An Ocala pizzeria has closed its location along Silver Springs Boulevard after a decade in business.
Blue Highway Pizzeria appears to have closed its doors for good. As of this weekend, roadway signage has been removed and the building has largely been cleared.
The pizzeria’s listings on Google and Yelp also show that the restaurant is “temporarily closed.”
According to state corporate records, Blue Highway Pizzeria is owned and operated by Rock Hospitality Partners, LLC, which is managed by Jerriel Bazile.
Bazile took over Blue Highway completely in the fall of 2018, and the location no longer had any connection with others by the same name in Micanopy and Tioga.
In 2019, Bazile opened J Rocks Pizzeria, which specializes in seafood pizzas.
In 2021, Blue Highway was temporarily closed multiple times due to failed health inspections.
Although there were many positive online reviews for the restaurant over the years, one of the last Google reviews the restaurant received was from a customer who allegedly found a small roach crawling over their pizza.
Blue Highway Pizzeria is one of several restaurants that have permanently closed in Ocala over the past year.
Lorito’s, an Italian restaurant just west of the pizzeria on Silver Springs Boulevard, closed its doors last summer after 50 years in business.
Pie-O-Mine closed its pizzeria at Market Street at Heath Brook last October.
Madras Cafe closed its vegan Indian buffet in Ocala around the same time as Lorito’s.
Crave Hot Dogs & BBQ closed its location in the Shady Oaks Shopping Center in the fall, just a few months after the restaurant replaced Kotobuki.