Save for some paint and new picture frames, Eddie Martinho didn’t change much from the former Anna Maria’s.

He did bring his own recipes, though, to newly-opened Macho’s Pizza in Burlington, the shop that occupies the end spot in Stan’s Plaza on South Church Street.

The menu is similar, and even some of the cooks are the same at Macho’s, which formally opened its doors Jan. 2 after about a three-month selling process.

“There’s some twists,” Martinho said of the menu. “I kept the stuff I knew would sell better than keeping a lot of stuff that’s just sitting there — a lot of dinners.”

There are two options for pizza: New York style or Martinho’s special Macho style. The latter is a four-cheese deep dish pizza with garlic crust. The toppings go underneath the cheese blend of which includes provolone, mozzarella, Monterey Jack and cheddar.

If you like cheese, it’s for you.

The four-cheese blend is tasty, but only for the cheese lover. The garlic crust is an excellent addition, and the toppings always taste better underneath the cheese.

There aren’t any specialty pizzas listed on the menu, like Anna Maria’s used to have. Rather, the new menu just sports a list of 19 different toppings. Martinho said he can do specialty pizzas but didn’t want to “clutter the menu” with a long list of them.

Macho’s also offers a gluten-free pizza.

“Basically, if you know what you want, we can make it,” he said.

The Macho’s menu also has a slew of appetizers like Garlic knots and fried calamari, along with stromboli, calzones, subs, burgers and pasta.

There’s a special Macho’s style for each section of the menu, too. The Macho Dinner is your choice of pasta with meatballs, Italian sausage, chicken, sauce and cheese; while the Macho Combo sub
includes turkey, ham, roast beef, salami and cheese and the Macho burger is a double bacon cheeseburger with onion rings and a special Macho’s sauce.

Macho’s has steak and cheese subs and chicken phillies, and the Macho’s Cheese Steak is loaded with
nine toppings.

There’s a vegetarian menu too and a number of salads. The $6.95 unlimited salad bar special lives on from Anna Maria’s, and it’s moved closer to the door for prominence, Martinho said.

Other than the menu, Martinho made a few changes to the look of the restaurant.

He painted the interior and put up photos to go along with the name of the restaurant — Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Bruce Lee, John Wayne and Arnold Schwarzenegger are some of the celebrities that line the walls.

He’s still making tweaks, though, so expect more changes as the restaurant settles in.

Martinho also said Macho’s can do catering. The restaurant delivers at lunch and dinner, and is open seven days a week.

Martinho, who’s worked in the food industry for 30 years, used to operate his family business, Martinho’s Bakery & Deli in Mebane. He knew the former owner of Anna Maria’s and so far, the transition has
been smooth.

“[Business] has been pretty good,” he said. “People have been responding pretty well to it. We’re trying to concentrate on an overwhelming amount of customer service.”

The menu does feel a lot less jumbled, like Martinho was hoping. And the new paint and photos give it a more relaxed feel inside.

“You’re going to get a lot of food for your buck,” Martinho said. “We just want the public to enjoy their experience here. We’re going to change a few things still — slowly but surely, we’re getting a few things.”

The Macho style pizza is worth a try, and the New York style is tasty — Macho’s sells by the slice as well.

Overall, it’s not too different from Anna Maria’s. If you liked the old Anna Maria’s, you’ll enjoy Macho’s Pizza.