Yia Yia’s Pizza in Lincoln, NE

Basic Information:

Pizza: Yia Yia’s Pizza

Number of Locations: 1

Location Reviewed: 1423 O Street in downtown Lincoln, NE

Website: https://www.facebook.com/yiayias/

Date of Review Visit: June 2016

What I Ordered: 2 slices of pizza (see below for details); Dr. Pepper to drink

Price: $11.48 (includes drink and tax)

Photo:

Summary Review: 2.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Yia Yia’s has a very thin, tough, almost cardboard-like texture.  The crust has no flavor whatsoever except for some burnt cheese spilled over the edge of the crust.  While not a total disaster thanks to the cheese, this crust is not good. Score: 3/10.

Sauce: This pizza has a low quantity of sauce.  When I did get my tongue on some sauce, it had almost a salsa-like flavor with extra tomatoes.  This sauce may appeal to some people, but it is definitely not my style.  Score: 3/10.

Cheese: On the other hand, the cheese comes in good quantity, especially if you order some of the several extra cheese types.  The extra cheese options also add to the flavor.  I like this cheese blend.  Score: 9/10.

Toppings: All toppings appear in good quantity.  The Italian sausage is just on the spicy side of good, as are the thin slices of pepperoni.  The slightly sweet taste of the ham balances the flavor out nicely.  Score: 8/10.

Overall Taste: The overall taste would have been too spicy were it not for the cheese and ham.  As is, the taste is decent but not extraordinary.  Score: 13/20.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza’s appearance is fine, but the hunk of bread served with each pizza slice is odd.

Dining Atmosphere: The atmosphere is a typical college-town pizzeria with blaring music (80’s rock on my visit), a dark dining room, and an older building with some nice artwork in the ceiling.

Customer Service: I found the menu quite complicated, so I had a hard time ordering.  That’s unusual for me because I usually walk into a pizza place with a pretty good idea of what I want, as I did this time.  But I could not figure out how to order what I wanted from their menu.  I tried to order 2 slices of Italian sausage, pepperoni, and ham pizza with 2 extra cheeses (parmesan and provolone), but I got 1 slice with said toppings and 1 slice of cheese pizza.  The man behind the counter did not help my ordering attempt one bit, hence a downgrade on the service criterion.

Monetary Value: The value is hard to judge because I am not still sure quite what I ended up ordering.  The price is more than I usually pay for 2 slices of pizza and a drink, but how did they price the slices?

The Final Judgment:

If you are a student at nearby University of Nebraska-Lincoln, I would sanction coming here occasionally just to get off campus, but there are better pizza options around.  I can see how this pizza might appeal to some people, but it does not appeal to me.  Score: 65/100.