Like the great treasure that it is, the River Shark Café in North Amherst remained hidden from me for quite some time. Formerly known as Pizza Shark, a moniker that belied the awesome depth of its menu, this restaurant is simply fantastic. Though it is further from campus than any of my previous recommendations, the trip is well rewarded. The River Shark Café has hit the trifecta. Their pizza is the best in the area, their sandwiches are the best in the area, and their burritos are the best in the area.

Despite being less diverse and inventive than Antonio’s, their pizza is very clearly on the next level of quality when one compares the plain slices available at each. Also, I am forced to officially retract my statement from two weeks ago wherein I proclaimed Antonio’s the king of caprese style pizza. With their slightly cheesier approach, the River Shark Café is the true king, nay, god, of caprese pizza. Their crust is pure, delicious and perfectly chewy. The cheese is at the peak of freshness and has so much flavor that it borders on juicy. The sauce is comparable to that of John’s: well-spiced, not too sweet and just thick enough to bind the whole experience together in beautiful harmony. Even their calzones are of great merit, containing an ideal dough to filling ratio.

One would think that with pizza good enough to top Antonio’s, these wizards of the culinary arts would have quit while they were ahead, and remained Pizza Shark. However, they clearly were not content with domination of only one facet of the dining world. As such, the sandwiches at the River Shark Café are unbelievably good. In the battle for sandwich supremacy, their cheddar onion focaccia bread is a war crime of deliciousness. Truly, it is unfair for other sandwiches to have to compete with such a splendiferous offering. If they made a tripe sandwich with Brussels sprouts and American cheese and put it on this bread, it would still be edible, perhaps even palatable. So, when combined with top quality fresh ingredients in inventive combinations, the result is unbeatable.

Finally, we come to their burritos. Made with Spanish rice, just the right amount of beans and marvelous lime sour cream, these are burritos that ought make the owners of Bueno y Sano issue a formal apology to the Amherst community. Bueno y Sano is an insult to burritos and to burrito enthusiasts, when compared to the River Shark Café. Not only is the quality better, but the price is phenomenal. Three American dollars get you a “half burrito” that rivals Bueno y Sano’s “grande” in size. While this is the best deal available at this treasure trove of tastiness, their prices are very reasonable over all. Perhaps they could not be called “cheap,” but the quality of the food makes it an excellent value.

This is not to say that the River Shark Café is without issues. Their menu is a bit confusing and their wait staff is more than a bit confused. The ambience is pleasant in that it is relaxed and informal. However, this informality is actually the result of waiters not knowing who ordered what, forcing them to converse with patrons at length to avoid mistakes. This confusion stems from the fact that everyone orders at a main counter and then finds their own table. Not only is this system horribly inefficient during busy times, but it leads to waiters wandering the dining area echoing, “half burrito with shredded chicken?” It is like a more delicious version of Marco Polo. That being said, once your food finds you, all is forgiven with the first bite.