Shakespeare’s is unique because of the friendly atmosphere that greets every pizza lover who walks through the door past a pizza kitchen where diners can watch their dough being tossed. Music plays over the speakers, occasionally interrupted by announcements for pizza using any name the customer chooses, either their own or something more creative. I once heard there was a pizza for Godzilla waiting at the front. This laid-back atmosphere that caters to the university across the steet is the number one thing that draws diners to one of the two Shakespeare’s locations in town, though the food itself is well worth it too. Whether preferring a simple cheese pizza on white crust or a new experience like bacon and artichoke hearts on Shakespeare’s famous wheat, Columbia’s staple will have the variety to satisfy every customer. Plus they’ve been around for 35 years, as their durable take-home cups say, with a constant smile and some fun antics visible in the kitchen through a long-standing Plexiglas wall. Every Columbian, big or small, loves a trip to Shakespeares for the great crowd found there. And if children’s baseball after-game dinners aren’t your thing, after the kids and their teams filter out, the full bar in the middle room turns a little rowdier and the pinball machines in the third room back are always a good escape from a boring dining experience.