Lions Pizza Den produces some deliciously cheesy pizza pies, along with a wide variety of other great hot meal selections.
Located on the Woodbury Square, the local and independent establishment, owned and operated by Jeannie and Randy Durham for 18 years now, is a hometown favorite for the folks of Cannon County.
Word has spread beyond the county line, with some traveling from other communities to make Lions their pizza restaurant of preference.
“Lions Pizza Den makes their own dough from scratch—the pizza I had, and the baskets of fresh-baked breadsticks, were out of this world,” one Lions patron, Shayna Matthews, stated after a recent visit. “You have to try their pizzas!”
The restaurant serves these breadsticks with all dine-in orders
Another recent customer, Joe, said his pie of choice is the extra-large Lions Special with pepperoni, ham, beef, sausage, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, black olives and extra cheese.
“I’m over 50 and have eaten several pizzas in my day. I can’t think of a better one in Tennessee,” he posted.
Named after the Cannon County High School Lions, Lions Pizza Den makes available a fantastic, homemade stuffed crust.
They are very generous with the cheese in the stuffed crust, as some other restaurants have become stingier with the amount of cheese in their own stuffed-crust pizzas.
It is awesomely cheesy and tasty.
Numerous diners say they highly recommend the buffalo chicken pizza and the pepperoni rolls, while a customer named Hunter says “their best work is pepperoni, bell peppers and onions.” He also acknowledged that the small business is pricier than some chain pizza places, but Lions makes quality pizzas along with a huge assortment of other dining options.
More Lions Pizza Den specialty pizzas include the taco pizza, with taco-seasoned beef, lettuce, tomato and cheddar cheese, served with sides of salsa and sour cream, or the steak pizza with seasoned steak, green peppers and onion with a choice of ranch or alfredo sauce instead of marinara. The onion and pepper in this steak pizza are diced very small, good for those who do not like very large chunks of vegetables on pizza. They cook more evenly this way. And the steak is shaved nice and thin.
Flips are calzone-like creations, a pizza with one side flipped over, making a half-moon shape. Lions offers these with all of the pizza toppings available to combine.
Pasta dishes include lasagna, chicken alfredo and spaghetti. Even for those who don’t want pizza or pasta, the menu has a lot to pick from. Lions additionally serves cheeseburgers, fries, subs, wraps, Philly cheesesteaks and other sandwiches.
The Durhams value all of the customer support from Woodbury and surrounding areas over the years, as well as the opportunity to continue serving food even during the stranger periods of 2020.
“We have been very blessed,” Jeannie said.
While Jeannie can be found at the restaurant most every day—other than Sunday—Randy holds a factory job in Nashville, he says, working seven out of every 14 days. On his days off from that gig, though, he can be found at Lions.
“I just work for her,” Randy says. “I’m trying to get her to fire me,” he jokes.
The two seem to work together just fine, producing all sorts of delicious things in the Lions kitchen, from cakes and pies to steaks and potatoes.
“Watch out for exploding cans of caramel,” Randy warns with a laugh. Speaking of those sweet caramel pies, the restaurant has all sorts of dessert creations, including chocolate or apple dessert pizzas.
If the pizza, pasta, sandwiches, flips and chicken aren’t enough, diners can also find plate lunches at Lions Den Pizza, country fried steaks, baked tilapia, hamburger steaks and veggies and such, truly making the available selections at Lions Den a very large variety of choices.
Lions delivers to all of Cannon County, and even into parts of Rutherford.
“It’s reasonably priced,” Derrick Morrison said. “And the owner was very nice.”
Cindy Parsley Richmond agrees and appreciates that “the owner takes time to come and talk and make you feel welcomed.
“I believe it to be the best place in Woodbury to eat,” she continued. “Food is amazing and all homemade; I’ll be back many times.”
Another diner reported that the pizza, flips and pasta are all good, but her only complaint would be that delivery time can sometimes be lengthy.
But Lions continues to earn customers and produce pizzas, causing another customer, Angelo, to proclaim it as “one of the best BBQ chicken pizzas I have ever had.”
Lions Pizza Den
113 N. Cannon St., Woodbury
Monday–Thursday: 3–9 p.m.; Friday: 3–10 p.m.; Saturday: 2–10 p.m.
615-563-1212
Large two-topping pizza: $17.67
Cheeseburger with fries: $6.59
Medium Lions Special, steak, BBQ chicken, Hawaiian or other specialty pizza: $16.49
Chicken tenders (half pound): $4.94; Personal cheese pizza: $6.59; Meat and 3 plate: $7.50
___
