Delicious pizza Casual Dining and Great Service Spris a Must

Excellent service, a casual-chic atmosphere, and excellent pizza are

just three reasons Spris is catching on as one of Coral Gables’ most popular restaurants.

Already a Lincoln Road favorite, Spris opened its second location on Ponce de Leon last May, bringing the flavor of South Beach to the Gables dining scene. On the menu are delightful antipastos, to-die-for desserts, and over fifty variations of the traditional wood-oven pizza.

To whet the appetite, I highly recommend the salmon and brie antipasto.

Capers are sprinkled over thin salmon slices, served cold with wedges of brie cheese. As a main course, there’s a vast selection. I chose number 42, which added chicken to my thin crust pizza.

For any dining experience, the atmosphere should always match the food.

One distinct South Beach element is the al-fresco dining, though a view of Ponce traffic isn’t exactly comparable to the Lincoln Road setting.

The Gables solution: a neo-Hemmingway motif. Flat screened televisions on the stenciled walls and stones inside steel-mesh

crates build on this modern maritime ambiance.

Another thing that stood out about Spris was the excellent service. Waiters eagerly offered recommendations on their favorite pizzas, and the manager visited my table at least twice, to make sure I was enjoying the meal. I noticed the manager greeting a couple by name. For a place that has been open for a mere three months, “regulars” are a great sign.

Now to the most important thing for any college student: the price.

Most entrees are under ten dollars, but when you start ordering antipastos and dessert, it can add up. The two-person bill came out to $43, including tip.

So though Spris made for an excellent dining experience, it didn’t really make a “regular” out of me. My advice: make Spris a definite must for a special occasion, but for your average late night pizza craving, leave it up to Little Caesar and his two-for-one Crazy Bread.

Spris is located at 2305 Ponce de Leon Blvd.

Alexandra Zayas can be reached at a.zayas2@umiami.edu.