Sammy’s Pizza and Restaurant in Minnesota

The Facts:

Pizza: Sammy’s Pizza and Restaurant

Business Category: Regional Chain (15 locations in MN, WI, and ND)

Website: https://mysammys.com/

Location: 305 Sunnyside Drive in Cloquet, MN

Date of Review Visit: July 27, 2017

What I Ordered: small (10”) pizza with pepperoni and sausage

Price: $10.41

The Micro:

Crust: Sammy’s Pizza and Restaurant puts their signature twists in the crust of their pizza.  The twists have a nice crispy texture.  The crust is thinner than you would expect for a regional chain this far north.  My pizza was perfectly baked, which is essential due to the twists.  This crust is unique, and I like it.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: The sauce has a slightly sweet taste.  It appears in good quantity, and it blends well with rest of pizza.  What more could you want? Score: 10/10.

Cheese: The cheese comes in good quantity and has decent flavor, but it produces quite a bit of grease.  Therefore, a mandatory deduction applies.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The sausage really steals the show: it comes in big chunks and tastes like fresh, tasty pork.  Eating this sausage is almost like eating pork meatballs.  The pepperoni is less remarkable: it comes in thin slices without a lot of favor.  Both toppings appear in good quantity.  Score: 9/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The toppings are neatly placed with exactly one slice of pepperoni and one chunk of sausage on every piece of pizza.  This symmetry is not easy to achieve with Sammy’s criss-cross cutting pattern.  I ordered to-go, but they have a nice casual dining area.  The service was fine.  Score: 10/10.

Value: The quality is excellent, but this pizza is expensive.  The price I list above does not even include a drink, and it is only a 10” pizza.  Therefore, value is not the strength of this pizza.  Score: 5/10.

Taste: The sausage takes center stage, but everything works together rather well.  Score: 18/20.

The Final Judgment:

Sammy’s Pizza and Restaurant started as a family-owned business with a single location.  They have since expanded, and the region’s pizza eaters are better for it.  Sammy’s is a good pizza option if you find yourself in the upper Midwest.  Score: 70/80.