Todaro Pizza in Clemson, SC

Basic Information:

Pizza: Todaro Pizza

Number of Locations: 1

Location Reviewed: 105 Sloan St. in downtown Clemson, SC

Website: https://todaropizza.com/

Date of Review Visit: June 2014

What I Ordered: Personal (8”) carnivore pizza; Dr. Pepper to drink

Price: $9.80 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

Summary Review: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Google maps calls Todaro Pizza New York style pizza.  They must mean southern New York: the flatbread thin crust is far more similar to pizzas normally found here in the southeast than the floppy, foldable crusts of New York.  Thin crust pizzas are hard to bake well, but mine was perfectly baked, crispy without being burnt.  The crust has a hard time holding all of the toppings (see below), but overall I like it.  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: There is not much sauce on this pizza, but that observation fits with the thin crust.  What sauce there is has decent taste but thin consistency.  For you college students who do not want to eat your vegetables, not even on a pizza, this pizza is for you.  Score: 7/10.

Cheese: This pizza appears under-cheesed until you realize that most of the cheese is actually under the toppings.  The mozzarella (or provolone?) cheese is solid white in color.  It appears in good quantity and produces little grease, but it does not have a lot of flavor.  Overall, this cheese grades out pretty well.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: Todaro may put too many toppings on its pizza.  Wait, did I just write that?  Indeed, this pizza is loaded.  The thick, tender, juicy chunks of ham are especially yummy, but the pepperoni and sausage are also pretty tasty.  Only the bacon, which I found too salty, and the tasteless beef topping prevent a perfect score.  Score: 9/10.

Overall Taste: This pizza makes its marks by brute force with abundant toppings, not by placing delightful flavors on your taste palette (sausage and pepperoni slightly excepted).  That said, it does make its marks, and mostly good ones at that.  Score: 8.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza looks as robust as it is.  The presentation on waxed paper in a paper plate is basic but functional.

Dining Atmosphere: The dining room has a typical college town atmosphere: merely functional seating with loud rock music blaring through speakers.

Customer Service:  The service is prompt and very New York style (here ya go, buddy!).

Monetary Value: The price is low and quality good, but there are two other considerations.  First, this is only an 8” pizza, not the 10” or 12” that I normally order as a “personal-sized” pizza.  Second, I got a $0.50 discount because I ordered a pizza-drink lunch combination.  Overall, the value still grades out pretty well, but not as well as you might initially think.

The Final Judgment:

Todaro Pizza is a couple of cuts above your run-of-the-mill college town pizza, but it lacks the flavor of the elite level pizzas.  As a self-appointed professor of pizza, my homework assignment for you is to come here at least occasionally, maybe more often if you see fit.  Score: 85/100.