out. 

“Pizzaria sales have actually improved since before the pandemic as we have increased our hours of operations, hired more employees, availed catering opportunities, etc.”

Asked what items in the menu are often ordered, Manglona said aside from their best-selling pizzas, almost everything in their menu—from top to bottom—have been surefire hits.

“Pretty much everything on the menu is great, but items like the beef and broccoli, fried chicken, quesadillas, and crispy pata are very popular.”

After their bout with the pandemic, Manglona said she and her staff are now facing the more usual challenges of any business like sourcing of goods, shipping, labor and labor retention, among others.

Aside from their lip-smacking delicious food, Pizzaria Bar & Grill has also become famous for their merchandise as tourists and former Rota residents just can’t get enough of them. 

“The merchandise we sell are popular items with the T-shirts being the No. 1 sellers. A separate company provides the merchandise that we sell. The idea of selling Rota merchandise at the restaurant is to provide customers with options to purchase souvenirs or gifts while they dine-in,” said Manglona. 

Pizzaria Bar & Grill is also a generous donor to events including local and church functions that it deems beneficial to the community. 

“We also will be submitting our application to join as a member of the Rota Chamber of Commerce which will allow us to further help in improving the local community of Rota,” she said.

Pizzaria Bar & Grill is open Sunday through Saturday from 10:30am to 10pm. The restaurant’s phone number is (670) 285-3559. They also offer online ordering on their website, www.RotaPizzaria.com.