Editor’s Note: Fork & Dagger is 828newsNOW’s anonymous restaurant review series, written by our independent Grub Scout—no freebies, no press perks, no agenda. Grub Scout pays full price, visits unannounced, and takes notes on food, service, atmosphere, and value. Each review reflects a recent, honest experience rated on our 1‑to‑5 fork scale. We aim to help you discover standout dining spots—from casual diners to white‑tablecloth affairs—one bite at a time.
Before I moved to Asheville in 1999, I’d been to New York City. I’d had New York pizza. I had graciously accepted my newfound enlightenment to the fact that New York pizza was the best pizza.
That said, I never expected to have pizza that good in any other state. Well, Marco’s (now 828 Family Pizzeria) proved me wrong. This place has been holding it down since 1994, and though Marco retired, his family retains the essence and spirit of the tradition. Unfortunately, they had to change the name, but locals still lovingly refer to it as Marco’s.
The dining room has a classic pizzeria aesthetic: wooden walls, brass railing on the bar, low-lighted hanging chandeliers and even old black and white photos of scenes from New York.
There are more than a dozen local beers on tap, as well as red wines, ciders and ginger beer. I had Asheville Brewing’s Perfect Day, high on my list of best beer in town. She had the Ginger’s Revenge Lime Agave, one of her favorites.
The Greek Salad was as good as it was 25 years ago, complete with a side of crispy garlic flatbread, which was always a touch I found very special.
The Baked Ziti Penne Bolognese was beautiful comfort food. 828 understands that the tomato sauce and meat should be used sparingly, and they know the penne should be just a bit al dente. I highly recommend this dish.
The pizza itself was indescribably perfect. The crust was crispy, but not too crispy, with a bit of tartness and a few air pockets blackened by the oven, just the way I like it. We chose pepperoni, pepperoncini slices and one our favorite toppings that most pizza parlours never seem to offer these days: sliced green olives. I imagine every pizza there would be just as delicious.
The service was fantastic, as was all of it. In fact, I liked everything so much I was tempted to buy a shirt from their arsenal of merchandise. Maybe next time.
