Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Hungry Howie's Pizza

Basic Information:

Pizza: Hungry Howie’s Pizza
Number of Locations: many across 21 states; based in Michigan
Location Reviewed: 1601 S. Kings Highway in Myrtle BeachSC
Date of Review Visit: December 2014
What I Ordered: small (10”) pizza with pepperoni and sausage
Price: $5.52 (on special; regular price is $8.19)
Photos:

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)


Detailed Review:

Crust: Although Hungry Howie’s is based in Michigan, they do not make the thick pan crust we often see from that part of the world.  Instead, the crust on this pizza is flat with only medium thickness.  I found the crust very chewy, possibly because my pizza was slightly overbaked.  This crust is solid, but it does not really stand out.  Score: 7/10.

Sauce: This criterion is a tough call.  The pizza is undersauced, but the sauce that does exist has quite good taste, not too sweet and not too spicy.  I don’t like a lot of sauce, so I will lean toward the positive side on this criterion.  Score: 7/10.

Cheese: The cheese appears in high quantity and has a pleasant taste, but it also produces a fair amount of grease.  The grease is always a warning sign and always prevents a high score.  Score: 7/10.

Toppings: There is a good bit of variation in topping quality.  The pepperoni has a nice crisp, almost old-world taste.  The sausage, on the other hand, is pretty tasteless and nondescript.  This criterion is another tough call, but I will go slightly better than middle.  Score: 6/10.

Overall Taste: Everything comes together pretty well here.  This score would be higher but for the grease.  Score: 8/10.

Pizza Appearance: The wide area of plain crust around the pizza's edge is a bit of a turn-off, but the overall appearance is passable.

Dining Atmosphere: The dining room is purely functional.

Customer Service: The service was also purely functional on my visit.

Monetary Value: Thanks to the special they were running on my visit, the value for me was fantastic.  You will rarely find pizza this good for this cheap even if you have to pay the full price.

The Final Judgment:

For this price, you will not find better pizza hardly anywhere.  Hungry Howie’s gets 1.5 thumbs up from Hungry Big Dave the Parks Professor.  Score: 80/100.