Antonio’s Pizza and Pasta of Porters Neck is now featuring a summer menu as well as Sunday breakfast.

The summer menu features fresh seasonal vegetables like sweet corn and tomatoes and seafood such as mahi mahi, shrimp and mussels. Several of the dishes are not traditional Italian fare, offering a change of pace for regulars.

“We wanted our regulars to have another reason to come in and dine with us,” said owner Jason James. “We know they’re not always in the mood for Italian.”

James, who has owned Antonio’s since November of 2011, works closely with chef Jason Raynor to continually expand the restaurant’s offerings. James and Raynor have collaborated at two of James’ previous endeavors, Italian Bistro in downtown Wilmington and Sauce Italian Grille in Cornelius, North Carolina.

James says Raynor has free rein to craft new menu items and is always willing to let him try out new ideas for the restaurant.

“I have total confidence in him. If he says we should try something, I’m open to it,” said James.

The inspiration for the breakfast menu came from customer feedback.

“There really are not many places at this end of town that offer breakfast,” said James. “While we’re not ready to serve it seven days a week, we figured we’d start out with Sundays and see how it goes. If it does well we might consider serving it on Saturdays as well.”

The breakfast menu contains some traditional selections like French toast and pancakes, which are served with fresh fruit and a blueberry muffin. Customers are also offered the option to build their own breakfast pizza.

“My pizza guys are here at that time anyway,” said James. “So we figured we’d have some fun with breakfast pizzas.”

Antonio’s Pizza and Pasta is open for Sunday breakfast from 10am to 2pm. Lunch begins at 11am on Sunday.  Regular hours are 11am to 9pm Monday through Thursday and 11am to 9:30pm Friday and Saturday. The eatery is at 8211 Market Street in the Porters Neck Center.

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