Giuseppi's boasts an all-around strength

Giuseppi's doesn't wow you with one fantastic dish, but everything I've tried was solid.

There's a pretty good balance of families and folks just hanging out at the bar, watching sports on big screen TVs, but I'd say Giuseppi's leans more toward families than the bar crowd. But, then, this is Macon and I'm a 31-year-old child.

I've been to Giuseppi's more often on my own dime than The Telegraph's, so that should tell you something. Basically, it's really casual Italian dining served up by a young and friendly staff.

The pizza is good, and if you want to do a little mixin' and matchin', the individual slices are huge. Two is enough for dinner.

They have these things called "weggies," which are something between a sandwich and a calzone. They take pizza dough, stick a bunch of sandwich makings in it, fold it over and bake it. Like I said, not quite a calzone, particularly since they add lettuce and tomato, but not a sandwich, either. I tried the greek weggie and thought it was tasty. If you've never had one, I say pick one that sounds good and go for it.

The weggies and sandwiches come with chips instead of fries ($1.25 extra), which is a little chintzy if you asked me, but those are the breaks.

The wings aren't something that a true wing lover will be impressed by, but if you've just got a hankering for wings, they'll do. Go with the extra hot if you like any heat at all.

While I'm at it, a rundown of some of the other dishes I've tried:

Philly cheesesteak: average. Ravioli: real good. Spaghetti: not bad. Lasagna: excellent. Alfredo sauce: better than you might expect.

Feel free to go with the small order on the pastas by the way. There's still plenty of food and you probably need to lose weight anyway. In fact, go with a salad, tubby.

I particularly like the spinach salad, which comes with a little bacon, mushrooms and feta cheese. I had mine with the Parmesan peppercorn dressing on the side.

There's a dearth of good spinach salads in this town. A dearth, I say.

Altogether Giuseppi's is a welcome addition to north Bibb County, and worth your time for lunch or dinner. They also deliver.

The Original Giuseppi's Pizza and Pasta

120 Tom Hill Sr. Blvd., Macon

Three stars

Phone: 477-7400

Hours: Daily, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Alcohol: full bar

Smoking: No

Payment: Cash, credit card, debit card. No checks

Health Rating: 100

Kids Menu: Yes

Vegetarian options: Yes

Noise Level: moderate to high

Wheelchair accessible: Yes

Price range: Medium pizzas (8 slices) start at $9.95, hoagies start at $6.95

To contact writer Travis Fain, call 744-4213.