Meribo, comes from two Italian words: Meridionale, meaning southern, and cibo meaning food. Working at the same steakhouse in Baton Rouge, owners Vinnie LeDonne and Gavin Jobe were promoted to management positions at the same time. As they worked, they learned the tips and tricks to owning a restaurant. They had been wanting to open a restaurant for some time, but the timing had never been right until 326 Lee Lane in Covington became vacant. And so in 2016, they opened a southern, modern spin on pizza and other Italian dishes.

As you walk into the clean, modern-looking building, you can smell the wood fired pizza being cooked in the back left corner. Their locally influenced menu consist of all local farm ingredients from down the road. They took original Italian recipes and used southern ingredients, like using thin country ham instead of prosciutto. I scrolled over the menu and ordered the octopus and the “all the meats” pizza. As I waited, I could watch my pizza being made in the corner while sitting in the loud atmosphere.

The octopus came out first. It was beautifully plated with a amazing black pea salad and lemon aioli. The tentacles were slightly chewy with a perfectly seared crust.

When the pizza came out, the cheese was still bubbling on top. The crust was the perfect balance of crunchy and thin, with smoked pork shoulder, country ham, pepperoni, and calabrian chilis hiding under a gooey layer of mozzarella. When you take a bite, you can taste countless amounts of flavors and textures including saltiness from the ham, smokiness from the pepperoni, creaminess from cheese, and crunchiness from the crust.

The very special thing about Meribo is that it’s a restaurant that is good for absolutely any occasion. It’s good for a casual dinner, or you can take a date there. And they do brunch on Sundays with a special menu that includes a breakfast pizza. The price is very worth the food, and they have a happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m., for which they offer half-priced pizzas and specialty cocktails. For a great time with great food, visit Meribo.

I give Meribo my highest score with a 9.7 out of 10.

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