Tucked along Burlington’s Huffman Mill Road between Krispy Kreme and Cook-Out is a white building with an orange roof.
Inside, customers step into a dim dining room with green and red booths and drapery that runs through the center of the room.
The sign outside says Sal’s Italian Restaurant. The menu premises quality on a budget.
Sal’s opened in 1977. Today, Sal and Marco Mazzurco — sons of the Sicilian-born founder — manage the restaurant named after their grandfather, the oldest Sal in the family.
The brothers have spent most of their lives in the area. Both graduated from Elon University, Sal in 2006 and Marco in 2012.
Sal worked at his family’s restaurant during college and went on to open the Red Bull Tavern in Burlington in 2008. Marco also left Sal’s for his own restaurant endeavor, but both were drawn back to their family’s establishment.
“Our parents wanted to retire, so we came back and took over the restaurant so they could,” Sal said.
Sal’s has long had a good relationship with Elon students. It has donated to Elonthon for the last decade and has contributed to other student organizations as well.
“We try to give back to the students,” Sal said.
One of Sal’s future plans to offer more to students is the dorm feast. This to-go option includes a meal, salad and breadsticks for students interested in having home-cooked Italian in their college homes. Sal is hoping to roll out the new offer next fall.
The restaurant offers an instantly comfortable and relaxed dining experience. So relaxed, in fact, that when a patron asks what the soup of the day is, the waitress answers with, “I don’t know, somethin’ weird,” and turns around to ask a coworker.
In some establishments, this might be considered inappropriate or unprofessional. At Sal’s, the unapologetic honesty is just part of the overall charm.
Beyond the charm is simple, good food that offers something for everyone. Italian classics such as lasagna and eggplant parmesan are complemented by an unexpected spread of deli sandwiches.
“It’s as if you’re eating in the comfort of your own home,” said senior Bria Turner.
The lasagna comes to the table piping hot and smelling like the perfect combination of beef, cheese, sauce and fresh pasta. There is an overabundance of olive oil, but the ricotta is more carefully added, and the combination results in a creamy, gooey three-cheese mixture.
Another of Sal’s most popular dishes is the penne alla vodka. Though the pasta is a bit past al dente, the sauce is just right.
The onion, garlic and tomato base is enhanced with vodka — which cooks off — mixed with a touch of heavy cream and left to simmer. Sal’s sauce has a hint of spice and a great deal of flavor, and it arrives at the table in a shallow white bowl, tossed thoroughly with the penne.
Other dishes are popular among Elon students, as well.
“The ziti is to die for,” Turner said.
Dishes come with a side salad and a basket of breadsticks. Sliced cremini mushrooms add an unexpected twist to the Caesar salad, while the house salad keeps it simple with romaine lettuce, tomatoes and red onions.
The breadsticks are straight to the point: no garlic, no cheesy center, no extras at all — just warm, toasty bread ready to be pulled apart and dipped in one of the three sauce options or leftover vodka cream sauce.
Sal’s makes no attempt to be upscale and certainly avoids being overpriced. The food is the main event, and there is no garnish, unfamiliar wines or flourishes by the wait staff to distract from the dishes.
In the land of butter, biscuits and gravy, this restaurant offers an entirely different flavor palette with a comfortingly home-cooked taste. When the biscuit makers go home for the day and a Styrofoam to-go box seems too casual, Sal’s is a low-cost alternative that yields yummy results.