Tito's Restaurant Pizzeria in Greenville, SC

Basic Information:

Pizza: Tito's Restaurant Pizzeria

Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 2018 N. Pleasantburg Drive in Greenville, SC (near N. Pleasantburg Dr. and Rutherford Rd.)
Website: https://titospizzeria.com/
Date of Review Visit: September 2026
What I Ordered: 2 slices of pizza with sausage and pepperoni; Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $9.73 (lunch special; includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: Tito's Restaurant Pizzeria only sells pizzas 14" and greater in size.  I had nowhere to store leftovers, so I ordered their pizza by the slice lunch special.  This pizza has a true New York-style crust: it has some thickness on the edge, but it is very thin underneath.  The crust around the edge is on the hard side, but that's typical for reheated pizza by the slice.  This crust is not my favorite, but it's not bad for its category. Score: 7/10

Sauce: Like most New York-style pizzas, this pizza does not have much sauce.  What little sauce there is doesn't have much taste.  Therefore, this score doesn't have many points.  Score: 3/10

Cheese: On the other hand, this pizza has plenty of stringy cheese, and it does not produce much grease.  Yum!  Score: 10/10

Toppings: Both toppings have a pleasant pork flavor.  They are not too spicy, and they appear in plenty of quantity.  Score: 9/10

Overall Taste: This pizza is tastier than you would expect for reheated pizza by the slice, but the crust and the sauce hold this score down.  Score: 7/10

Pizza Appearance: This pizza looks like nice New York-style pizza slices.

Dining Atmosphere: The dining room is very casual and a little dated/run-down.

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

Monetary Value: The price is great for pizza of this quality.  Therefore, monetary value is a real strength of this pizza.

The Final Judgment:

Tito's Restaurant Pizzeria is a great place to go for lunch provided you don't demand a great dining atmosphere.  I had a cheap and pleasant meal here, and you probably will too.  Score: 80/100

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

Richards Pizza in Butler County, Ohio

Basic Information:

Pizza: Richards Pizza

Number of Locations: 4, all in Butler County, OH
Location Reviewed: 20 American Way in Monroe, OH (on SR 63 just west of I-75, exit 29)
Website: https://richardspizza.com/
Date of Review Visit: October 2025
What I Ordered: small (8") pizza with pepperoni and sausage
Price: $10 (pizza only; includes tax)
Photo:

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Richards Pizza is a thick, bready crust.  The texture is golden brown on the outside and chewy on the inside.  My pizza was baked to perfection.  Yum!  Score: 10/10

Sauce: This pizza has plenty of sauce, but the sauce is very overspiced.  My view is that tomato sauce should taste like tomatoes, and I could not taste the tomatoes at all.  This is not my style of sauce.  Score: 4/10

Cheese: This pizza features a thick layer of yummy cheese that I really enjoyed.  Score: 10/10

Toppings: Both toppings have a mildly seasoned Italian flavor; I was kind of expecting there to be a difference in taste between the sausage and pepperoni.  Both toppings appear with plenty of quantity. Score: 9/10

Overall Taste: The overspiced sauce dominates and therefore ruins the overall taste.  Score: 7/10

Pizza Appearance: Richards Pizza looks like a nice pan pizza, but the appearance is not dominated by the crust like so many other pan pizzas.

Dining Atmosphere: I ordered carry out; they have a nice casual dining area.

Customer Service: The server behind the counter was quick and attentive at taking my order.

Monetary Value: I only ordered an 8" pizza with no drink, but the price is pretty inexpensive for a pretty good pizza.

The Final Judgment:

Richards Pizza is a time-tested staple in Butler County, where I spent my first 28 years.  But for more tomato-tasting sauce, this pizza would be a real winner.  Score: 84/100

Antonio's Pizzeria LoSciavo in Northeast Ohio

Basic Information:

Pizza: Antonio's Pizzeria LoSciavo

Number of Locations: 16, all in northeast Ohio
Location Reviewed: 4161 Heritage Center Dr. in Copley, OH (just west of I-77, exit 137B)
Website: https://antoniospizza.net/
Date of Review Visit: October 2025
What I Ordered: Half-sheet pizza with pepperoni and sausage
Price: $27.99 (pizza only)
Photo:

Summary Review: 2.5 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: Antonio's Pizzeria LoSciavo offers several types of crusts.  I chose the square pan crust, which is the thickest crust they offer for a large pizza.  The square crust is indeed thick, but it is also fairly hard and does not have much taste, bready or otherwise.  Maybe I should have chosen a different crust.  Score: 3/10

Sauce: This pizza is somewhat undersauced, but the sauce it does have has a yummy tomatoey taste.  Score: 7/10

Cheese: Antonio's Pizzeria LoSciavo uses 100% provolone cheese.  The cheese appears in sufficient quantity and does not produce much grease.  Therefore, the cheese is excellent.  Score: 10/10

Toppings: The sausage appears in tiny tasteless ground bits; it is horrible.  The pepperoni has a slight spiced pork flavor.  Both toppings appear in average quantity.  Score: 6/10

Overall Taste: The overall taste is a little on the bland side.  This pizza also tastes quite salty, possibly due to the sausage.  Score: 6/10

Pizza Appearance: This pizza looks like a robust pizza that emphasizes quantity over quality.

Dining Atmosphere: (not applicable because this location is takeout only)

Customer Service: They had some computer problems that made my ordering process glacier slow, but the service was fine otherwise.

Monetary Value: The price seems very high for this quality of pizza.

The Final Judgment:

Normally I really like thick crust pizzas, but this pizza is not normal.  I would definitely order a different crust and some different toppings if I came here again.  Score: 67/100

Rocky Rococo Pizza

Basic Information:

Pizza: Rocky Rococo Pizza

Number of Locations: 31, mostly in Wisconsin
Location Reviewed: Fox River Mall Food Court in Appleton, WI
Website: https://rockyrococo.com/
Date of Review Visit: October 2025
What I Ordered: small pizza with Italian sausage and pepperoni
Price: $20.01 (pizza only)
Photos:

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: Rocky Rococo Pizza has a thick crust, but it is not quite your typical Chicago-style pan crust.  The crust is very bready; it has a soft texture with a crusty outer edge.  This crust is very good.  Score: 10/10

Sauce: The sauce is on the bitter side, and this pizza is slightly undersauced.  I like sweet sauces, so to my taste palette the sauce is the worst feature of this pizza.  Score: 7/10

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

Toppings: The sausage is a sweet Italian sausage that comes in nice large chunks.  The pepperoni has a mild seasoned pork taste.  Both toppings appear in above average quantity.  Score: 9/10

Overall Taste: The bitter flavor from the sauce really hurts because everything else combines to make a tasty pizza.  Score: 8.5/10

Pizza Appearance: Rocky Rococo makes rectangular pizzas, so they are bigger than you might think for the size you order.  It looks like the robust pizza it is.

Dining Atmosphere: The location I visited is located in a standard mall food court, and therefore the dining atmosphere feels like a mall food court with lots of people, noise, and other dining options around.

Customer Service: This location has counter service.  The service was quick, but they were not busy when I came here at 5pm on a Monday.

Monetary Value: The price is a mall price, i.e. it is high relative to what you put in your mouth.  Note that the price I give above is only for the pizza; drinks would have been extra.

The Final Judgment:

Rocky Rococo is a remarkable regional reward among Wisconsin pizzas.  I'd rave over this restaurant, but I reserve my regards due to the wretched-to-me sauce and the rocket-high price.  Score: 84/100

LaRosa's Family Pizzeria in Cincinnati, OH: Stuffed Pizza

Basic Information:

Pizza: LaRosa’s Family Pizzeria

Number of Locations: about 50, mostly near Cincinnati, OH

Location Reviewed: 96 Blackburn Lane in Dry Ridge, KY (just east of I-75, exit 159)

Website: https://www.larosas.com/

Date of Review Visit: October 2025

What I Ordered: Small stuffed pizza with sausage, pepperoni, and ham; cherry Coke to drink

Price: $23.72 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

Summary Review: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Like all stuffed pizzas, LaRosa’s stuffed pizza has 2 crusts: one on top and one on bottom.  While the 2 crusts are not identical, both crusts have taken direct oven heat, and both crusts are on the hard and crispy side.  There is also the hard and crispy super thick crust around the edge of the pizza.  Finally, they sprinkle a lot of spices atop the pizza, way too many for my taste.  The spices don't directly have to do with the crust, but I needed to mention them somewhere.  Score: 6/10.

Sauce: There is no sauce in the pizza; they give it to you in small cups for spreading or dipping.  They offer several sauce options, but I chose the standard pizza sauce.  The sauce uses high quality ingredients and has just the right amount of seasoning with spices.  I really like this sauce, but I kind of wish it was in the pizza.  Score: 9/10.

Cheese: This pizza has a 4-cheese blend that makes the cheese more flavorful than their usual provolone.  There is a very small amount of grease.  Perfecto!  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The sausage is just a little spicy and comes in nice-sized chunks.  The pepperoni is fairly average, but the ham has nice pork flavor and produces little grease.  There are plenty of "toppings" stuffed between the crusts.  Score: 10/10.

Overall Taste: The spices sprinkled atop the pizza combine with the spiciness of the sauce and the spiciness of the sausage to produce too much spiciness for me.  I like my food to taste like what it is, not like a bunch of spices.  Also, the outer crust is too hard and thick.  Score: 8/10.

Pizza Appearance: The appearance is quite pleasing save for the super thick crust around the edge.  

Dining Atmosphere: Most LaRosa’s locations have an excellent casual dining atmosphere, and Dry Ridge is no exception.

Customer Service: I have always enjoyed the service at LaRosa's.

Monetary Value: The price is somewhat low given the quality of pizza and dining experience you get. LaRosa’s stacks up far better than its casual dining competitors in this category.

The Final Judgment:

LaRosa’s is a Cincinnati favorite, but I prefer their regular pizzas over this stuffed pizza.  The stuffed pizza has too much spiciness, plus the crust is too hard and thick.  Score: 88/100.

Cacciatori Pizza & Pasta in Newark, DE

Basic Information:

Pizza: Cacciatori Pizza & Pasta

Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 108 Louviers Drive (back right corner of Louviers Shopping Plaza on Paper Mill Road north of Newark, DE)
Website: https://cacciatoris.com/
Date of Review Visit: September 2025
What I Ordered: Personal (10") pizza with pepperoni and sausage; 20 oz Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $14.45 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

Summary Review:  5 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: Cacciatori Pizza & Pasta makes a New York style pizza with a characteristically thin crust.  The crust has a nice crispy texture but not a lot of flavor, bready or otherwise.  I like this crust, but I've had better.  Score: 8/10

Sauce: This pizza has plenty of sauce, and it has a great tomatoey taste.  This is some of the best sauce I have ever had.  Because 10 is as high as this score can go...  Score: 10/10

Cheese: This pizza has plenty of yummy cheese, but it is slightly greasy.  Thus, a slight deduction applies.  Score: 9/10

Toppings: Both the sausage and pepperoni have a nice pork flavor with just a little bit of spiciness.  Both toppings appear in plenty of quantity.  Magnifico!  Score: 10/10

Overall Taste: The sauce steals the show, but everything works together well to create a very yummy pizza.  Score: 9.5/10

Pizza Appearance: The pizza looks like the tasty New York style pizza that it is.

Dining Atmosphere: Cacciatori has a small but nice casual dining area with several TVs for entertainment.

Customer Service: The service was a little disjoint on my visit: I wasn't immediately sure if they have table service or counter service.  Once I figured out how and where to order, the pizza was made and delivered to my table quickly.

Monetary Value: reasonable price plus high quality pizza equals above average value.

The Final Judgment:

Cacciatori Pizza & Pasta is one of my favorite pizzas anywhere.  If you find yourself near northwest Delaware, do your taste buds a favor and eat here.  Score: 92/100

Frank's Pizza and Italian Restaurant in Somerset, NJ

Basic Information:

Pizza: Frank's Pizza and Italian Restaurant

Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 441 Elizabeth Ave. in Somerset, NJ (across the street from ShopRite)
Website: https://frankspizzasomerset.com/
Date of Review Visit: September 2025
What I Ordered: large (16") pizza with sausage and pepperoni; 20 oz. Crush to drink
Price: $27.45 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

Summary Review: 3 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Frank's Pizza is not as thin as you would expect for a New York-style pizza.  It has a very crispy texture, and it's definitely not foldable.  While I don't particularly like this crust, it gets the job of supporting the rest of the pizza done.  Score: 7/10

Sauce: The sauce has a slight tomato flavor, so it's not great but not offensive.  It appears in average quantity.  Score: 8/10

Cheese: Likewise the cheese appears in average quantity, and it is inoffensive but not impressive either.  Score: 8/10

Toppings: The sausage has a slight pork flavor that I find mildly appealing; the pepperoni is unremarkable.  Neither topping has a lot of flavor.  Both toppings appear in average quantity.  Score: 7/10

Overall Taste: Nothing on this pizza contributes a lot of flavor, and therefore the overall taste is on the bland side.  Score: 7/10

Pizza Appearance: The pizza looks big.  Other than that, it looks like a very average medium-crust pizza.

Dining Atmosphere: Frank's has a nice but dated casual dining area.  The bricks in the right wall that spell out "pizza" is a nice touch.

Customer Service: The service is counter service, but they took my order and got my pizza made promptly.

Monetary Value: The price is high, but this is a decent quality 16" pizza with a drink.  Moreover, the counter service saves on the tip.  Therefore, the value is not that bad.

The Final Judgment:

Frank's Pizza and Italian Restaurant serves a very average pizza in a fairly average dining atmosphere.  While certainly not a bad pizza option, there are many I like better.  Score: 75/100