By Hope S. Philbrick
On a recent visit to Jekyll Island, Georgia, my husband and I found ourselves craving pizza.
We gambled on Red Bug Motors Pizza & Pub, since it was open that Sunday evening (unlike some other restaurants) and near where we were staying. I did not arrive with high expectations for the food: Pizza + Island = Disappointment, almost always.
I was thrilled to be wrong.
This pizza is above-average good: The crust is crisp, toppings customizable plus appropriate in quantity and scattering, and the sauce flavorful. What’s more, the pizza was cooked just right: the pie wasn’t saggy and underdone in the middle, yet it wasn’t overcooked to blacken the crust.
The ambiance of the dining room is casual, which is of course appropriate for any pizza place but especially one located near a beach on a vacation-focused island where you may have spent the day at the beach, playing miniature golf, riding bikes, or taking a historic trolley tour.
The service is laid-back and unfussy. You may have to ask the server to wipe down the table or refill your water glass, but relax: you’re on vacation so don’t fret over details. If you want high-class highfalutin service, you can get it elsewhere. In winter the gas fireplace in the dining room may be lit, snag a table next to it if you can.
I’ll go to Red Bug Motors Pizza & Pub again, whether or not I am staying at a hotel as close to it as the Holiday Inn Resort. It’s worth venturing across the island for pizza this good.
More Information…
Odds of Encountering Children: High. Take your pizza to-go if you must.
Red Bug Motors Pizza & Pub
550 N. Beachview Drive
Jekyll Island, GA 31527
912-635-9730
– Photos courtesy Red Bug Motors Pizza & Pub
My husband paid for dinner; this affords the research opportunity but does not sway my opinion of the restaurant or of him.
Hope S. Philbrick is founder and editor-in-chief of Getaways for Grownups. Her work has appeared in dozens of publications nationwide. She’s reviewed restaurants for several Atlanta-based newspapers and magazines for more than 14 years. When not writing, she can usually be found on the road or savoring something tasty.
