Chester's Pizzeria in Hamilton, OH

Basic Information:

Pizza: Chester’s Pizzeria

Number of Locations: 1

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

Website: https://www.facebook.com/p/Chesters-Pizza-100063781013445/

Date of Review Visit: June 2019

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

Price: $8 (includes tax but not drink)

Photos:

Summary Review: 5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

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.

Overall 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: 9.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza looks like yummy pizza with plenty of cheese and sauce.

Dining Atmosphere: (not applicable: Chester's is carryout only.)

Customer Service: The service was friendly and prompt.

Monetary 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.

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: 93/100.

Gerry's Pizza Italian Restaurant in Rockford, IL

Basic Information:

Pizza: Gerry’s Pizza Italian Restaurant

Number of Locations: 1

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

Website: https://www.gerryspizza.net/

Date of Review Visit: May 2019

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

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

Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

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.

Overall Taste: The taste of garlic really overpowers everything else.  That’s too bad because there are some other good things going on here.  Score: 7/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza looks like a nice thick crust pizza with the odd but not unheard-of square cut pattern.  

Dining Atmosphere: I ordered carry-out, but Gerry’s has a large dining area with a single TV tuned to game shows on my visit.

Customer Service: The service was friendly and fine.

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

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: 77/100.