History

Blue Highway, a pizzeria is a small roadside restaurant located on scenic Highway 441, at the entrance to historic Micanopy near Gainesville, Florida. The ambiance is fun, funky and casual reminding one that driving down the back roads of small town USA sometimes brings unexpected treasures.

Blue Highway at Tioga, located in Tioga Town Center is our new location answering the demand for high quality pizza in Gainesville. Located just 4 miles west of the I 75 Newberry Road exit, our menu has expanded to offer pastas and fabulous daily specials.

Our Tioga location is a perfect setting for not only the best pizza in Gainesville but also some of the best food in town too. A display kitchen allows for a bird’s-eye view into the making of the quality food that Blue Highway is famous for. The atmosphere is still fun, funky and family-friendly.

Frequently asked questions:

The food is incredible: How did you come to be here?

“It’s all about the food,” is Executive Chef, Frank Ruffino’s credo. A happy casualty of corporate downsizing, Chef Ruffino knows the business of making great food. As former residents of Gainesville, he and his wife and partner Winny, loved the area when they lived and worked here in the late 1980’s. Frank served as the Executive Chef at the University of Florida before being recruited to work in the Atlantic Seaboard area. After working in the national arena of corporate food service and winning numerous awards, the opportunity to return to the Gainesville area presented itself.

Pizza and Gainesville were a winning combination, and while visiting friends in Micanopy the opportunity to start a small “Mom and Pop” restaurant presented itself. We have been in business for 6 years and have loved every minute of living and working in the Gainesville area. This is truly a family affair, and our daughter Layla is an integral part of the growing pizza business.

Why did you name the restaurant “Blue Highway?”

The name comes from the book titled: Blue Highways, A Journey into Small Town America, by William Least Heat Moon. We have a painting titled “Blue Highway” of just such a road by the artist Kathleen Wobie displayed at our Tioga location. Local art is shown at both restaurants.

Do you take reservations?

If your party is 6 or more we suggest you call and we will do our best to accommodate you as close to possible to the time of your arrival. We also have dining al fresco at both locations, when weather permits.