Pizzoodles' Toilets Boast Very Low Ceilings and Locked Supply Cabinet

Pizzoodles
56 Royal Palm PT
Vero Beach, FL

Where is it?

This is a small eatery is in a cozy strip mall that's surrounded by a canal and a lagoon. Finding the toilet isn't hard.

From the front entrance, head to the back of the place. The dining room will surround you at first, and then an open pizza kitchen will be on your left; it takes up most of the back left corner of the dining room. To the right of the pizza kitchen is a small hallway leading to the other kitchen. Go that way and you'll find the door to the bathroom about ten feet down on your right.

What's it like?

This modest, homey pizza chain (there's another location in nearby Fort Pierce) is a throwback to the cozy pizza chains of the northeast, of which there are many in Florida but few that serve much in terms of quality food. This one breaks the mold on that, offering a friendly atmosphere and some great eats.

Also, the menu doesn't limit itself to pizzeria favorites, while those are available as well. The pasta dishes here (the name of the place is a co-joining of the words "pizza" and "noodles") are delicious and well-portioned. Try the delectable "anglott," plump raviolis stuffed with veal and ricotta, or sink your teeth into the pizzas, which include a bevy of upscale combinations as well as strong renditions of traditional favorites.

The bathrooms are cozy and comfortable as well, however the low ceiling makes them a bit tough for taller visitors. (I'm only 5'7" and even I felt a little oppressed by the ceiling here.)

The walls here are covered with white tile with a red trim -- a bit of a more simplistic look than what I've seen at similarly designed bathrooms (like at Big Boy Diner). The floors are covered in a dark, bluish tile -- quite a refreshing change from the standard black linoleum or dirty faux red-brick covering the floors of most places I visit.

The toilet doesn't have much in terms of decor -- just a fake ficus tree in the back corner. An ornately framed mirror hangs over the sink, with a black soap dispenser beside it. Fixtures are your standard white porcelain but are clean and in good working order. It's a very clean environment and odor-free -- an accomplishment considering the slight cave-like feel here. (Though it's not nearly as cave-like as, say, the Pulkovo International Airport toilet I visited in Russia.)

Strangely, the toilet (a one-bagger for both sexes) also seems to double as a supply closet. I found, behind the ficus, some high chairs stacked up, and the far back corner houses a six-foot-tall plastic deck closet, which was locked with a bicycle chain lock. (Quite a turnabout from, say, Country Ham 'n' Eggs, which seemed all too willing to show of the contents of its bathroom cabinet.) Why was it locked? I can't say. Perhaps that's where the safe it? Or where the secret recipe to the place's award-winning sauce is?

Of course, I should note that the ceiling is only a few inches higher than the top of that cabinet, so that gives you an idea of how low the ceiling is here. Just a smidgen over six feet, really.

Marks out of 10:

7. Cozy and curious, what with the locked cabinet and all. Still, the low ceiling.....

Marks out of 10:

I can't really ask you to increase the ceiling space, since that was given to you from the get go. Though you may want to add some more decoration here to make the place feel more lush -- in turn, making it seem more spacious as well. Also, if you can, consider moving your supplies and extra furniture elsewhere -- not sure if I'd want my kid sitting on a booster chair that has been near a guy who recently stunk up the toilet, if you know what I mean.