Roma's pizza shop a family tradition in Dallastown

Every town seems to have one.

The little family pizza shop, the go-to fallback for dinner on a hectic school night, a place to grab a slice after a football game.

Frank Musso's parents started Roma's Pizza & Italian Restaurant in Dallastown 15 years ago when he was still a teenager. His mother, Josephine, learned to cook from her father in Sicily.

After serving in the military and working restaurant jobs in other parts of the country, Musso returned home to help run the family business.

He's done a little remodeling to the interior, which has the look and feel of a classic, cozy pizza shop. And he plans to add a few things to the menu.

One thing won't change: The time-tested family pizza recipe.

"It's worked so far," he said.

The pepperoni slice I had worked well enough for me, too.

I'm fussy about pizza, but this was one of the better slices I've tried since moving to this area.

A nice, crunchy New York-style crust combined with a sweet tomato sauce and gooey cheese.

I also ordered half of a meatball parm sub. The meatballs did not distinguish themselves, but the sauce was solid, and the generous helping of mozzarella cheese was nicely melted and a little toasted on top.

The bread was the best part. It usually is in any good sandwich. I was not surprised to learn it's made daily on-site.

In the future, I'd like to try some of the items Musso is developing for a new menu. One is a pizza with ham and provolone cheese on the bottom and sauce on top.

Another is a chopped chicken steak sub with hot sauce and pineapples.

Overall, Roma's is a pretty versatile pizza shop: a lot of sandwich choices, square Sicilian trays if that's your preference and dinner entrées such as baked ziti and fettuccine Alfredo.

The wealth of options in such a small package reminded me of a place near where I used to work in Wilkes-Barre.

I must have eaten there several times a week.

Like I said, every town seems to have one.

Cheap Eats is a biweekly column on local restaurants' meals for less than $10. Suggestions are welcome. Reach Wade Malcolm at 771-2101 or wmalcolm@ydr.com. Follow him on Twitter @YDRCheapEats.

If you go

LOCATION: Roma's Pizza & Itailian Restaurant, 2 E. Main St. in Dallastown

CUISINE: Italian

WADE'S PICK: small meatball parmesan sub ($3.75), pepperoni pizza ($1.40)

PARKING: small lot

HOURS: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday; 11a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

PRICE RANGE: $2 to $18.99

ALCOHOL: no

SMOKING: no

ACCEPTS: Cash and major credit card

TAKEOUT: Yes

KID'S MENU: cheeseburger with fries, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken nuggets and fries, chicken fingers with fries, meat or cheese ravioli.

DETAILS: 246-1399 or online at www.RomasDallastown.com