Pizza Bella in Woodstock, VA

Basic Information:

Pizza: Pizza Bella

Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 1013 S. Main Street in Woodstock, VA (in Shenandoah Square strip mall near Food Lion)
Website: https://landing.arrowpos.com/home/pizzabella
Date of Review Visit: November 2024
What I Ordered: personal (10") meat lovers pizza; Mr. Pibb to drink
Price: $14.86 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

Summary Review: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Pizza Bella has a nice crispy-but-not-too-hard texture.  It has moderate thickness and a surprisingly bready taste.  I like this crust.  Score: 10/10

Sauce: The sauce has a fresh tomatoey taste.  This pizza is slightly undersauced, so a slight deduction applies.  Score: 9/10

Cheese: There is not a lot of cheese on this pizza, but it does produce a decent amount of grease.  Hence, this cheese is not the best.  Score: 6/10

Toppings: The sausage comes in greasy balls with just the right amount of spiciness.  The pepperoni has decent thickness and a nice pork flavor, but the real winner is the ham: it has a delicious fresh pork flavor.  All toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 9/10

Overall Taste: The pork flavor from the meats, tomato flavor from the sauce, and bready flavor from the crust work together very well.  I like the overall taste of this pizza.  Score: 9/10

Pizza Appearance: The toppings dominate the appearance, as you would expect for a meat-lovers pizza.

Dining Atmosphere: Pizza Bella has a large casual dining room.  Some of the booths are a little tight and therefore a little hard for large people like me to sit in.

Customer Service: The server was quiet but quick and attentive.

Monetary Value: Pizza Bella delivers high quality pizza at a reasonable price, and therefore it represents high value.

The Final Judgment:

Pizza Bella makes a pizza bella, which is Italian for beautiful pizza.  If I lived in the northern Shenandoah valley, I would come here often.  Score: 88/100

Jockamo Upper Crust Pizza in Indianapolis, IN

Basic Information:

Pizza: Jockamo Upper Crust Pizza
Number of Locations: 6, all near Indianapolis, IN
Location Reviewed: 9165 Otis Avenue in Indianapolis, IN (1 block east of Fort Harrison State Park)
Website: https://www.jockamopizza.com/
Date of Review Visit: October 2024
What I Ordered: small (10") pizza with sausage and pepperoni
Price: $16.24 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Jockamo Upper Crust Pizza is somewhat thin and somewhat hard.  The crust tends to crack underneath the pizza, which makes the pizza hard to eat.  You can barely taste the bread that makes up this crust.  I don't like the texture or taste of this crust.  Score: 4/10

Sauce: The sauce is slightly overspiced, but only slightly.  It appears in upper levels of quantity, which is rare for a thin crust pizza.  Score: 8/10

Cheese: The cheese appears in high quantity and produces little grease.  Thus, it scores at the upper end in my rating system.  Score: 10/10

Toppings: The sausage is pretty tasteless and bland.  The pepperoni has a little pork flavor but no more.  Both toppings appear in adequate quantity.  Score: 7/10

Overall Taste: The overall taste is on the bland side.  The overspicing of the sauce actually helps the overall taste; this may be the first time I have written that statement.  Score: 7.5/10

Pizza Appearance: The pizza has a very white appearance due to the cheese.

Dining Atmosphere: The Fort Ben location has an excellent large dining room with large windows and comfortable seats.

Customer Service: They cooked my pizza fast, but everything else was slow from refilling my drink to bringing my check.

Monetary Value: The price is too expensive relative to what you put in your mouth.

The Final Judgment:

Jockamo Upper Crust Pizza makes a passable pizza, but it does not score on the upper end in my rating system.  On the Indianapolis pizza scene, I prefer Jack's to Jock (amo's).  Score: 76/100

516 Pizza Pub in Northwest Ohio

Basic Information:

Pizza: 516 Pizza Pub
Number of Locations: 2, both in northwest Ohio
Location Reviewed: 27072 Carronade Drive in Perrysburg, OH (near Kroger at I-75 exit 193)
Website: https://www.pizzapub516.com/
Date of Review Visit: October 2024
What I Ordered: large (16") pizza with pepperoni and sausage
Price: $25.50 (pizza only; includes tax)
Photos:

Summary Review:  4 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at 516 Pizza Pub is not a pan crust, but it is a thick crispy crust.  My pizza seemed slightly overbaked, and therefore the crust seemed slightly burnt.  This crust is not bad, but I've had better.  Score: 7/10

Sauce: This pizza has lots of sauce.  The sauce has a rich tomatoey taste, but it is also slightly overspiced.  Score: 8/10

Cheese: This pizza features a thick layer of yummy cheese.  The cheese does produce a decent amount of grease, so a mandatory deduction applies.  Score: 9/10

Toppings: The toppings get lost in the cheese and sauce, but this pizza still has plenty of toppings.  The pepperoni comes several slices thick and has great flavor with just a bit of spiciness.  The sausage comes in nice large chunks with not as much flavor.  Score: 10/10

Overall Taste: except for the slightly burnt taste, everything comes together well.  The overall taste prioritizes quantity over quality, and this pizza is for hearty pizza eaters only.  Score: 8.5/10

Pizza Appearance: This pizza has a burnt appearance due to the overbaking.  Otherwise, it looks like the thick robust pizza it is.

Dining Atmosphere: I ordered to-go, but 516 Pizza Pub has a casual dining room with a full service bar in the center, a pool table near the front, and lots of TV's.  The overall atmosphere is an odd mix of bar and pizza restaurant.

Customer Service: They took my order at the bar.  The service was quick and friendly.

Monetary Value: This pizza is very expensive, even for a 16" pizza.  Therefore, the value is not the best.

The Final Judgment:

As I carried this pizza up to my hotel room, I kept thinking that this may be the heaviest pizza I have ever carried.  516 Pizza Pub is not for people who want flavorful delicacies, but it is for people who want hearty, robust, filling pizza.  Score: 80/100

Gelsosomo's Pizzeria near Chicago, IL

Basic Information:

Pizza: Gelsosomo's Pizzeria

Number of Locations: 10, mostly near Chicago, IL
Location Reviewed: 5184 S. Franklin Street in Michigan City, IN (in front of Meijer on US 421 just north of I-94 exit 34B)
Website: https://gelpizza.com/
Date of Review Visit: September 2024
What I Ordered: small (10") deep dish pizza with pepperoni and sausage; Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $24.88 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

Summary Review:  4.5 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: Gelsosomo's offers a true Chicago style thick crust that is at least 2 inches thick.  The crust has the crispy texture you would expect, and the sauce and cheese blend well with the crust.  Score: 10/10

Sauce: This pizza has lots of sauce.  The sauce had a nice tomatoey taste at first, but a bitter flavor grew on my taste palette the more I ate.  I would like this sauce more without the bitter end.  Score: 8/10

Cheese: This pizza has a thick layer of cheese baked right on the crust, which is where it should be for a deep dish pizza.  I like it.  Score: 10/10

Toppings: The sausage comes in nice big chunks and has a mildly spiced pork flavor.  The pepperoni is unremarkable.  Both toppings appear in abundant quantity.  Score: 9/10

Overall Taste: The big gobs of sauce dominate the taste, and therefore this pizza has more of a bitter taste than I prefer.  Score: 7.5/10

Pizza Appearance: This pizza looks like the robust deep dish pizza it is.

Dining Atmosphere: Gelsosomo's has a nice casual dining atmosphere with nice booths and a few TVs for entertainment.  I enjoyed the dining experience here.

Customer Service: The table service was quick and attentive on my visit.

Monetary Value: While the price is expensive, it is not the most expensive pizza of this type I have ever had.  Thus, the value is about average.

The Final Judgment:

I enjoyed the food and service at Gelsosomo's.  Only a fresher, more tomato-tasting sauce like the sauce at Lou Malnati's or Uno's keeps this pizza from being elite.  Score: 86/100

Toppers Pizza

Basic Information:

Pizza: Toppers Pizza
Number of Locations: around 70, based in Whitewater, WI
Location Reviewed:21461 E. Moreland Blvd. in Waukesha, WI (on US 18 just west of I-94, exit 297)
Website: https://www.toppers.com/
Date of Review Visit: September 2024
What I Ordered: large (14") pizza with sausage and pepperoni
Price: $9.45 (pizza only; includes tax)
Photos:

Summary Review: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Toppers Pizza has a fluffy and airy texture.  The thickness is not too thin, but it is not a northern-style pan crust either.  They coat the crust with a yellow garlic sauce that I don't particularly like because I don't particularly like garlic.  Score: 8/10

Sauce: The sauce has a nice tomatoey flavor, and it appears in above average quantity.  What's not to like?  Score: 10/10

Cheese: The cheese appears in satisfactory quantity, but it produces a lot of grease and has little flavor.  This cheese is OK but surprisingly not elite given that Toppers is based in Wisconsin.  Score: 7/10

Toppings: The pepperoni has just the right amount of spiciness. I thought the hand-pinched sausage would be the star of this show, but it's not: it has minimal flavor and and almost burnt texture.  Both toppings appear in above average quantity.  Score: 8/10

Overall Taste: The sauce and crust work together pretty well.  Less grease and tastier toppings would make this pizza a real winner.  Score: 8/10

Pizza Appearance: My pizza had an uneven cut.  The seemingly burnt sausage dominates the appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: The dining area is only a few tables with stools, which makes dining-in rather painful for those of us with back problems.

Customer Service: The service was quick and friendly.  The toppings they put on my pizza did not match my order, but they remade my pizza for free and let me keep the "wrong" pizza.

Monetary Value: At this price, Toppers is one of the best pizza bargains I know of.

The Final Judgment:

Toppers markets to young college-age people, and the high grease factor makes it suitable for people not yet worried about their health.  I would sanction making Toppers part of a well-balanced pizza diet, especially for budget-conscious pizza eaters.  Score: 86/100

Brother's Italian Cuisine in Anderson, SC

Basic Information

Pizza: Brother's Italian Cuisine

Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 2105 S. Main Street in Anderson, SC
Website: https://www.facebook.com/p/Brothers-Italian-100086016486770/
Date of Review Visit: August 2024
What I Ordered: Large pizza (14") with sausage; 2 sodas to drink
Price: $21.39 (includes 2 drinks and tax but not tip)
Photo:

Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust has medium thickness; it looks and tastes like a hand-tossed crust.  The crust is more bready than you would expect for a crust like this one, and it has a fresh bready taste.  Score: 10/10

Sauce: The sauce has a fresh pleasant taste, but the pizza is somewhat undersauced.  Score: 8/10

Cheese: This pizza is slightly undercheesed, but it does not produce much grease.  Score: 8/10

Topping: The sausage is not overspiced, and in fact it does not have a lot of flavor at all.  It has a slight fresh pork taste, and it appears in sufficient quantity.  Score: 9/10

Overall Taste: a little on the bland side, mainly due to the blandness of the sausage and the lack of sauce.  The crust might be best tasting part of this pizza.  Score: 7.5/10

Pizza Appearance: a little bare, partly because this is a 1 topping pizza.  The whiteness of the cheese makes it look slightly underbaked, but it was baked the right amount.

Dining Atmosphere: nice no frills casual dining atmosphere with a couple of TVs for entertainment.

Customer Service: a little slow, especially in terms of refilling our drinks.

Monetary Value: Brother's makes quality pizza at a reasonable price, and therefore the value is quite high.

The Final Judgment:

Brother's Italian Cuisine is a quality if unspectacular pizza option.  While it is not my favorite pizza in Anderson, it deserves a spot in your pizza rotation.  Score: 81/100

Red Tomato Greek and Italian Cuisine in Anderson, SC

Basic Information:

Pizza: Red Tomato Greek and Italian Cuisine
Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 3907A Clemson Boulevard in Anderson, SC (across the street from Anderson Ford)

Website: https://theredtomatorestaurant.com/
Date of Review Visit: May 2024
What I Ordered: small (9") pizza with sausage, pepperoni, and ham; Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $13.83 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

 

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Red Tomato makes southern-style thin crust pizza.  It is hard to bake this kind of pizza perfectly, and my pizza seemed to be a little overbaked: the crust was too hard to be described as crispy.  This isn't my favorite kind of crust, and it is not done particularly well.  Score: 4/10.

Sauce: The sauce has a fresh taste and appears in adequate quantity, but it is a little overspiced.  This is not a bad sauce, but for a restaurant named Red Tomato I really expected an elite sauce.  This sauce is nowhere near elite.  Score: 7/10.

Cheese: This pizza has plenty of yummy stringy cheese that produces very little grease.  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The sausage and ham have a nice fresh pork flavor.  The pepperoni comes in thin slices that were somewhat burnt, again probably because my pizza was overbaked.  All toppings appear in satisfactory quantity.  Score: 9/10.

Overall Taste: Red Tomato offers an odd mix of things to like and things to not like.  The overall taste is held back by the overspiced sauce and by the fact that my pizza was somewhat overbaked.  Score: 8/10.

Pizza Appearance: This pizza has a nice tidy appearance, and it comes served on an expensive-looking wooden platter.

Dining Atmosphere: Red Tomato has a small dining area that is beautifully decorated with nice music and comfortable seats.

Customer Service: The service was friendly, attentive, and very southern on my visit.

Monetary Value: This pizza is not crazy expensive for a nice dining experience and decent quality pizza.  Thus, the value ranks quite high.

The Final Judgment:

Red Tomato has its strong points, but they need to use more tomatoes and be more precise with the baking.  In this part of Anderson, I like DaVinci's more but Fyre less.  Score: 83/100.

Brittany's Brick Oven Pizza in Madison, IN

Basic Information:

Pizza: Brittany's Brick Oven Pizza (B-Bop's)
Number of Locations: 1
Location Review: 2034 Lanier Drive in Madison, IN (on SR 7 just south of SR 62)

Website: https://www.brittanyspizza.com/
Date of Review Visit: May 2024
What I Ordered: personal (6.5") Sinister Six pizza (6 meat pizza), Mr. Pibb to drink
Price: $13.58 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

 

Summary Review: 5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Locally known as B-Bop's, Brittany's Brick Oven Pizza uses an award-winning recipe for their crust that requires slow proofing the dough for 2-4 days.  The crust comes out crispy and even blackened, but it still has a fresh doughy taste.  This is one of the best crusts I have ever had.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: The sauce has a thick texture and fresh tomatoey taste.  It appears in adequate quantity.  What's not to like?  Score: 10/10.

Cheese: This pizza has a nice thick layer of yummy white cheese that does not produce a lot of grease.  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: Strangely enough, only the bacon stands out among the toppings: it is slightly crispy and has a slight smoky flavor.  The other 5 meats blend together to produce a fresh pork flavor but are indistinguishable from each other.  Score: 9/10.

Overall Taste: I would have liked to have tasted the individual meats a little more, but the overall taste is hard to beat.  Score: 9.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The blackened areas give this pizza very much a wood-fired appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: B-Bop's has a basic dining atmosphere with nice chairs and 1960's music programming on TV's.

Customer Service: The service was quick and witty.

Monetary Value: For high quality pizza, the price is surprisingly low.  Large pizzas are an even better value.

The Final Judgment:

We have a new high scoring pizza!  B-Bop's is a tiny shop in a small town, but you won't find better pizza anywhere.  Score: 96/100.

Lombardi's New York Pizza and Wings in Evansville, IN

Basic Information:

Pizza: Lombardi's New York Pizza and Wings
Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 3311 N. Green River Road in Evansville, IN (south side of Schnuck's parking lot)

Website: https://www.facebook.com/lombardispizzaandwings/
Date of Review Visit: May 2024
What I Ordered: 1 slice of pepperoni pizza, 1 slice of sausage pizza, fountain drink
Price: $8.06 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

 

Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: True to its name, Lombardi's makes New York style pizza, and therefore it has a thin, floppy, foldable crust.  They sell pizza by the slice, but the crust is not hard and crispy like most pizza by the slice places.  In the pizza by the slice universe, this is a solid crust.  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: As usual for New York style pizza, this pizza is somewhat undersauced.  What sauce exists has a fresh tomatoey taste.  Score: 8/10.

Cheese: Unfortunately, this pizza is also somewhat undercheesed.  The cheese does not produce much grease, so that's a plus.  Score: 6/10.

Toppings: The sausage is so sparse I ordered a 2nd slice just so I could judge the sausage; it has a pleasant pork flavor.  The pepperoni is unremarkable.  Score: 5/10.

Overall Taste: The sparse toppings really let this pizza down, and the overall taste is a little unremarkable due to the lack of toppings.  Score: 7.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza's appearance looks sparse due to the lack of toppings.

Dining Atmosphere: Lombardi's had quick counter service from a friendly guy on my visit.

Customer Service: The dining room is the bare minimum with no TV's or other entertainment.

Monetary Value: Pizza by the slice usually has high value due to its low price, and this one is no exception.  The better-than-expected quality helps on the other side of the value equation.

 

The Final Judgment:

Lombardi's is some more and better toppings away from having one of the best pizza-by-the-slice options I have ever eaten.  Despite its flaws, I recommend coming here for a quick lunch if you are in the Evansville area.  Score: 79/100.

Rustic Farms Pizza in Greenville, SC

Basic Information:

Pizza: Rustic Farms Pizza
Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 7611 White Horse Road on the northwest side of Greenville, SC (just south of US 25 and SR 183)

Website: https://rusticfarmspizza.com/
Date of Review Visit: March 2024
What I Ordered: small (10") pizza with pepperoni and Italian sausage; Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $18.36 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

 

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Rustic Farms Pizza is thin and crispy but not super thin like some southern-style pizzas.  This crust is not too hard, and my pizza was baked to perfection.  Excellent!  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: This pizza is undersauced and very overspiced.  They sprinkle even more spices on top of the pizza, and the spices really overwhelm pretty much everything else.  Score: 4/10.

Cheese: The cheese appears in decent quantity and has inoffensive flavor, but it produces quite a bit of grease.  Hence, the usual mandatory deduction for grease applies.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The sausage has a mild flavor for an Italian sausage, and it gets covered up by, you guessed it, the spices in the sauce.  You have to cleanse your palette and then eat just a piece of sausage in order to taste the sausage's mild seasonings, which actually produce a pleasant seasoned pork flavor.  The pepperoni steals the show: it is what some pizza places call old world pepperoni with just the right amount of zip, and it cups as the pizza bakes.  Score: 10/10.

Overall Taste: This pizza could be a real winner, but the spices in the sauce and on top of the pizza overpower everything else.  Thus, the overall taste leaves somewhat to be desired.  Score: 7.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: This pizza has a balanced fresh appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: Rustic Farms has a nice large dining room that is good for eating as a group or eating alone.

Customer Service: The service was quick and attentive on my visit.

Monetary Value: Rustic Farms makes high quality pizza, but the price reflects it.  Thus, the value is about average.

The Final Judgment:

Rustic Farms falls into the same trap so many other pizza places do.  I honestly don't understand why so many pizza places cover up so many good flavors with so many spices.  Thus, this pizza scores about the same as so many other good but not great pizzas.  Score: 82/100.

Papa Angelo's Pizza in Bethany, OK

Basic Information:

Pizza: Papa Angelo's Pizza
Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 6744 NW 39th Expressway in Bethany, OK

Website: https://papaangelospizzeria.com/
Date of Review Visit: February 2024
What I Ordered: small (12") pizza with pepperoni and Italian sausage; fountain drink
Price: $19.65 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

 

Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Papa Angelo's Pizza advertises itself as New York style pizza, but this is not the floppy foldable crust you would expect on a New York style pizza.  This crust has slightly thinner than average thickness.  It has a crispy on the outside but chewy on inside texture, and it has a fresh bready taste.  I really like this crust.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: This pizza has more sauce than you would expect for a New York style pizza.  The sauce has an excellent, fresh, tomatoey taste.  Score: 10/10.

Cheese: This pizza has plenty of yummy stringy cheese, but it produces a decent amount of grease.  Thus, a mandatory deduction applies.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The pepperoni has a nice pork flavor without being overspiced.  The Italian sausage is the horrid pellet variety.  Both toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 6/10.

Overall Taste: Never have I had such bad sausage on such a good pizza.  This score would be several points higher had I ordered any topping but Italian sausage.  Score: 7.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: This pizza has a nice well-balanced appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: The dining room has dated furniture with several TVs for entertainment.

Customer Service: My pizza took awhile to make, but they were busy.

Monetary Value: Papa Angelo's makes high quality pizza, but it is also very expensive.  Thus, the value is not the best.

The Final Judgment:

If you come to Papa Angelo's, order the Canadian bacon, sliced sausage, or anything but the Italian sausage.  If you do that, you will have a great pizza.  Score: 79/100.

Barro's Pizza near Phoenix, AZ

Basic Information:

Pizza: Barro's Pizza
Number of Locations: around 40, mostly near Phoenix
Location Reviewed: 5884 W. Arizona Pavilions Drive in Tucson, AZ (across the parking lot from Walmart at I-10, exit 246)

Website: https://barrospizza.com/
Date of Review Visit: February 2024
What I Ordered: medium (12") pizza with Italian sausage and pepperoni
Price: $14.12 (includes tax but no drink or tip)

Photos:

Summary Review: 5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Barro's Pizza has a nice thick bready crust.  The texture has just the right amount of crispiness.  I really enjoyed this crust.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: This pizza has plenty of sauce.  The sauce is not overspiced, but it might be oversalted.  Something makes this pizza taste very salty, and while I'm not sure it is the sauce, I couldn't isolate the saltiness anywhere else.  Thus, I'll factor the saltiness in here.  Score: 8/10.

Cheese: This pizza has plenty of yummy cheese, but it produces quite a bit of grease.  Hence, a mandatory deduction applies.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The pepperoni is adequate: it has decent flavor with a little spiciness.  The sausage is fantastic: it comes in big chunks of pork with just the right amount of seasoning.  Both toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 10/10.

Overall Taste: The heavy saltiness lowers the score on what is otherwise an excellent tasting pizza.  I wanted to write "this pizza is not as salty as Pizza Hut," but I'm not sure that's true.  Score: 8/10.

Pizza Appearance: Barro's Pizza looks like the yummy, robust pizza it is.

Dining Atmosphere: I ordered carryout, but their dining area looked like a nice casual dining room.

Customer Service: The service was quick and friendly.

Monetary Value: The price is a little high, but this is a 12" pizza, not the usual 10" pizza I usually order.  Thus, the value grades out well.

The Final Judgment:

Barro's is a true Phoenix success story, and I can see why.  Barro's makes a nice pizza if you can tolerate the saltiness.  Score: 90/100.

Next Door Pizza in Chino Hills, CA

Basic Information:

Pizza: Next Door Pizza
Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 15941 Pomona Rincon Road, Suite 110, in Chino Hills, CA (at California 71, exit 7)

Website: https://www.thenextdoorpizza.com/
Date of Review Visit: February 2024
What I Ordered: small (10") pizza with pepperoni and Italian sausage, fountain drink
Price: $17.78 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Next Door Pizza is fairly thin but super hard, more hard than crispy.  My pizza seemed slightly overbaked.  The crust had too hard of a texture for my liking, so I can't rate this crust too high.  Score: 6/10.

Sauce: Next Door has several sauces to choose from, but I chose the traditional red sauce.  The pizza does not have a lot of sauce, but the sauce has a fresh tomatoey flavor.  Score: 8/10.

Cheese: This pizza has a nice blend of cheese that includes mozzarella, provolone, and a couple of others.  A mandatory deduction for too much grease applies.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The toppings are large slices of pepperoni and smaller pieces of crumbled up sausage.  Both toppings have nice pork flavor with just a little spiciness.  The toppings appear in above average quantity.  Score: 10/10.

Overall Taste: The overall taste is rather flavorful, but the grease and the crust keep this score lower than it really should be.  Score: 8/10.

Pizza Appearance: This pizza has a nice well-balanced appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: The dining room has a bar, a few TVs, but no chairs!  All seating is bench seating with no backs, which is very hard on people with back problems such as myself.

Customer Service: The service was quick and friendly.

Monetary Value: Next Door is on the expensive side, but the quality is high.  Therefore, the value is not that bad.

The Final Judgment:

Next Door makes a pizza that is a better crust, some grease, and some better chairs away from being elite.  Whether it is next door to your house or not, it is worth coming here at least on occasion for some pretty good pizza.  Score: 81/100.

Round Table Pizza in Southern California

Basic Information:

Pizza: Round Table Pizza
Number of Locations: 8, all in southern California
Location Reviewed: 2506 E. Chapman Ave. in Fullerton, CA (in College Plaza beside Subway)

Website: https://www.roundtablepizza.com/
Date of Review Visit: February 2024
What I Ordered: small (10") pizza with pepperoni and Italian sausage
Price: $16.25 (includes tax but not drink or tip)

Photos:

Summary Review: 5 stars (out of 5)

The Macro:

Crust: The crust at Round Table Pizza is on thin side.  It has a nice crispy texture.  The pizza looks overbaked, but it's actually baked perfectly for this kind of pizza.  This is a great crust.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: The sauce has a fresh tomatoey taste and comes in plenty of quantity.  Perfecto!  Score: 10/10.

Cheese: This pizza has plenty of cheese, which is a tasty blend of several kinds of cheese.  The cheese produces quite a bit of grease, which leads to a mandatory deduction.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The pepperoni appears in thin slices with just a little spice.  The Italian sausage appears in medium-sized chunks with just the right amount of spice.  Both toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 10/10.

Overall Taste: Everything comes together well to produce a fresh taste with a crispy crust, but the sauce is what really makes the taste.  Score: 9/10.

Pizza Appearance: Round Table Pizza has a well-balanced appearance dominated by the toppings.

Dining Atmosphere: I ordered carry out, but Round Table has a nice casual dining atmosphere with retro games such as skiball and Golden Tee Golf.

Customer Service: The service was quick and friendly on my visit; I was the only customer at the time.

Monetary Value: Round Table Pizza is not cheap, but it has high quality.  Hence, the value is not as bad as you might expect.

The Final Judgment:

Round Table Pizza calls themselves pizza royalty, and they are not far off.  For royally good pizza and a royally good time, Round Table Pizza deserves a spot in your pizza rotation, and it makes a great party destination.  Score: 90/100.

Gino's Italian Restaurant in Palmdale, CA

Basic Information:

Pizza: Gino's Italian Restaurant
Number of Locations: 2, both near Palmdale, CA
Location Reviewed: 819 W. Palmdale Blvd. (in strip center at corner of Palmdale Blvd. and 10th St. West)

Website: https://www.ginosofpalmdale.com/?utm_source=gbp
Date of Review Visit: February 2024
What I Ordered: small (10") pizza with pepperoni and sausage
Price: $20.95 (includes tax but no drink or tip)

Photos:

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: The pizza at Gino's Italian Restaurant has a thick bready crust.  The crust has a fresh bready taste and is full of body.  This crust is not good if you only want a light snack, but it is great for the hearty pizza eater like me.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: The sauce appears in sufficient quantity but tastes overspiced.  This is not my kind of sauce, but some people might like it.  Score: 6/10.

Cheese: This pizza has plenty of cheese that does not produce much grease.  Perfecto!  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The pepperoni has a nice pork taste with just enough spices, plus the slices of pepperoni are huge.  The sausage is way too spicy for my taste palette.  Both toppings appear in very high quantity.  Score: 9/10.

Overall Taste: The overall taste has too much spiciness from the sauce and the sausage for my taste.  Get the glass of water ready if you eat here.  Score: 7.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: This pizza looks like the yummy, robust, thick-crust pizza it is.

Dining Atmosphere: I ordered carry out, but Gino's has a nice dining atmosphere with cloth napkins and glass drinkware to add a touch of class.

Customer Service: The service was quick and helpful on my visit.

Monetary Value: "Good" this pizza is, but cheap it isn't.  Hence, the value is not the best.

The Final Judgment:

Gino's is better than nearby Gezzinny's, but it is also more expensive.  The overwhelming spiciness keeps this pizza from being elite in my book.  Score: 83/100.

Gezziny's Homemade Pizza in Palmdale, CA

Basic Information:

Pizza: Gezziny's Homemade Pizza
Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 38750 Trade Center Dr. in Palmdale, CA (strip mall at corner of Trade Center Dr. and Palmdale Blvd.)
Date of Review Visit: February 2024
What I Ordered: large (14") pizza with pork pepperoni, Italian sausage, and ham
Price: $16.52 (pizza only; includes tax but not drink or tip)

Summary Review: 2.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Gezziny's Homemade Pizza has a not-too-thick not-too-thin crust.  The texture of the crust is a little on the hard and crispy side.  The crust is also brushed with a garlic glaze, which I don't particularly like.  Score: 6/10.

Sauce: This pizza has sufficient sauce, but it is overspiced with a heavy garlic flavor.  I don't like garlic flavor, especially in the sauce, and hence I don't like the taste of this sauce.  Score: 4/10.

Cheese: The cheese appears in sufficient quantity but produces quite a bit of grease.  Hence, the mandatory grease deduction applies.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: None of the toppings have a lot of flavor.  The ham is especially unappetizing: it is burnt black and too crispy.  All toppings appear in average quantity.  Score: 6/10.

Overall Taste: The garlic taste dominates everything else, so the overall taste is rather unappealing, at least to my taste palette.  Score: 6.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: This pizza's appearance looks a little bare, especially for a 3 topping pizza.

Dining Atmosphere: (not applicable: no dining area)

Customer Service: The service was quick but not friendly or helpful.

Monetary Value: I got this pizza on special, but even at the regular price it is fairly inexpensive for a decent quality pizza.

The Final Judgment:

Gezziny's is the local garlic king.  I don't like the taste of garlic, so I would prefer pizza from the garlic pawn than the garlic king.  Score: 69/100.

Little Italy Pizza & Pasta in Abilene, TX

Basic Information:

Pizza: Little Italy Pizza & Pasta
Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 620 Ambler Ave. (corner of US 83 Business and Ambler Ave. on the north side of Abilene)

Website: https://www.littleitalyexpress.com/
Date of Review Visit: February 2024
What I Ordered: personal (10") pizza with pepperoni, pork sausage, and Italian sausage
Price: $10.81 (pizza only; includes tax but not drink or tip)

Photos:

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Little Italy Pizza & Pasta has medium thickness.  The crust has a crispy texture, but some people would say it is a bit too stiff.  This crust has a nice fresh bready taste that I like quite a lot.  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: This pizza is slightly undersauced, but what sauce does appear has a nice fresh tomatoey flavor.  Score: 8/10.

Cheese: The cheese does not have much flavor, but it appears in sufficient quantity and does not produce much grease.  Thus, this cheese is better than most.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The pork sausage is the horrible pellet of grease that disintegrates on contact with your mouth.  The pepperoni is unremarkable.  The Italian sausage is the star of the show: it is a sliced link sausage with some pork flavor but not too much spiciness.  All toppings appear in sufficient quantity.  Score: 8/10.

Overall Taste: The overall taste would have been very bland except for the Italian sausage.  They need some other tasty toppings to go with some of the other good things on this pizza.  Score: 7.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: This pizza has a well-ordered and balanced appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: I ordered to-go, but the tiny dining area with a few tables and chairs is nothing more than functional.

Customer Service: The service was quick but not helpful when I asked about toppings, which is why I ended up with the pork sausage described above.

Monetary Value: The price is for the pizza only, but this pizza is still very inexpensive for a quality pizza.

The Final Judgment:

Little Italy Pizza & Pasta is a solid pizza option that could be elite with some better toppings.  If I lived in Abilene, maybe as a student at nearby Abilene Christian University, I would come here often.  Score: 84/100.

Pizza Buffet of Anderson, SC

Basic Information:

Pizza: Pizza Buffet of Anderson
Number of Locations: 1

Location Reviewed: 3420 Clemson Blvd. in Anderson, SC (beside the Shell and in front of Ollie's)
Website: https://pizzabuffetofanderson.com/
Date of Review Visit: January 2024
What I Ordered: adult buffet and drink
Price: $14.00 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

 

Summary Review: 2.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Pizza Buffet offers 2 types of crust: regular and pan.  The regular crust is hard and crispy, and it is of the low quality you typically find on buffet pizza.  The pan crust is thicker and has a nice spongy texture.  The pan crust is better than you would expect for buffet pizza.  Score: 7/10.

Sauce: the sauce comes in sufficient quantity, but it has an almost bitter taste.  I like sweet tasting sauce, so while I can see why some people would like this sauce, it isn't for me.  Score: 5/10.

Cheese: this pizza is somewhat undercheesed, and the cheese produces quite a bit of grease.  Score: 4/10.

Toppings: of course the quality of the toppings varies by the type of pizza chosen, but the options are actually quite limited (see "Overall Taste" below).  The sausage is of the horrible pellet variety.  The pepperoni is unremarkable.  At least the toppings appear in decent quantity.  Score: 3/10.

Overall Taste: the overall taste is not the best due to the toppings and the sauce.  Bafflingly, there were basically only 3 types of pizza on the buffet: cheese, pepperoni, and sausage.  Most pizzas on the buffet were some variation/combination of those three.  Thus, there was little variety in pizza choice, and there were no "signature" pizzas (ham and cheddar, barbeque, etc.) that made me want to come back.  Score: 5.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: This pizza looks like the low to medium quality pizza it is. 

Dining Atmosphere: Pizza Buffet has a large but somewhat dated dining room.

Customer Service: The service was excellent: they refilled my Dr. Pepper regularly.

Monetary Value: pizza buffets usually shine on this metric, and this one is no exception.  In a world where $14 will barely buy you a small pizza and a drink, to get all the pizza you can eat for that price is a real bargain.

 

The Final Judgment:

Pizza buffets always seem to sacrifice quality for quantity, and this one is no exception.  That said, I like Pizza Buffet better than Pizza Inn, another pizza buffet in this area.  While I prefer higher quality pizzas for regular pizza eating, for the occasional mandatory self-gourding via pizza, Pizza Buffet gets the job done.  Score: 69/100.

Napoli's Pizza, Pasta, and Subs in Marietta, OH

Basic Information:

Pizza: Napoli's Pizza
Number of Locations: 9, mostly near Parkersburg, WV
Location Reviewed: 335 Pike Street in Marietta, OH (on SR 7 just west of I-77 exit 1)

Website: https://www.napolis.com/
Date of Review Visit: October 2023
What I Ordered: small (8") pizza with pepperoni and sausage; 20 oz. Pepsi to drink.
Price: $16.32 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

 

Summary Review: 2.5 stars (out of 5)

The Macro:

Crust: The crust on Napoli's Pizza has a light and flaky, almost airy, texture.  The crust is quite crispy, but it is not as thin as many crusts of this type.  I don't usually like thin crusts, but I like this crust.  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: The sauce has a nice tomatoey taste, but the pizza is slightly undersauced.  Thus, a mandatory deduction applies.  Score: 8/10.

Cheese: This pizza is slightly undercheesed, but the cheese does not produce much grease.  I've had worse cheese than this.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The pepperoni is standard commercial Hormel pepperoni, and the sausage comes in tiny flavorless bits.  Honestly, these toppings are terrible.  At least they appear in decent quantity.  Score: 3/10.

Overall Taste: The toppings really ruin what could be a very tasty pizza.  Unfortunately, on any pizza the toppings are one of the main taste contributors.  Score: 7/10.

Pizza Appearance: Napoli's Pizza has a very average unremarkable appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: The dining area at their Marietta location is tiny and purely functional.

Customer Service: The service was quick and friendly.

Monetary Value: For only an 8" pizza, this pizza is very overpriced relative to what you put in your mouth.

The Final Judgment:

There are elements of a tasty pizza here, but the toppings need a major upgrade and the price is unreasonable.  In Marietta, I like East of Chicago Pizza better.  Score: 69/100.