The Facts:
Pizza: Charley’s Pizza Parlor
Business Category: Locally-owned
Location: 103 E. Cumberland Ln.
in Jacksboro , TN US 25W/SR
63 3.9 miles east of I-75 exit 134)
Date of Review Visit: May 20, 2015
What I Ordered: Small (10”) pizza with Italian sausage and
pepperoni; Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $8.14
The Micro:
Crust: Charley’s Pizza Parlor offers 2 crust choices: thick
and thin. As will be no surprise to any
regular reader of this blog, I chose thick.
Charley’s thick crust is different from other thick crusts because it is
thick under the entire crust, not just around the edge. The crust is very chewy with no crispiness
even though my pizza was well-baked. Overall,
this crust is not the tastiest, but I got thick crust at no extra charge, so I
can’t score it too low. Score: 7/10.
Sauce: The sauce appears in good quantity. You can still taste the tomatoes, though only
slightly, so the sauce is not overspiced.
I like it. Score: 9/10.
Cheese: This pizza has plenty of cheese, but the cheese
produces more grease than I would like.
Sprinkling on some parmesan helps an otherwise unremarkable flavor. Score: 8/10.
Toppings: The toppings are the major weakness of this pizza. Both the pepperoni and the Italian sausage have
some spices, but neither tastes like fresh, quality meat. The Italian sausage comes in manufactured
pellets that bounce like ping-pong balls if you drop one. Fortunately, the high quantity of toppings
prevents a disaster. I have eaten worse
toppings, but improvement is needed on this criterion. Score: 5/10.
The Macro:
Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The large pellet-style sausage
really hurts this pizza’s appearance. The
dining area offers a nice casual-dining atmosphere, but some ceiling tiles show
evidence of a leaky roof, and the carpet is old. The large TV tuned to ESPN is a nice touch,
and my service was excellent. Score: 7/10.
Value: I could not believe the price was so low. I would tell you how much they could raise
the price and still have a good value, but then they might actually do it. Hearty, filling pizza for this price is rare. Score: 10/10.
Taste: The overall taste is pretty bland but not terribly
offensive. This pizza’s selling point is
quantity to fill the stomach, not subtlety to tantalize the tongue. Score: 14/20.
The Final Judgment:
Charley’s Pizza Parlor is a local favorite that fills the
stomach without emptying the wallet. They
also have a buffet option, but the variety on the buffet is limited, and you
really don’t need it at these prices. I
recommend stopping by and ordering off of the standard menu if you are in the
area. Score: 60/80.
