At Morazi’s International Grill, customers are not just customers — they’re family. This restaurant is so rooted in the community that locals simply call it, “Terri and Max’s place.”

The International Grill has been a local fixture since 1987, when ownership was passed down from the Highlander Seafood Restaurant. Generations of customers have dined at this community epicenter. Owner Terri Akhlaghi has witnessed regulars grow up, just as regulars have witnessed her own children grow up. When her children were in diapers, they set up a play-pen at the restaurant.

Off of Highway 87, Morazi’s is a short seven-minute drive and a total of three turns from campus.

Terri Akhlaghi was born in Mexico City. Raised by a restaurant family, she’s been around the business since early childhood. Her husband, Max, born in Iran, is the manager of Acorn Coffee Shop.

Terri Akhlaghi originally founded the place as a pizzeria, but she soon realized her advantage — she and her husband both have unique backgrounds. Thus, Morazi’s International Grill was born. You can find anything from Mexican to Persian, Indian to Greek cuisines here.

But not so fast — the pizza at Morazi’s is nothing to look past. They use homemade dough and sauce, recipes perfected during the last 25 years. They use a 50 percent whole milk and 50 percent skim milk mozzarella mixed with provolone to match New York-style pizza.

To honor the roots of the former Highlander restaurant, a seafood menu was recently added at Morazi’s. This was by request of regulars who needed somewhere to satisfy their seafood fix. Whitefish is fried Southern-style and the hand-breaded fresh fish was a delightful surprise.

Requests from customers are welcome at Morazi’s International Grill. I heard a story about one regular who does a lot of business in India and the Middle East. After his request, Wednesday nights are Indian or Persian nights at Morazi’s.

Philly cheesesteaks are “as good as Philly,” they claim. I’ve never been to Philadelphia, so I couldn’t fairly compare. But upon my first bite, I was thinking I might need to take a trip up there sometime soon. The secret is the meat itself — it’s quality ribeye shipped in from New Jersey. And they don’t skimp on it either — the large cheesesteak will have eight ounces of the shaved meat accompanied by caramelized onions from the grill.

Fire-breathing fanatics are in for a treat here. My favorite option is the buffalo wings. For those brave enough, Akhlaghi will use homegrown habanero peppers to turn up the heat in her homemade sauce.

A place like this makes it tough for a food critic to be solely critiquing food. Yes, food is the main event here. And yes, the food does receive high marks. But as you sit in Morazi’s and take it in, you realize food is only the part of the reason to come here. You feel like family here and no food can substitute that.

Visit Morazi's Pizza & International Grill at: 2085 North NC Highway 87, Burlington, N.C.