Dining experiences often come with a side of history, but few restaurants serve their meals in a former hospital with reports of paranormal activity. O’Zone Pizza Pub in Pensacola, Florida, transforms the basement of an old Sacred Heart Hospital into a culinary destination where Mediterranean pizzas meet medical artifacts and perhaps, ghostly encounters. The establishment doesn’t capitalize on the spooky factor, instead letting its quality ingredients and craft beers speak for themselves, while patrons occasionally wonder if that movement in the corner was a server or something more.
Pizza With a Paranormal Past
Cradled in the shadowy basement of Pensacola’s former Sacred Heart Hospital, O’Zone Pizza Pub serves up delicious Mediterranean-inspired pies with a side of spine-tingling ambiance. The historic medical facility, constructed in 1915, operated for approximately five decades before relocating to a more contemporary location, leaving behind its gothic, castle-like structure that now houses this unique eatery.
While rumors persist that the restaurant occupies a former morgue space, this claim remains unverified among local historians and longtime residents.
The establishment offers patrons a captivating blend of culinary delights and historical curiosity. Visitors can savor specialty pizzas like the Italian Flag and Ponderosa Stomp while surrounded by remnants of the building’s medical past. Like many who have embraced a DIY ethos in their lifestyle, the restaurant owners transformed an institutional space into something warm and welcoming for families. Notably, despite the supposedly haunted setting, O’Zone’s menu doesn’t incorporate spooky themes, instead focusing on quality ingredients and craft beer selections that have earned positive reviews from locals and tourists alike.
Ghost stories permeate the building’s lore, with claims of paranormal activity concentrated mainly in the upper floors. Staff and guests occasionally report hearing unexplained music and screams emanating from inaccessible areas, while legends speak of a ghostly nurse who wanders the halls. The fourth and fifth floors are particularly known for their paranormal activity according to local ghost hunters.
However, the pizza pub itself hasn’t gained the same haunted reputation as other notorious locations, creating a relatively comfortable dining environment for the less supernaturally inclined.
Adventurous patrons can investigate portions of the lower floors, where antique medical equipment remains on display, offering glimpses into early 20th-century healthcare practices. The contrast between enjoying a modern dining experience within such a historically significant and allegedly haunted space creates a distinctive atmosphere that draws curious visitors.
Today, the former Sacred Heart Hospital building hosts multiple businesses, including another restaurant, law offices, and a school. This repurposing preserves a crucial piece of Pensacola’s architectural and medical history, allowing guests to literally taste the past while reflecting on the building’s storied legacy, both mundane and mysterious, over a slice of Mediterranean-inspired pizza and a cold craft beer.
