Cravings Cafe builds on beach appeal

Cravings even has a beach delivery service.

Before visiting, check out the Cravings Cafe’s website for coupons. Recent discounts included a large cheese pizza for $7 (it normally costs $10); $2 off any 12-wing order; $3 off any large artisan pizza; and $2 off the cafe’s signature breakfast pizza, known as “Brizza.’’

Our party of five (two adults and three youngsters) opted to eat lunch inside the restaurant, on an afternoon when almost all of the 48 seats were empty.

The staff was friendly and welcoming, and smiled when they saw the kids come in. The place was roomy and sunny, the large storefront windows were streak-free, and there wasn’t a speck of dust in the place.

Just past the front door is a pastry case filled with cupcakes the size of softballs, each covered in generous amounts of thick frosting and bearing tempting names like Death By Chocolate, Oh My God Coconut, and Luscious Lemon.

After we prodded and pried the children’s (and our own) faces away from the dessert case, we wandered over to the drink refrigerators and helped ourselves to 20-ounce bottles of soda ($1.70.)

Then we gathered around the menu, which is displayed on large chalkboard-like panels. There were more than 20 types of specialty sandwiches and wraps, from basic comfort food like the Turkey Gobbler ($6.85) to a more-sophisticated strawberry-arugula-pecan chicken wrap ($8.40).

The cafe’s pizza varieties include thin-crust Italian, and artisan ($13 small, $17 large) featuring such creations as the Mexicani (made with chicken, hamburger, mozzarella, onions, salsa, banana peppers, and oregano) and lemon (which includes provolone, cheddar, ham, onions, fresh lemon zest, black pepper and baby arugula — but no red sauce).

My adult dining companion ordered a small chicken-salad sub ($5.75). It was served as a sandwich, on two of the fattest slices of bread we’d ever seen, each a half-inch thick. She said it tasted delicious and she could tell the ingredients were fresh.