Have you 'herd' of The Red Elephant pizza and grill?

UNIVERSITY PARK -- Start off with a bucket of boiled peanuts and end with an elephant ear at the Red Elephant Pizza and Grill at 5231 University Parkway.    

It’s been open for about a month, and people are already waiting to grab their seat at the table.

The Red Elephant serves up fresh, homemade cuisine each day.

Manager Brandon Fackler said the founder is all about being unique and this restaurant certainly offers something different, yet very familiar.

”It’s a fun, family-friendly environment,“ he said. ”We cater to all crowds and we have an amazing menu.“

They do have an amazing menu and everything is cooked fresh daily, including the grilled fish specials and the homemade salad dressings.

”We even have a game room to distract the kids, while mom and dad watch the screen TVs,“ he said.

While the kids hang in the game room, the adults can also hang at the bar in the front of the restaurant.

If you get to the Red Elephant from 4 to 7 p.m., drinks are two-for-one.

For starters, try the loaded fries, seared tuna, jumbo onion rings or hummus dip.

”We have a lot of fresh salads made each day,“ he said. ”Everything is hand-cut and we make all of our dressings.“

This family-friendly bar and grill offers a taste of something for everyone, including a gameroom while you wait.

Fackler said the menu is very mildly priced starting at $5 to $15 and it is a hit with kids and adults because of their Red Elephant pizzas.

”Well, we make our own unique dough from scratch, and hand-roll it out,“ he said. ”Our own signature crust is braided and the pizza sizes are 6 inch, 10 inch, and 15 inch.“

The ”Shipwreck“ is the newest pizza added to the menu. Smothered in pepperoni sausage, green peppers, pineapple and feta cheese, this pizza pie is certain to please.

But if ”Shipwreck“ has you feeling somewhat stranded, there are five more specialty pizzas or you can just build your own.

The Red Elephant is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, but we think dessert is the best part.

If an elephant ear isn’t on your to-do list, then spoon dive into a banana split ice cream pie, a 1001 chocolate chip cake or a two scoop root beer float.

”We just want people to sit back and enjoy themselves,“ Fackler said.

Erica Newport is a daily reporter for The Bradenton Times. She covers art, culture and community. If you have a story that might interest Erica, please e-mail her using erica.newport@thebradentontimes.com address.  She also takes your questions related to our weekly theme days and provides advice and opinions for our readers.

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