Say Cheese Pizza Company & Comic Book Cafe Grand Island, NY Review

As you exit your car you get the feeling that you are being watched… because you are! “Your friendly Neighborhood Spiderman” clings to the roof of the building you are about to enter, surveying the parking lot for injustice. Walking in you are greeted by ‘the Man of Steel,” surrounded by dozens of comic book covers plastered to the walls behind him. From your peripheral view you see a mass of green, turning you gaze upon the seven foot seven “Green Goliath” standing a mere ten feet from you, mouth agape and on the verge of a scream of rage. Is this some fanboy’s Wednesday night dream? Are you at a comic con? Surely no local shop could have anything like this, but you are wrong, it does and so much more! You have just entered “Say Cheese” pizzeria and “The Comic Book Café” in Grand Island, New York.

Located on 1771 Love Rd., this hybrid pizzeria/bar/comic shop has plenty for comic and non-comic fans alike. The diversified menu consists of the usual bar mainstays, wings, pizza and subs, but it also has great salads, wraps and their own “Grandwich”, a kind of sub sandwich on a large toasted circular roll. Though I will be diving into one of the grilled chicken salads later, right now it’s the ambiance I crave.

Taking a stroll around you realize this is the place every fanboy would love to own. The ceiling is adorned from front to back with dozens of gorgeous posters, not just the run of the mill “ I got it at the local Wally World” posters, but genuine splash page, gatefold works of art depicting everything from “Civil War” to Alex Ross’ “Justice”. The two small but quaint dining areas are flanked with glass framed cabinetry, housing the biggest Marvel, DC and Star Wars statue collection that I have ever seen. You would think that a collection this large would have statues crammed on top of each other but it is well spaced, backlit and even set up to depict scenes; Spidey versus the Sinister Six looks amazing!

The” Wall Crawler” stands guard as you enter the compact but easy to maneuver comic shop. The space is loaded with clothing, trade paperbacks, toys (I finally found the ever elusive Marvel Universe series 2 Thor figure, thank you Odin!), and current comics ranging from The Green Lantern Corps #12 to Daredevil #500 variants! Find something you like?, just ask your waitress to add it to your bill and peruse it over dinner. If you would rather wait to feed your mind after your belly, pull yourself up to the bar and get your favorite beverage poured into your newly acquired Nova pint glass ($12.99 plus tax) and survey the dozens of comic covers that greet you from under the glass top of the bar.

“Say Cheese” and “The Comic Book Café,” good food, great atmosphere and the perfect Wednesday fix for any day of the week!

For more information on Say Cheese Pizza Company head on over to http://www.saycheesepizza.com/.