Always Bongiorno at this Poway Pizza Place

I'm a little biased about this place—I'll admit it now.

Because as soon as I walked in, my heart melted.

An 18-month-old toddler named Joseph, the son of the owner, greeted me when I walked in and I was sold on Bongiorno's New York Pizzeria located in the Poway Valley Center.

The pizza place is a classic hole-in-the-wall with plenty on the menu to choose from for any vegetarian.

Yup, plenty.

So here's what we had:

1. White Pie: garlic, mozzarella, spinach, ricotta and Parmesan.

2. Pesto: mozzarella, ricotta, pesto sauce and roasted red peppers.

3. Margherita: garlic, mozzarella, fresh tomato and basil.

4. Mediterranean pasta: penne pasta, spinach, garlic, sundried tomatoes and feta cheese.

5. Caesar salad: romaine, Parmesan cheese and homemade croutons (dressing isn't vegetarian).

After having a bite of each dish, it was difficult for me to decide which was best. Each pizza had its own unique and very delicious taste while the pasta was perfectly tossed and didn't feel overwhelming as most pasta dishes do. My dining companion, the most carnivorest person you'll ever meet, was even fond of the dishes (though she eventually ordered the bacon and jalapenos pizza and fell in love with that too).

So after taking a few more bites of each dish (they were all really, really good), here are my picks, in order:

1. I'm a pesto girl: homemade pesto, Costco pesto and now Bongiorno pesto—so, I'm choosing the pesto slice as my favorite.

2. White Pie: a popular dish for the regulars according to the owner, is second best.

3. Mediterranean pasta: I'm not big on pasta carbs, but this dish is well worth an extra hour and a half of yoga.

4. Margherita: It was subtle and simple and yum.

5. Caesar salad: I'm not a fan of romaine and my dining companion ordered the salad, but the croutons were impressive.

But the restaurant had more than just these vegetarian dishes on the menu—in fact, nearly half of their menu caters to the herbivores, and at $2.25 for a slice of pizza, I'm heading back.

Vegetarian-friendliness on a scale of 1-10: 20. The restaurant gets a 10, then gets an extra 10 points for having cutie Joseph around.