Chester's Pizzeria in Hamilton, OH

The Facts:

Pizza: Chester’s Pizzeria

Business Category: Locally-owned

Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Pizza-Place/Chesters-Pizzeria-110218395738711/

Location: 2929 Dixie Highway in Hamilton, OH (at the corner of SR 4 and Bobmeyer Rd.)

Date of Review Visit: June 21, 2019

What I Ordered: small (8”) pizza with sausage and pepperoni

Price: $8 (includes tax but not drink)

The Micro:

Crust: The crust on Chester’s pizza is not the thickest crust I have eaten, but I still classify it as a thick crust.  The crust has great texture: gold and crispy on the outside but chewy on the inside.  The blackened cheese on the edge provides fantastic flavor.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: This pizza has plenty of sauce.  The sauce has a nice thick texture and a great tomatoey taste.  Score: 10/10.

Cheese: This pizza has plenty of cheese.  The cheese tastes like some nice fresh provolone, but it leaves slightly more grease than I would prefer.  Score: 9/10.

Toppings: Both toppings appear in satisfactory quantity, but neither the pepperoni nor the sausage has a lot of flavor.  Score: 6/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service:  The pizza looks like yummy pizza with plenty of cheese and sauce.  Chester’s only offers carryout, so dining atmosphere is not relevant.  The service was friendly and prompt.  Score: 10/10.

Value: Rarely do you see pizza this good for this cheap.  Only the fact that this is an 8” pizza as opposed to a 10” pizza prevents a perfect score.  Score: 9/10.

Taste: The cheese and sauce combine to give this pizza a fabulously rich taste.  No matter what toppings you order, you will get a flavorful pizza.  Score: 19/20.

The Final Judgment:

I was born in Hamilton, OH, and my birth-town’s signature pizza comes through with flying colors.  Miss Chester’s at your own peril.  Score: 73/80.

Pie's the Limit in Central Illinois

The Facts:

Pizza: Pie’s the Limit

Business Category: Regional Chain (3 locations, all in central Illinois)

Website: http://piesthelimit.com/

Location: 3429 Freedom Dr. in Springfield, IL (just north of I-72, exit 93; between Walmart and Target)

Date of Review Visit: May 19, 2019

What I Ordered: pizza with provolone, parmesan, sausage, pepperoni, and ham

Price: $9.77 (includes tax but not drink)

The Micro:

Crust: Pie’s the Limit makes build-your-own pizza in assembly line fashion similar to MOD Pizza or Blaze Pizza.  The standard crust is of medium thickness, and it has no outstanding qualities whatsoever.  At least my pizza was baked the right amount.  Score: 2/10.

Sauce: Among their various sauce options, I ordered the standard sauce.  The pizza is undersauced, but the standard sauce has a nice tomatoey taste.  Score: 6/10.

Cheese: I ordered the standard cheese with some extra provolone and parmesan.  The standard (mozzarella) cheese is rather flavorless and lackluster, but the added provolone and parmesan really add to the flavor.  The cheese does not produce much grease, which is a plus.  Score: 7/10.

Toppings: The toppings appear in high quantity, but the toppings I chose have very little flavor.  The ham may be the tastiest of the three toppings I chose, and it has a nice fresh taste.  Score: 6/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The pizza has an attractive appearance with plenty of toppings.  I ordered carry-out, but the Springfield location has a small functional dining area with outdoor seating available.  The service was fine.  Score: 10/10.

Value: The price is fairly low considering the customization possible.  Therefore, the value is quite good.  Score: 8/10.

Taste: Normally for customized pizza the toppings make the taste, but the provolone and parmesan cheeses are the tastiest things on this pizza except when you manage to get a bite of sauce.  Therefore, the overall taste is unspectacular.  Score: 12/20.

The Final Judgment:

I might come here occasionally because the price is right, but I can’t say this pizza ranks very high in my book.  In the customized pizza space, I prefer MOD or Blaze.  Score: 51/80.

Gerry's Pizza Italian Restaurant in Rockford, IL

The Facts:

Pizza: Gerry’s Pizza Italian Restaurant

Business Category: Locally-owned

Website: https://www.gerryspizza.net/

Location: 7403 Argus Dr. in Rockford, IL (beside Red Roof Inn)

Date of Review Visit: May 16, 2019

What I Ordered: 10” thick crust pizza with pepperoni and sausage

Price: $11.47 (includes tax but not drink or tip)

The Micro:

Crust: Gerry’s Pizza offers thick and thin crust options.  As will come as no surprise to any regular reader of this blog, I chose thick.  Unlike many thick crust pizzas, this crust is thick under the entire pizza, not just around the edges.  The crust has a lot of body, but it is a little too crispy and bulky in places.  Score: 8/10.

Sauce: This pizza has plenty of sauce, but the sauce has a strong garlic taste that overpowers any tomato taste and pretty much every other taste on this pizza.  I’m not a fan of garlic, and therefore I am not a fan of this sauce.  Score: 4/10.

Cheese: The cheese appears in excellent quantity, and it is a stringy mozzarella that does not leave a lot of grease.  I like it.  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The sausage and pepperoni both appear in high quantity, but neither one has a lot of independent flavor.  Score: 7/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The pizza looks like a nice thick crust pizza with the odd but not unheard-of square cut pattern.  I ordered carry-out, but Gerry’s has a large dining area with a single TV tuned to game shows on my visit.  The service was friendly and fine.  Score: 9/10.

Value: The price is fairly high considering all I ordered was a 10” pizza with no drink.  Better value can be found elsewhere.  Score: 5/10.

Taste: The taste of garlic really overpowers everything else.  That’s too bad because there are some other good things going on here.  Score: 14/20.

The Final Judgment:

Gerry’s is not the best pizza in Chicagoland, but it’s not bad.  I prefer Lou Malnati’s or Uno’s to Gerry’s.  Score: 57/80.