Roma Italian Restaurant in Texarkana, AR

Basic Information:

Pizza: Roma Italian Restaurant

Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 511 E. 51st Street in Texarkana, AR (north side of I-30 just east of the state line)
Website: https://www.romaitaliantexarkana.com/
Date of Review Visit: February 2025
What I Ordered: large (16") pizza with Italian sausage, pepperoni, and Canadian bacon; Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $24.91 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

Summary Review: 4.5  stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: The pizza at Roma Italian Restaurant has a New York style crust with a nice crispy texture and medium thickness.  The crust is very blackened underneath, which suggests my pizza was slightly overbaked, but only slightly.  Score: 9/10

Sauce: This pizza has plenty of sauce, which is odd for New York style pizzas.  The sauce is slightly overspiced, but only slightly.  Score: 9/10

Cheese: This pizza comes with a nice layer of yummy, stringy cheese.  The cheese appears in adequate quantity and doesn't produce a lot of grease.  Perfecto!  Score: 10/10

Toppings: The Italian sausage is lightly spiced and appears in large yummy chunks.  The pepperoni is unremarkable.  The Canadian bacon tastes like fresh city ham, as it should.  All toppings appear in adequate quantity.  Score: 9/10

Overall Taste: The spices in the sauce slightly overpower the other flavors on this pizza, but overall everything works together pretty well.  Score: 8.5/10

Pizza Appearance: The pizza's appearance is a little bare around the edges, especially for a 3 topping pizza.

Dining Atmosphere: Roma has a nice casual dining atmosphere with pleasant music, lighting, and a touch of class.  I enjoyed eating here.

Customer Service: I really enjoyed the service; it was quick and attentive.

Monetary Value: above average quantity plus above average price equals average value.

The Final Judgment:

I had some tasty pizza and an enjoyable dining experience at Roma.  This pizza is some slightly better toppings and a slightly better sauce away from being elite.  Score: 88/100

Pizza Artista in Southern Louisiana

Basic Information:

Pizza: Pizza Artista

Number of Locations: 5, all in southern Louisiana
Location Reviewed: 219 St. Nazaire Road in Broussard, LA (near the Home Depot at US 90 and Albertson's Parkway)
Website: https://www.pizzaartista.com/
Date of Review Visit: February 2025
What I Ordered: personal (10") pizza with sausage, pepperoni, and bacon
Price: $14.99 (pizza only; includes tax but not drink or tip)
Photos:

Summary Review: 2.5 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: Pizza Artista offers several crust options; of course, I chose the thick option.  The thick crust option has only average thickness.  It has a tough texture, but it is not particularly crispy.  The crust doesn't have a lot of flavor, bready or otherwise.  Maybe I should have ordered the thin crust option this time.  Score: 3/10

Sauce: The sauce has a pleasant tomatoey taste, and it appears in adequate quantity.  This is the strength of this pizza.  Score: 10/10

Cheese: The cheese is 100% mozzarella, and therefore it tastes rather bland.  The cheese appears in only average quantity, but it does not produce much grease.  Score: 6/10

Toppings: The sausage is the horrible pellet sausage.  The pepperoni has average flavor and a smidge of spiciness.  I almost didn't order the bacon, but I'm glad I did: it has a chewy texture and is not even a little salty.  The toppings appear in above average quantity.  Score: 7/10

Overall Taste: The overall taste is pretty average, as nothing adds any real flavor except maybe the sauce and the bacon.  Score: 6.5/10

Pizza Appearance: This pizza's appearance is marred by the wide ring of bare crust around the outside.

Dining Atmosphere: I ordered take out, but the Broussard location has a medium sized casual dining area with a small gaming area.

Customer Service: The customer service was quick and attentive; my order was prepared very fast.

Monetary Value: The price is on the high side, especially considering the quality is not the best.

The Final Judgment:

Pizza Artista makes a passable pizza, but it could be much better with some better toppings and crust.  Maybe they should use a little less artista and a little more culinary skill.  Score: 69/100