Rocky Rococo Pizza

Basic Information:

Pizza: Rocky Rococo Pizza

Number of Locations: 31, mostly in Wisconsin
Location Reviewed: Fox River Mall Food Court in Appleton, WI
Website: https://rockyrococo.com/
Date of Review Visit: October 2025
What I Ordered: small pizza with Italian sausage and pepperoni
Price: $20.01 (pizza only)
Photos:

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: Rocky Rococo Pizza has a thick crust, but it is not quite your typical Chicago-style pan crust.  The crust is very bready; it has a soft texture with a crusty outer edge.  This crust is very good.  Score: 10/10

Sauce: The sauce is on the bitter side, and this pizza is slightly undersauced.  I like sweet sauces, so to my taste palette the sauce is the worst feature of this pizza.  Score: 7/10

Cheese: This pizza has plenty of yummy cheese, and it does not produce a lot of grease.  Excellent!  Score: 10/10

Toppings: The sausage is a sweet Italian sausage that comes in nice large chunks.  The pepperoni has a mild seasoned pork taste.  Both toppings appear in above average quantity.  Score: 9/10

Overall Taste: The bitter flavor from the sauce really hurts because everything else combines to make a tasty pizza.  Score: 8.5/10

Pizza Appearance: Rocky Rococo makes rectangular pizzas, so they are bigger than you might think for the size you order.  It looks like the robust pizza it is.

Dining Atmosphere: The location I visited is located in a standard mall food court, and therefore the dining atmosphere feels like a mall food court with lots of people, noise, and other dining options around.

Customer Service: This location has counter service.  The service was quick, but they were not busy when I came here at 5pm on a Monday.

Monetary Value: The price is a mall price, i.e. it is high relative to what you put in your mouth.  Note that the price I give above is only for the pizza; drinks would have been extra.

The Final Judgment:

Rocky Rococo is a remarkable regional reward among Wisconsin pizzas.  I'd rave over this restaurant, but I reserve my regards due to the wretched-to-me sauce and the rocket-high price.  Score: 84/100

LaRosa's Family Pizzeria in Cincinnati, OH: Stuffed Pizza

Basic Information:

Pizza: LaRosa’s Family Pizzeria

Number of Locations: about 50, mostly near Cincinnati, OH

Location Reviewed: 96 Blackburn Lane in Dry Ridge, KY (just east of I-75, exit 159)

Website: https://www.larosas.com/

Date of Review Visit: October 2025

What I Ordered: Small stuffed pizza with sausage, pepperoni, and ham; cherry Coke to drink

Price: $23.72 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

Summary Review: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Like all stuffed pizzas, LaRosa’s stuffed pizza has 2 crusts: one on top and one on bottom.  While the 2 crusts are not identical, both crusts have taken direct oven heat, and both crusts are on the hard and crispy side.  There is also the hard and crispy super thick crust around the edge of the pizza.  Finally, they sprinkle a lot of spices atop the pizza, way too many for my taste.  The spices don't directly have to do with the crust, but I needed to mention them somewhere.  Score: 6/10.

Sauce: There is no sauce in the pizza; they give it to you in small cups for spreading or dipping.  They offer several sauce options, but I chose the standard pizza sauce.  The sauce uses high quality ingredients and has just the right amount of seasoning with spices.  I really like this sauce, but I kind of wish it was in the pizza.  Score: 9/10.

Cheese: This pizza has a 4-cheese blend that makes the cheese more flavorful than their usual provolone.  There is a very small amount of grease.  Perfecto!  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The sausage is just a little spicy and comes in nice-sized chunks.  The pepperoni is fairly average, but the ham has nice pork flavor and produces little grease.  There are plenty of "toppings" stuffed between the crusts.  Score: 10/10.

Overall Taste: The spices sprinkled atop the pizza combine with the spiciness of the sauce and the spiciness of the sausage to produce too much spiciness for me.  I like my food to taste like what it is, not like a bunch of spices.  Also, the outer crust is too hard and thick.  Score: 8/10.

Pizza Appearance: The appearance is quite pleasing save for the super thick crust around the edge.  

Dining Atmosphere: Most LaRosa’s locations have an excellent casual dining atmosphere, and Dry Ridge is no exception.

Customer Service: I have always enjoyed the service at LaRosa's.

Monetary Value: The price is somewhat low given the quality of pizza and dining experience you get. LaRosa’s stacks up far better than its casual dining competitors in this category.

The Final Judgment:

LaRosa’s is a Cincinnati favorite, but I prefer their regular pizzas over this stuffed pizza.  The stuffed pizza has too much spiciness, plus the crust is too hard and thick.  Score: 88/100.

Cacciatori Pizza & Pasta in Newark, DE

Basic Information:

Pizza: Cacciatori Pizza & Pasta

Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 108 Louviers Drive (back right corner of Louviers Shopping Plaza on Paper Mill Road north of Newark, DE)
Website: https://cacciatoris.com/
Date of Review Visit: September 2025
What I Ordered: Personal (10") pizza with pepperoni and sausage; 20 oz Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $14.45 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

Summary Review:  5 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: Cacciatori Pizza & Pasta makes a New York style pizza with a characteristically thin crust.  The crust has a nice crispy texture but not a lot of flavor, bready or otherwise.  I like this crust, but I've had better.  Score: 8/10

Sauce: This pizza has plenty of sauce, and it has a great tomatoey taste.  This is some of the best sauce I have ever had.  Because 10 is as high as this score can go...  Score: 10/10

Cheese: This pizza has plenty of yummy cheese, but it is slightly greasy.  Thus, a slight deduction applies.  Score: 9/10

Toppings: Both the sausage and pepperoni have a nice pork flavor with just a little bit of spiciness.  Both toppings appear in plenty of quantity.  Magnifico!  Score: 10/10

Overall Taste: The sauce steals the show, but everything works together well to create a very yummy pizza.  Score: 9.5/10

Pizza Appearance: The pizza looks like the tasty New York style pizza that it is.

Dining Atmosphere: Cacciatori has a small but nice casual dining area with several TVs for entertainment.

Customer Service: The service was a little disjoint on my visit: I wasn't immediately sure if they have table service or counter service.  Once I figured out how and where to order, the pizza was made and delivered to my table quickly.

Monetary Value: reasonable price plus high quality pizza equals above average value.

The Final Judgment:

Cacciatori Pizza & Pasta is one of my favorite pizzas anywhere.  If you find yourself near northwest Delaware, do your taste buds a favor and eat here.  Score: 92/100

Frank's Pizza and Italian Restaurant in Somerset, NJ

Basic Information:

Pizza: Frank's Pizza and Italian Restaurant

Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 441 Elizabeth Ave. in Somerset, NJ (across the street from ShopRite)
Website: https://frankspizzasomerset.com/
Date of Review Visit: September 2025
What I Ordered: large (16") pizza with sausage and pepperoni; 20 oz. Crush to drink
Price: $27.45 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

Summary Review: 3 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Frank's Pizza is not as thin as you would expect for a New York-style pizza.  It has a very crispy texture, and it's definitely not foldable.  While I don't particularly like this crust, it gets the job of supporting the rest of the pizza done.  Score: 7/10

Sauce: The sauce has a slight tomato flavor, so it's not great but not offensive.  It appears in average quantity.  Score: 8/10

Cheese: Likewise the cheese appears in average quantity, and it is inoffensive but not impressive either.  Score: 8/10

Toppings: The sausage has a slight pork flavor that I find mildly appealing; the pepperoni is unremarkable.  Neither topping has a lot of flavor.  Both toppings appear in average quantity.  Score: 7/10

Overall Taste: Nothing on this pizza contributes a lot of flavor, and therefore the overall taste is on the bland side.  Score: 7/10

Pizza Appearance: The pizza looks big.  Other than that, it looks like a very average medium-crust pizza.

Dining Atmosphere: Frank's has a nice but dated casual dining area.  The bricks in the right wall that spell out "pizza" is a nice touch.

Customer Service: The service is counter service, but they took my order and got my pizza made promptly.

Monetary Value: The price is high, but this is a decent quality 16" pizza with a drink.  Moreover, the counter service saves on the tip.  Therefore, the value is not that bad.

The Final Judgment:

Frank's Pizza and Italian Restaurant serves a very average pizza in a fairly average dining atmosphere.  While certainly not a bad pizza option, there are many I like better.  Score: 75/100

Sidewall Pizza in Greenville, SC

Basic Information:

Pizza: Sidewall Pizza

Number of Locations: 4, all near Greenville, SC
Location Reviewed: 99 Cleveland Street in Greenville, SC (just south of downtown, 1 block east of US 29)
Website: https://www.sidewallpizza.com/
Date of Review Visit: September 2025
What I Ordered: 14" pizza with big pepperoni and Italian sausage; black cherry soda to drink
Price: $26.39 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

Summary Review: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: Named for part of a car tire, Sidewall Pizza has a thin crust, but the crust is thicker than you might expect near the edges.  The crust has a nice crispy texture.  Burnt spots on the crust look a little unappetizing, but they taste fine.  Score: 9/10

Sauce: I ordered the crushed tomato sauce, which is their standard sauce.  It is a thick, robust sauce with a nice tomatoey flavor.  I really like it.  Score: 10/10

Cheese: The standard cheese is 100% mozzarella, although they do have other cheese options.  My pizza was slightly undercheesed.  The cheese does not have much flavor, but it also does not produce much grease.  Score: 8/10

Toppings: The Italian sausage appears in ground up bits; it is tasty with a little spice and decent pork flavor.  Sidewall offers 2 types of pepperoni: big and little.  The server told me the only difference between the 2 pepperonis was the diameter of the slice, which seemed strange to me.  The big pepperoni is not spicy and has decent pork flavor.  Both toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 9/10

Overall Taste: Everything works together very well.  I would like to have tasted a little more flavor from the cheese and pepperoni.  Score: 9.5/10

Pizza Appearance: The crust and its blackened areas are more noticeable than you would expect for a thin crust pizza.

Dining Atmosphere: Sidewall has a quiet, casual dining area with tables and chairs.  The restaurant is named after part of a tire, and the restaurant is decorated like an old commercial garage complete with glass overhead doors.

Customer Service: The service was prompt, friendly, and attentive on my visit.

Monetary Value: Sidewall Pizza is high quality, but it's not cheap.  They offer many specialty pizzas but only make one size.  Bring a friend or be ready for leftovers.

The Final Judgment:

The restaurant's name and dining area has automotive vibes, but there's no rubber or motor oil in this pizza.  Sidewall makes a very good but pricey pizza, and especially for car enthusiasts it's a nice place to go for those special pizza occasions.  Score: 87/100

Electric City Pizza in Anderson, SC

Basic Information:

Pizza: Electric City Pizza

Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 305 S. Main Street in downtown Anderson, SC
Website: https://electriccitypizzacompany.com/
Date of Review Visit: July 2025
What I Ordered: personal (8") pizza with pepperoni and sausage
Price: $14.49 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

Summary Review: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Electric City Pizza has fairly high thickness, but the texture is on the hard side.  It does have somewhat of a bready taste.  This crust isn't bad, but I've had better.  Score: 7/10

Sauce: The sauce has a thick texture and a strong tomatoey taste.  This is a robust sauce, and I like it. Score: 10/10

Cheese: This pizza has plenty of cheese, and the parmesan cheese adds some flavor.  It does not produce too much grease.  Score: 9/10

Toppings: The pepperoni is unremarkable.  The sausage comes in medium-sized chunks that have some spiciness but not much pork flavor.  Both toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 8/10

Overall Taste: The spiciness of the sausage blends nicely with the tomato taste of the sauce to produce a pleasant and robust flavor.  It would be better with some additional flavors contributed to the overall taste.  Score: 8.5/10

Pizza Appearance: The sausage dominates the appearance, so maybe it has too much sausage and not enough pepperoni.  Then again, the sausage is better than the pepperoni.

Dining Atmosphere: Electric City Pizza has a nice casual dining area with 80's rock music blaring through speakers and TVs with sports programming.

Customer Service: The service was friendly and attentive, but my pizza took a long time to make even though they weren't that busy when I came here.

Monetary Value: The price is fairly low, but the quality is fairly high.  Therefore, the value is fairly high.

The Final Judgment:

Electric City Pizza occupies the building that used to house Mellow Mushroom.  While I like Mellow Mushroom a little more, this pizza is a worthy substitute and a nice addition to the Anderson pizza scene.  Score: 88/100

Big Kahuna's Pizza n' Stuffs in Honolulu, HI

Basic Information:

Pizza: Big Kahuna's Pizza n' Stuffs

Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 550 Paiea Street in Honolulu, HI (in the Airport Trade Center)
Website: https://bigkahunaspizzahawaii.com/
Date of Review Visit: April 2025
What I Ordered: small (7") Meat Lovers Pizza
Price: $12.58 (includes drink and tax)
Photo:

Summary Review: 5 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: Big Kahuna's pizza features a thick pan crust that is similar to Pizza Hut's pan crust in texture but has a little more flavor.  This crust does a good job of supporting all of the toppings.  I like pan pizza, and I like this crust. Score: 10/10

Sauce: This pizza does not have a lot of sauce, but the sauce it does have offers a pleasant sweet taste. Score: 8/10

Cheese: The cheese appears in sufficient quantity and has a nice stringy texture.  It doesn't have a lot of flavor, but it also doesn't have a lot of grease.  Score: 8/10

Toppings: The sausage comes in large flavorful chunks.  The Portuguese sausage comes in thick slices and has a nice smoked flavor.  Why don't more pizza places offer a smoked sausage topping like this one?  The kalua pork has a sweet barbecue flavor that compliments the other meats nicely.  The bacon, pepperoni, ham, and beef brisket are fine but less noteworthy.  This pizza has plenty of toppings, and this is a great collection of toppings.  Score: 10/10

Overall Taste: The sauce and toppings combine to give an overall taste that is on the sweet side.  I like sweet tasting pizzas, so I like this taste. Score: 9/10

Pizza Appearance: The pizza's small size is obvious, but it looks like the thick crust pizza loaded with toppings that it is.

Dining Atmosphere: The small dining room is functional but nothing more.

Customer Service: The service was quick, accurate, and friendly.

Monetary Value: Granted this is only a 7" pizza, but for a meat-lovers pizza in Hawaii, the price is downright cheap.  Moreover, the counter service saves on the tip.

The Final Judgment:

This pizza is the best meal I had during my 4 night stay in Hawaii, and in retrospect I should have eaten here twice instead of trying the nearby Hawaiian barbecue place.  Big Kahuna's is conveniently located only 2 blocks from the airport.  If you like pizza (and if you're reading this blog, you probably do), you would do well to eat here after arriving or before leaving the island.  Score: 91/100