Basilico Greenville in Greenville, SC

Basic Information:

Pizza: Basilico Greenville

Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 1175 Woods Crossing Road (near Haywood Mall)
Website: https://basilicosc.com/
Date of Review Visit: August 2026
What I Ordered: small (12") meat lovers pizza; Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $21.96 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Basilico Greenville is a thin, blackened crust similar to what you would find on a wood-fired pizza.  The texture is a little on the hard side, but it is really more crispy than hard.  This is not my favorite style of crust, but I like it for what it is.  Score: 8/10

Sauce: This pizza is somewhat undersauced, but the sauce that does appear has a rich tomatoey taste.  I only got a few really good bites of sauce, and I wish I had tasted the sauce more often.  Score: 6/10

Cheese: The cheese appears in sufficient quantity, and it offers a nice mix of cheesy flavors.  Score: 10/10

Toppings: The sausage is a mild Italian sausage that has surprisingly little flavor.  The ham has a nice fresh ham flavor, not smoked like a lot of ham pizzas.  The bacon has a yummy salted pork flavor, but there was not much bacon on my pizza.  The pepperoni and beef are unremarkable.  Most toppings appear in above average quantity.  Score: 8/10

Overall Taste: The overall taste is a little on the bland side.  Some more sauce and more bacon would fix that.  Score: 8/10

Pizza Appearance: The toppings dominate the pizza's appearance, which is normal for a meat lovers pizza.

Dining Atmosphere: Basilico offers a touch of class with real silverware, real glassware, and cloth napkins.  Some classical music provides a classy and pleasant ambiance.

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

Monetary Value: Basilico offers fairly high quality but at a high price, so the value is not great.

The Final Judgment:

Basilico Greenville offers a great dining experience and good pizza.  Some more sauce and tastier toppings would make it a real winner.  Score: 81/100

Red Tomato Greek and Italian Cuisine: Detroit-style Pan Pizza

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: July 2026
What I Ordered: small Detroit-style pan pizza with ham and bacon; Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $21.71 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: On this visit to Red Tomato, I decided to try their new Detroit-style pan pizza.  This pizza comes as a rectangle, not as the usual circle.  It has a tasty burnt strip of cheese around the edge of the crust.  This crust is thicker than their usual southern-style thin crust, but it is not as thick as I was expecting for a Detroit-style pan crust.  This crust is a little on the hard side.  While not my favorite crust in the Detroit pizza category, I like this crust better than their usual crust.  Score: 8/10.

Sauce: The sauce has a fresh taste and appears in adequate quantity.  But the sauce is a little overspiced, and I couldn't really taste the tomatoes.  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 bacon and ham have a nice fresh pork flavor.  Both toppings appear in satisfactory but not extraordinary 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 the hardness of the crust.  Score: 8.5/10.

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 better than their usual pizza, but it is also quite a bit more expensive.  Thus, the value is not quite as high.

The Final Judgment:

In this part of Anderson, I still like DaVinci's more but Fyre less than Red Tomato.  Score: 85/100.

Giovanni's Pizza in Paintsville, KY

Basic Information:

Pizza: Giovanni's Pizza

Number of Locations: about 100 across 6 states; based in Ashland, KY
Location Reviewed: 257 Court Street in downtown Paintsville, KY
Website: https://giovannispizza.com/
Date of Review Visit: April 2026
What I Ordered: small (10") pizza with regular sausage and regular pepperoni
Price: $13.52 (pizza only, includes tax but not drink or tip)
Photo:

Summary Review: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust on Giovanni's Pizza is fairly thick, just as I like it.  It has a nice crispy texture, but it's not hard.  This is a good crust.  Score: 10/10

Sauce: This pizza has a decent amount of sauce, but the texture is on the thin side.  I could taste the tomatoes in this sauce, so it could be worse.  Score: 7/10

Cheese: This pizza has plenty of yummy cheese, and it does not produce a lot of grease.  Brilliant!  Score: 10/10

Toppings: Both of the toppings appear in adequate quantity, but both are a little bland in flavor.  Giovanni's offers spicy version of both the sausage and the pepperoni, so maybe I should have chosen the spicy sausage.  Score: 8/10

Overall Taste: The overall taste is robust and filling but on the bland side.  Score: 7/10

Pizza Appearance: This pizza has plenty of cheese and toppings, which dominate the appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: I ordered take out, but the dining room is very casual with 80s style video games.

Customer Service: The service was quick and friendly.

Monetary Value: High quality plus decent price equals pretty high value.

The Final Judgment:

Many regional chains make fantastic pizza, and Giovanni's is no exception.  If I lived near one of their locations, I would order from here regularly.  Score: 86/100

Pizza Plus in East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia

Basic Information:

Pizza: Pizza Plus

Number of Locations: 52, mostly in Tennessee and Virginia
Location Reviewed: 606 E. 5th Street in Big Stone Gap, VA
Website: https://pizzaplusinc.com/
Date of Review Visit: April 2026
What I Ordered: small pizza with sausage and pepperoni, Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $15.85 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: Pizza Plus offers 2 crusts: thick and thin.  It will come as no surprise to regular readers of this blog that I chose thick.  The thick crust is somewhat thick, but it is not a true deep dish.  It has a nice and crispy texture on the outside.  My crust was somewhat soggy underneath, which is never a good thing.  Score: 6/10

Sauce: The sauce has a discernable but not particularly strong tomato flavor.  It appears in adequate quantity.  Score: 8/10

Cheese: This pizza has sufficient cheese with decent flavor when you sprinkle on some parmesan.  But this cheese produces more than sufficient grease, which leads to an automatic deduction.  Score: 7/10

Toppings: The sausage looks like the horrible pellet variety, but in fact it has a little spiciness without being overspiced.  The pepperoni is unremarkable.  Both toppings appear in plenty of quantity.  Score: 8/10

Overall Taste: This pizza would have a very bland overall taste were it not for the sausage.  Score: 7.5/10

Pizza Appearance: This pizza has a very average appearance; it is dominated by the toppings.

Dining Atmosphere: Pizza Plus has a casual dining atmosphere similar to an old-fashioned Pizza Hut.  The Big Stone Gap location has some Roku televisions for entertainment.

Customer Service: on the casual side.  They have no knives to cut your pizza with, only forks.  I couldn't cut my thick crust with a fork, so I had to pick it up with my hands and eat it the "American way."

Monetary Value: This pizza has decent quality, but the price is pretty low, so the value is fairly high.

The Final Judgment:

I first encountered Pizza Plus when I visited my cousins in Tennessee many years ago.  I thought pretty highly of it then, and I still do today.  While it may not be unique enough to be your favorite pizza, it is worth coming here regularly.  Score: 81/100

Geno's Pizza, Wings, and Fingers in Scottsboro, AL

Basic Information:

Pizza: Geno's Pizza, Wings, and Fingers

Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 23780 John T. Reid Parkway in Scottsboro, AL (north side of US 72 just west of SR 35)
Website: https://www.facebook.com/p/Genos-Pizzas-Wings-Fingers-100063895276304/
Date of Review Visit: March 2026
What I Ordered: 9" pizza with pepperoni, Italian sausage, and ham
Price: $17.42 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

Summary Review: 5 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust on Geno's Pizza is a true southern-style thin crust.  Like most crusts of this type, it has a nice crispy texture but not a lot of taste.  This type of crust is hard to bake the right amount, but mine was baked perfectly.  This is not my favorite style of crust, but this crust is pretty good for what it is.  Score: 9/10

Sauce: This pizza has a fair amount of sauce, and the sauce has a nice fresh tomatoey taste.  Score: 9/10

Cheese: This pizza is well-cheesed, and it has a pleasant taste if you sprinkle on some parmesan.  Score: 10/10

Toppings: The ham and pepperoni have a nice fresh pork taste.  The Italian sausage is fairly spicy and doesn't fit the rest of the pizza.  All toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 9/10

Overall Taste: There is too much spiciness from the Italian sausage, and the crust makes too small of a flavor contribution.  But the fact that I noticed those 2 things says that the flavors mostly blend rather well.  Score: 8.5/10

Pizza Appearance: This pizza looks like a nice thin crust pizza with the toppings dominating the appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: Geno's has a sports bar atmosphere with plenty of TVs.

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

Monetary Value: Above average quality plus average price equals above average value.

The Final Judgment:

I was pleasantly surprised by this small town pizza place.  Geno's makes a tasty pizza with a solid dining atmosphere at a fair price, and if you drive US 72 across northeast Alabama you should stop and eat here.  Score: 90/100

Olive Branch Mediterranean and Italian Grill in Greenwood, SC

Basic Information:

Pizza: Olive Branch Mediterranean and Italian Grill

Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 109 Birchtree Drive in Greenwood, SC (on the north side of Greenwood just south of US 25 and Bypass 72)
Website: https://olivebranchofgreenwood.com/
Date of Review Visit: March 2026
What I Ordered: double pepperoni calzone, Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $18.26 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: Olive Branch Mediterranean and Italian Grill does offer pizza, but for a change of pace I decided to order a calzone rather than a pizza.  The "crust" on the calzone is predictably thin but on the hard side.  My calzone was slightly overbaked.  For a calzone, this is a passable crust.  Score: 6/10

Sauce: Unlike some calzones, there is some sauce in this calzone.  The sauce has a nice thick texture and a pleasant tomato taste.  I like it.  Score: 9/10

Cheese: This calzone is stuffed with plenty of yummy cheese.  This calzone did come with LOTS of grease, which leads to a mandatory deduction.  Score: 7/10

Toppings: This calzone has plenty of pepperoni, and it comes in thick yummy wads.  The pepperoni is a little spicy but not overly spicy, and it seems to work well for pizzas and calzones.  Score: 9/10

Overall Taste: The overall taste would be excellent except for the hard, semi-burnt crust and abundance of grease.  Score: 7.5/10

Calzone Appearance: not the best: it looks flat and burnt.

Dining Atmosphere: Olive Branch has a beautiful and well-decorated casual dining area.  I really enjoyed eating here.

Customer Service: the service was fine except that the server twice failed to take my credit card when she came out to serve other tables.  It took me 15 minutes to pay my bill when I was done eating.

Monetary Value: above average quality plus slightly above average price yields slightly above average value.

The Final Judgment:

The dining room at Olive Branch might be better than the food, although I enjoyed both.  For a nice and reasonably priced casual dining experience, Olive Branch deserves a spot in your pizza rotation.  Score: 79/100

Papa Johns Pan Pizza

Basic Information:

Pizza: Papa Johns Pan Pizza

Number of Locations: many nationwide
Location Reviewed: 3010 North Main Street in Anderson, SC
Website: https://www.papajohns.com/
Date of Review Visit: March 2026
What I Ordered: pan pizza (12") with pepperoni and sausage
Price: $15.24 (pizza only, includes tax but not drink or tip)
Photos:

Summary Review: 2 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: Papa Johns' usual crust is known for having a fresh bready taste but being very bulky.  Now comes the even bulkier pan crust.  The thickness and texture is similar to Domino's pan pizza, but this pan pizza has parmesan cheese baked all the way to the edge, which gives the crust a mild cheesy flavor.  I kind of like the cheesy flavor, but I would still prefer a true deep dish crust on my pan pizza.  Score: 8/10

Sauce: Papa Johns is well-known for using sauce that is way too sweet.  It even tastes too sweet to me, and I like sweet sauces.  Aside from the sweetness, the quantity and texture are quite appealing.  Score: 7/10

Cheese: Aside from the parmesan cheese near the edge, this is the most undercheesed pizza I have had recently.  Look at all that bare sauce!  I thought about giving a score of 0 on this category, but.... Score: 1/10

Toppings: The sausage just sits there and adds no real flavor.  Papa Johns used to have better sausage than this.  The pepperoni is not overly spicy, and it blends nicely with the sweetness of the sauce.  Both toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 7/10

Overall Taste: The overall taste is fairly uninspiring.  The parmesan on the crust definitely comes through, as does the sweetness of the sauce, but those 2 flavors don't really combine that well.  Score: 6/10

Pizza Appearance: This pizza has a very bare appearance due to the lack of cheese.  I have always thrown out the infamous peppers and garlic sauce that come with every Papa Johns pizza.  That fact does not directly impact the appearance of the pizza, but I needed to mention it somewhere.

Dining Atmosphere: (not applicable; like most Papa Johns locations, this location is take out only)

Customer Service: The service was quick and friendly on my visit, as usual at Papa Johns.

Monetary Value: The price is not crazy, but the quality is not particularly high.  Thus, there are better values on Papa Johns menu.  I personally prefer the epic stuffed crust.

The Final Judgment:

Papa Johns used to be my favorite among the big national pizza chains, but I'm not sure I can say that any more.  This pan pizza may be the worst pizza Papa Johns has ever offered, and I prefer the pan pizzas at Pizza Hut and Dominos to this one.  Score: 64/100

Rotolo's Craft and Crust Pizzeria

Basic Information:

Pizza: Rotolo's Craft and Crust Pizzeria

Number of Locations: 30+ across 9 states; based in Baton Rouge, LA
Location Reviewed: 1314 Maxwell Blvd. in Ruston, LA (north side of I-20 between exits 85 and 86)
Website: https://rotolos.com/
Date of Review Visit: February 2026
What I Ordered: Simple Man (10" Deep Dish Pizza) with sausage
Price: $28.06 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: What a surprise to find a true Chicago-style deep dish crust from a pizza chain based in Louisiana!  The crust has a great texture that is nice and crispy on the outside but chewy on the inside.  The crust has an almost bready taste.  I love this crust.  Score: 10/10

Sauce: This pizza has lots of sauce, but the sauce has a slight bitter and overspiced taste.  I prefer to taste more tomatoes in my sauce.  Score: 7/10

Cheese: This pizza has plenty of cheese, and it is applied directly to the crust in true Chicago style.  Excellent! Score: 10/10

Toppings: This pizza has plenty of sausage, but the sausage is a little too spicy to put on a pizza for my taste.  In their defense, they do advertise the sausage as a spicy sausage, but the server told me it isn't that spicy even though it's pretty spicy.  Maybe I should have ordered the pepperoni.  Score: 8/10

Overall Taste: The spiciness of the sauce and sausage overwhelm my taste palette, so the overall taste is not as good as you might expect.  Score: 7.5/10

Pizza Appearance: This pizza looks like a beautiful deep dish pizza; the sauce and crust dominate the appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: Rotolo's has a pleasant somewhat upscale casual dining atmosphere.  They were hosting the Inside Tech Basketball radio program for nearby Louisiana Tech University while I was there.

Customer Service: The service was friendly and fast enough considering the burden of the radio program.

Monetary Value: The price is expensive, but the quality is quite high.  They gave me a 15% discount for finishing the entire pizza.

The Final Judgment:

I love good deep dish Chicago-style pizza.  While Rotolo's is not the best option in that category, it is good enough that I will come back here because I was so surprised to find this style of pizza in northwest Louisiana.  Score: 84/100

Roma's Italian Restaurant in Sulphur Springs, TX

Basic Information:

Pizza: Roma's Italian Restaurant

Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 400 Shannon Road East in Sulphur Springs, TX (just east of I-30, exit 124)
Website: https://romasitalianeasttx.com/
Date of Review Visit: February 2026
What I Ordered: small (12") pizza with pepperoni and sausage
Price: $18.93 (pizza only; includes tax but not drink or tip)
Photos:

Summary Review: 3 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: The pizza crust at Roma's Italian Restaurant is thicker than you would expect for this part of the country.  It has a nice texture that is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, but it has no real flavor.  Every pizza at Roma's comes with breadsticks at no additional charge, but the breadsticks are horrible.  My breadsticks came at room temperature with no flavor other than salt and bread.  While this is a pizza blog and not a breadstick blog, I needed to factor in the breadsticks somewhere, so I factored them in here.  Score: 6/10

Sauce: This pizza does not have much sauce, and the sauce it does have has very little flavor.  Score: 3/10

Cheese: The cheese appears in sufficient quantity and does not produce much grease.  I like it.  Score: 9/10

Toppings: The sausage looks like the horrible pellet variety, but in fact it has a tasty amount of spiciness.  The pepperoni likewise adds just enough spiciness.  Both toppings appear in plenty of quantity.  Score: 9/10

Overall Taste: The overall taste is a little on the bland side: I really missed the tomato taste from the sauce and the bread taste of the crust.  The toppings save what could be a disaster.  Score: 7/10

Pizza Appearance: The thick crust and abundant toppings dominate the pizza's appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: Roma's has a dimly lit dining area with nice tables and chairs.  They also have a large bar, which the Baptist I am did not partake of.

Customer Service: The service was no-frills, quick, and to the point.

Monetary Value: Even when you factor in the "free" breadsticks, the price is too high relative to what you put in your mouth.

The Final Judgment:

Roma's makes a very average pizza with a dining atmosphere that does not suit my taste.  While I might come here occasionally as a change of pace, there are better pizza options in northeast Texas.  Score: 71/100

Pizza Leon in Central Texas

Basic Information:

Pizza: Pizza Leon

Number of Locations: 2, both in central Texas
Location Reviewed: 509 E. Ben White Boulevard in Austin, TX
Website: https://mypizzaleon.com/
Date of Review Visit: February 2026
What I Ordered: Medium (12") pizza with pepperoni and sausage
Price: $17.05 (pizza only; includes tax)
Photos:

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Pizza Leon has medium thickness.  The texture is somewhat on the hard side, and it is rather flavorless.  I don't care for this crust.  Score: 4/10

Sauce: On the other hand, the sauce appears in sufficient quantity, and it has pleasant tomatoey taste.  I really like this sauce.  Score: 10/10

Cheese: The cheese appears in adequate quantity, and it produces little grease.  Excellent!  Score: 9/10

Toppings: The sausage is a spicy Italian sausage, but it also has a pleasant pork flavor that does not simply taste like biting into a spice keg.  Likewise the pepperoni has a pleasant spiced park flavor.  Both toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 10/10

Overall Taste: The crust really holds this pizza back, because everything else works together pretty well.  The overall taste is also on the salty side.  Score: 7.5/10

Pizza Appearance: The toppings dominate this pizza's appearance, which is probably a good thing.

Dining Atmosphere: (not applicable: this location is a food truck with no dining area)

Customer Service: The service was prompt and friendly, but the window on the food truck did not open properly, making it hard to communicate and receive my pizza.

Monetary Value: The price is somewhat expensive, but the overall quality is quite high.  Thus, the value is decent.

The Final Judgment:

Pizza Leon may be the best food truck pizza I have ever had, even if their other location is a traditional location.  I would sanction coming here occasionally, even if you have to bring your own drink and eat it in your car.  Score: 82/100

Stefano's Pizza Express in Pharr, TX

Basic Information:

Pizza: Stefano's Pizza Express

Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 500 North Jackson Road in Pharr, TX (just north of I-2, exit 144)
Website: https://stefanospizzaexpress.com/
Date of Review Visit: February 2026
What I Ordered: 16" pizza with pepperoni and sausage
Price: $20.02 (pizza only, includes tax but not drink or tip)
Photos:

Summary Review: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: Stefano's Pizza Express makes New York style pizza with a thin crust.  The crust is too crispy to be foldable.  This is not my favorite style of crust, but it is OK for what it is.  Score: 7/10

Sauce: This pizza is a little undersauced, but the sauce that does appear has a pleasant tomato taste. Score: 8/10

Cheese: This pizza has plenty of yummy cheese, and it does not produce much grease.  Fantastic!  Score: 10/10

Toppings: The sausage looks like the horrible pellet-style sausage, but in fact it has decent flavor and spiciness.  The pepperoni has an excellent spiced pork flavor.  Both toppings appear in above average quantity.  Score: 9/10

Overall Taste: None of the parts really overpower the others.  Everything works together pretty well to produce a well-balanced overall taste.  Score: 8.5/10

Pizza Appearance: The sausage looks bad even though it doesn't taste bad.  Otherwise, this pizza looks like a nice New York style pizza.

Dining Atmosphere: I ordered take-out, but Stefano's Pizza Express has a pleasant casual dining atmosphere with comfortable tables and chairs.

Customer Service: The service is counter service, and it was quick and friendly on my visit.

Monetary Value: The price is pretty high, but you have to remember that this is a quality 16" pizza.  Thus, the value is not too bad, plus the counter service saves on the tip.

The Final Judgment:

There is nothing cheap or hasty about the pizza at Stefano's Pizza Express.  They offer a quality pizza in a quality dining environment at a fair price, and if I lived in Pharr I would take the express lane to come here regularly.  Score: 86/100

Bruno's Italian Kitchen in Beaumont, TX

Basic Information:

Pizza: Bruno's Italian Kitchen

Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 3199 Dowlen Road (between Folsom Dr. and Delaware St.)
Website: https://brunosik.com/
Date of Review Visit: February 2026
What I Ordered: small (12") meatlover's pizza (sausage, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, hamburger)
Price: $19.04 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust on Bruno's Italian Kitchen's pizza is a fluffy crust.  It is not too thick, but it has a nice crispiness around the edge.  The crust has a fresh bready taste, and I like it.  Score: 9/10

Sauce: The pizza is undersauced, and the sauce that does exist is overspiced.  I could not taste the tomatoes in the sauce at all.  Score: 3/10

Cheese: This pizza has a thick yummy layer of cheese that does not produce much grease.  Magnifico!  Score: 10/10

Toppings: The sausage is a slightly spicy Italian sausage; the flavor is satisfactory but not outstanding.  The Canadian bacon has a pleasant fresh ham taste.  The pepperoni is unremarkable.  The hamburger just sits there adding no flavor, which is what it does on most pizzas and why I never order hamburger as a stand-alone topping.  The toppings appear in satisfactory quantity.  Score: 7/10

Overall Taste: The sauce and sausage combine to give this pizza an overly spicy flavor.  I would like to taste some of the other ingredients more.  Score: 7.5/10

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

Dining Atmosphere: The cloth napkins add a touch of class, as does the pleasant Italian music playing in a fantastic dining room.

Customer Service: The server was friendly and attentive, but every action took awhile even though they weren't busy.

Monetary Value: The price seems expensive, but it is reasonable for a quality 12" meatlover's pizza.

The Final Judgment:

Bruno's offers a quality pizza in a quality dining atmosphere.  While not elite, it is competitive on the Beaumont pizza scene, and I would make it part of my regular pizza rotation if I lived in Beaumont.  Score: 80/100

Fazoli's

Basic Information:

Pizza: Fazoli's

Number of Locations: 200+ across 26 states
Location Reviewed: 3901 Liberty Highway in Anderson, SC (near the Liberty Highway WalMart)
Website: https://fazolis.com/
Date of Review Visit: January 2026
What I Ordered: whole (14") pepperoni pizza with Italian sausage added
Price: $17.97 (pizza only; includes tax)
Photos:

Summary Review: 1.5 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Fazoli's is a soft bready crust that has medium thickness.  They put a garlic glaze on their bread that gives the crust and the breadsticks that come with the pizza a strong garlic flavor.  (Aside: the breadsticks are in the bag in the first photo.)  I don't care for garlic, and therefore this is not my favorite crust.  Score: 5/10

Sauce: This pizza is undersauced.  The sauce has a pleasant but mild tomato flavor.  Score: 6/10

Cheese: This pizza is undercheesed; it has no flavor at all.  Score: 2/10

Toppings: The pepperoni comes in flavorless thin slices.  The sausage is sliced Johnsonville mild Italian sausage.  The sausage looks burnt, but it has a nice Italian flavor with a small amount of spiciness.  Score: 5/10

Overall Taste: I'm glad I added the Italian sausage, because that is the only appetizing thing on this pizza.  The garlic flavor in the crust dominates everything else.  Score: 4.5/10

Pizza Appearance: The thick ring of crust around the edge makes this pizza look like pizza you would find at a gas station or truck stop.  No, that's not a good thing.

Dining Atmosphere: I ordered take-out, but they have a fast-food dining atmosphere with a few tables and chairs.

Customer Service: Fazoli's has counter service.  It was quick and friendly even though they were busy.

Monetary Value: You can get similar pizza for cheaper at Little Caesars.

The Final Judgment:

Fazoli's is better known for their pasta than their pizza.  I got my first taste of Fazoli's many years ago when I lived in Cincinnati.  I was unimpressed with Fazoli's pizza then, and I remain so today.  Score: 57/100