Columbo's Pizza in Clemson, SC

Basic Information:

Pizza: Columbo’s Pizza

Number of Locations: 1

Location Reviewed: 203 Pendleton Rd. in Clemson, SC

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

Date of Review Visit: December 2016

What I Ordered: Small (10”) deep dish pizza with sausage and pepperoni; Dr. Pepper to drink

Price: $11.13 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Columbo’s offers 2 crust options: thin and deep dish.  Inspired by the pictures of Chicago on the wall, the Chicago Cubs themed logo, and my personal thick crust preference, I went for the deep dish.  The name was accurate: what I got was a true Chicago-style deep dish crust.  Although the crust has a nice, robust taste, I found it quite hard, possibly because my pizza was slightly overbaked.  While this crust may not be the best Chicago-style crust I have ever eaten, it still ranks pretty high.  Score: 8/10.

Sauce: The sauce comes in good quantity, as it should for a Chicago-style pizza, but it is significantly overherbed.  The herbs and spices overpower the tomatoes, and the sauce tastes too herby for this to be an excellent sauce.  Score: 6/10.

Cheese: The cheese appears in very good quantity, but it leaves quite a lot of tell-tale grease.  Sprinkling on some parmesan helps on the flavor side.  Score: 7/10.

Toppings: The pepperoni is completely unremarkable.  The sausage is not the usual chunky Chicago style, but the taste is excellent, thus making the sausage the best item on this pizza.  Both toppings appear in satisfactory but not overwhelming quantity.  Score: 8/10.

Overall Taste: Maybe it was the abundance of spices in the sauce, but I kept thinking this pizza should taste better than it does.  This pizza has a lot of things going for it, but overall taste isn’t really one of them.  Score: 7.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza looks like the hearty Chicago-style pizza it is.

Dining Atmosphere: The dining atmosphere has a casual almost run-down feel.  Maybe it seemed run-down due to the vacant lot next door.

Customer Service: The service from the one poor, overworked waitress was smiling and attentive.

Monetary Value: Columbo’s is surprisingly inexpensive for good quality pizza.  They also offer 25% off a second pizza of equal value, so you can bring a friend and save more.  Their giant 28” atlas pizza (which they incorrectly claim is the largest pizza in the world) is an even bigger bargain.

The Final Judgment:

If Chicago-style pizza is your game, then Columbo’s is your pizza destination in Clemson.  For me, I like Columbo’s but slightly prefer nearby Todaro’s.  Score: 82/100.