Reviews of Velvet Elvis Pizza Company Patagonia Arizona

Reviews

"It may be unreasonable to expect pizza excellence on Naugle Avenue -- Main Street, Patagonia, USA. But since December, owner Cecilia Bermeo [San Miguel] has been proving that she'll meet those expectations.

We had nary a disappointment at VELVET ELVIS, which has a mishmash decor. It's part Zen meets Western art meets Kokopelli meets -- yes -- a black velvet Elvis Presley painting. Somehow it all works, and it's helped immensely by delicious food, like the Greek salad ($7.50) . . . Doused in an olive oil that tastes like olives and with loads of feta cheese, the salad would be a quality meal by itself. We also ordered a one-size-fits-all pizza (16 inches, $16.99) covered with pepperoni, sausage, Canadian bacon, mushrooms and black olives, and affectionately nicknamed "The Good, the Bad & the Ugly."

Cecilia San Miguel
and son J.P.

The thin-crust, aromatic pizza clearly benefited from Bermeo's [San Miguel's] herbal garden in the front yard (we even spied her clipping basil for the next day's sauce.

The day's best treat was Velvet Elvis' Pink Limonada, a blend of hibiscus tea and fresh-squeezed lime ($1.50). Yum.

Bermeo [San Miguel] rounds out her menu with build-your-own pizzas and slices, calzones, soups, veggie options, and rich, healthful pressed fruit juices."

The Arizona Daily Star, August 6, 1999

". . . small and quaint don't have to mean backward. Besides a decent cup of joe, [Patagonia] offers other urban comforts, including a sprinkling of fun and interesting restaurants serving food that puts most small-town fare to shame. My favorite is the VELVET ELVIS, where you can munch sophisticated, wood-fired pizza while sunning on a colorful Mexican patio."

Phoenix magazine, March 2001

. . . in Patagonia is the VELVET ELVIS PIZZA COMPANY. Where else can you find a pizza parlor plus juice bar offering an interior decorated with a nod to the Southwest, a salute to South American, and a bow to the King himself? Patio dining is offered as well as interior tables with views of -- you guessed it -- the velvet Elvis.

Highroads Magazine, October 2001

REVIEWS FROM CHEF MOZ DINING GUIDE
chefmoz.org

"PLACE ON YOUR 'MUST DO' LIST
A stop at the Velvet Elvis will be a pleasant one. The food is freshly made from natural ingredients. More for grown up taste than what youth would prefer. If you are looking for fast food or commercial style - it will be the wrong place. If you are looking for impecable cleanliness of kitchen and restaurant you will be delighted. Cecelia, the owner will not accept shortcuts in quality of her products.

"The restaurant is inviting of any culture and is a refreshing blend of organic, natural, modern, hippie, hiker, metaphysical, Western, Native American, Hispanic, upscale, artsy, vegetarian, and meat lovers, or a blend of all of these. Velvet Elvis compliments Patagonia very well. The kitchen is modern and beautifully designed, always impecably clean. I have tried several dishes and have never been disapointed. Reservations are not required, Patagonia is a quiet park like community. I know of no other restaurant of this style, but more would be refreshing. "

Recommended Dishes: Whatever your taste prefers

Anonymous, Aznaz/Z Works
December 16, 2002

"WHAT A PLACE!
Loved the food, the atmosphere, Cecelia (the owner), the Velvet Elvis, the Lady of Guadalupe shrine, the patio (flowers, hummingbirds & all)! Get a map - skip the big cities - find Patagonia! It's worth the drive! Wish I were still there! I'd be the most frequent customer!"

Food: Service: Ambiance: Overall:
Recommended Dishes: GREEK SALAD, LENTIL SOUP, EL SICILIANO CALZONE

BARB, PALATINE, IL
April 15, 2003

"FANTASTIC RESTUARANT IN SO-AZS MOST BEAUTIFUL TOWN!
Patagonia is quite possibly southern Arizona's most beautiful town. With rivers, birdwatching and a great town square nothing in SOAZ beats it. Then there is the Velvet Elvis. The owners are mad scientists. The food there is well worth the trip and expense. It is hard to believe that such good dining exists in the middle of nowhere. BUT it does."

Food: Service: Ambiance: Overall:
Recommended Dishes: EVERYTHING

Daniel Ramirez
May 12, 2003

"I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT !
The food was fantastic. I was blown away by the quality and purity of the hand made pizza. This would impress even the President and his croneys. How can a woman by herself create such a wonderful array of basic food needs that light up your life so? It is certainly worth the drive. An experience to remember. WOW!"

Food: Service: Ambiance: Overall:
Recommended Dishes: Hand made artachoke mezza

Redhorse Nexperce
October 2003

"WORTH THE DRIVE-- FROM ANYWHERE
My first visit was when visiting the Patagonia area. Fell in love with the Velvet Elvis. Was in Phoenix and drove from there for lunch. Stayed and had dinner, also. Am looking for any excuse to go back to Arizona. I am originally from Chicago and must state for the record that this pizza is the best I have ever eaten."

Food: Service: Ambiance: Overall:
Recommended Dishes: Anything

Randy, Greer
November 16, 2003

" YES, YES, YES
The Velvet Elvis in Patagonia, Arizona is well worth the detour. After you eat there, you will find it hard to accept the sub-standard fare so common in little, out of the way places. And now, there's La Mision de San Miguel! Enjoy a pizza and salad for lunch at The V.E. then stick around for tapas and dancing at La Mision (from 6p.m. to 1a.m.Fri-Sun). Same owner, Cecilia San Miguel, same service, fabulous ambiance, great drinks.Tucson? Phoenix? Forget it... Patagonia is the place for me."

Food: Service: Ambiance: Overall:
Recommended Dishes: they're all good, new ones added every week

Anonymous
February 1, 2004

" This casual hangout sums up the unusual character of Patagonia's residents. Faux-finished walls ooze artiness, while paeans to pop culture include shrines to both the Virgin Mary and Elvis. The menu features a variety of pizzas heaped with veggies, cheeses, and meats, but if you can remember to plan a day in advance, you should call in an order for the Inca quinoa pizza. Add an organic salad and accompany it with some fresh juice, microbrew, espresso, or organic wine."

Frommer's

From National Geographic, December 2006/January 2007

OVERNIGHT IN PATAGONIA ARIZONA. Old mountain bikers don't die, they retire to Patagonia in the Apache Highlands area of southeast Arizona. The arty enclave is a knobhead's paradise, with tons of challenging trails, varied terrain, non-stop sunshine, and a good cup of joe. Set up camp at a lakeside site in Patagonia Lake State Park (www.azparks.gov), then ride 15 miles of the Arizona Trail from the post office in town to Canelo Pass. To the west, the 38-mile Kentucky Camp Trail, a figure-eight loop tagged as "epic" by the International Mountain Bicycling Association, climbs high into the Santa Rita Mountains. Get your morning jolt at Gathering Grounds (520 394-2097), then toast the end of a successful day over a wood-fired pie at Velvet Elvis Pizza.

From Phoenix Magazine's 2007 Arizona Travel Guide

. . . Of course, no trip to Patagonia is complete without a hearty lunch at the Velvet Elvis Pizza Company, located at the edge of town, where enjoying a savory slice of cheese pizza next to an even cheesier velvet painting of the King is worth the three-hour trip south.