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)

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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.

East of Chicago Pizza

Basic Information:

Pizza: East of Chicago Pizza
Number of Locations: around 70 locations, mostly in Ohio
Location Reviewed: 111 Pike Street in Marietta, OH (on SR 7 about 1 mile west of I-77 exit 1)

Website: https://www.eastofchicago.com/
Date of Review Visit: October 2023
What I Ordered: medium (12") Authentic Chicago Style pizza with pepperoni and sausage; Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $22.69 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

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Summary Review: 5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: East of Chicago Pizza offers several crust styles, but I chose the Authentic Chicago Style pizza.  As advertised, this crust is a true Chicago style crust similar to Uno's or Lou Malnati's.  This crust is thick and crispy but soft enough you can cut it with a fork.  It's a great crust.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: Also true to the Chicago style, this pizza has a thick layer of sauce.  The sauce has a nice tomatoey taste, but you can also taste and find bits of other things in the sauce.  I don't like finding bits of anything in my sauce, so a small deduction applies.  Score: 9/10.

Cheese: The cheese comes in a nice thick layer on top of the crust but below the sauce and toppings. Again, this is true Chicago style.  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: I had a hard time finding the toppings amidst all of the sauce, so maybe the toppings are too sparse.  Both toppings taste OK, but I have had fresher-tasting sausage and pepperoni elsewhere.  Score: 8/10.

Overall Taste: The sauce dominates the taste buds, and not just with tomato taste.  I would have liked to have tasted the toppings more.  Score: 8.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: East of Chicago Pizza has an almost perfect appearance for a Chicago style pizza, i.e. it is dominated by the sauce and crust.

Dining Atmosphere: Their Marietta location has a nice casual dining atmosphere with a couple of TVs for entertainment.

Customer Service: The service was friendly, helpful, and prompt.

Monetary Value: East of Chicago does not make cheap pizza, but I've paid a lot more for similar pizzas elsewhere.  Thus, the value is better than you might think.

The Final Judgment:

Chicago style pizzas are typically my favorite kind of pizzas, and East of Chicago delivers what the name promises.  If I still lived in Ohio, I would head to East of Chicago (and not Lake Michigan) regularly.  Score: 90/100.

LaRosa's Pizzeria in Cincinnati, OH: Montgomery Inn Pizza

Basic Information:

Pizza: LaRosa's Pizzeria
Number of Locations: around 60, mostly near Cincinnati, OH
Website: https://www.larosas.com/
Location: 3291 Heritage Green Drive in Monroe, OH (near SR 63, in the same strip mall as Kroger)
Date of Review Visit: October 2023
What I Ordered: small (8") pan Montgomery Inn Pizza with pulled pork, 20 oz. Cherry Coke to drink
Price: $11.75 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Summary Review: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

The Macro:

Crust: LaRosa’s offers three choices for crust: thin, super crust, and pan.  On this visit, I chose my usual choice: the pan crust, the thickest of the three options.  The pan crust has perfect thickness; it has the crunchy outside but chewy inside texture that makes for a good thick crust.  The pizza is well-baked, and the bottom of the crust has that special LaRosa’s taste that I still have not quite figured out.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: The sauce on this pizza is Montgomery Inn's standard barbecue sauce.  Although it is a tomato-based barbecue sauce, it is very sweet, sweeter than any tomato sauce I have ever tasted.  I like this sauce on ribs more than I like it on a pizza.  Score: 8/10.

Cheese: The pizza is well-cheesed, and LaRosa’s uses only high quality provolone cheese, the perfect pizza cheese.  Hence, there is a very small amount of grease.  Perfecto!  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The pulled pork is very tender and has a fresh pork flavor.  The pork comes in large chunks, and therefore it tends to be concentrated on some parts of the pizza and scarce on others.  Score: 9/10.

Overall Taste: The sauce makes the overall taste of this pizza too sweet, a statement I have rarely made in this pizza blog because I usually like sweet tastes.  Eating this pizza is more like eating cheese covered pork on bread than eating a traditional pizza.  Score: 7.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The concentrations of the pork give the pizza an unbalanced appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: The Monroe location has no dining room, although many of LaRosa's locations have nice casual dining rooms.

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

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 and Montgomery Inn are both Cincinnati legends, and I make sure to eat at both every time I go to Cincinnati.  But I prefer them separately rather than this combination, and I prefer LaRosa's double sausage pizza to this pizza.  Score: 88/100.

Cavoni's Pizza and Grinders in Battle Creek, MI

Basic Information:

Pizza: Cavoni's Pizza and Grinders
Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 5424 Beckley Road Suite D (in Minges Creek Plaza near Big Lots)

Website: https://www.cavonispizzagrinders.com/
Date of Review Visit: October 2023
What I Ordered: small (8") pizza with sausage and pepperoni; fountain drink
Price: $12.92 (includes drink and tax)

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Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Cavoni's Pizza has a fairly thick crust that looks hand-made.  It has a nice crispy texture, and it does a good job of supporting the rest of the pizza.  I like this crust.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: The sauce is way too spicy; I tasted more spices than tomatoes.  It appears in average quantity.  Score: 5/10.

Cheese: This pizza comes with a nice thick layer of cheese.  The cheese does not produce much grease.  It also does not have much flavor until you sprinkle on some parmesan.  Score: 9/10.

Toppings: The pepperoni is unremarkable.  The sausage has a little spice but not much other flavor.  For veteran pizza eaters, I will remark that this sausage tastes like Domino's sausage from 25 years ago, which I liked more than the sausage Domino's uses today.  That's not exactly a high endorsement, but it's something.  Both toppings appear in sufficient quantity.  Score: 6/10.

Overall Taste: The spiciness of the tomato sauce and sausage dominate the tongue, so the overall taste is unimpressive in spite of this pizza's other positive qualities.  Score: 6.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The thick crust dominates the appearance, and it looks kind of odd sitting on a contoured plate.

Dining Atmosphere: Cavoni's has a small casual dining room with no TVs or anything else for entertainment.

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

Monetary Value: The price is low for decent quality pizza, and hence the value is quite high.

The Final Judgment:

I like Cavoni's, but they need to upgrade their sauce and toppings to become elite.  Score: 80/100.

Brattleboro House of Pizza in Brattleboro, VT

Basic Information:

Pizza: Brattleboro House of Pizza
Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 419 Canal St. in Brattleboro, VT (on US 5 just north of I-91, exit 1)

Website: https://www.brattleboropizza.com/
Date of Review Visit: September 2023
What I Ordered: small (10") pizza with sausage and pepperoni; fountain drink
Price: $14.09 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

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Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Brattleboro House of Pizza has a crispy texture and pleasant fresh taste around the edge.  Unfortunately, it is also too thin and droopy in the middle of the pizza.  I prefer thicker crusts, and I've definitely had better crusts.  Score: 6/10.

Sauce: The sauce has a fresh tomatoey taste, and it appears in adequate quantity.  What more could you want?  Score: 10/10.

Cheese: The cheese is very greasy even though it appears in only average quantity.  The flavor is unremarkable, and adding some parmesan or romano would help with the flavor.  Score: 4/10.

Toppings: The sausage comes in nice, big, fresh chunks with nice pork flavor.  The pepperoni has some pork flavor and just a little hint of spiciness.  Both toppings appear in above average quantity.  Score: 10/10.

Overall Taste: I could have really gotten behind this pizza if it had a thicker crust and more flavorful less greasy cheese.  As is, the overall taste is pleasing but could be better.  Score: 7.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The crust and grease dominate the pizza's appearance, which is not the best.  

Dining Atmosphere: Brattleboro House of Pizza has a large and somewhat dated dining room.

Customer Service: The service was quick and friendly.

Monetary Value: For decent quality pizza, the price is not crazy expensive for Vermont.  The counter service saves on the tip.

The Final Judgment:

Brattleboro House of Pizza makes a solid pizza that is only a few steps away from being elite.  That said, in Brattleboro, VT I like Brattleboro Village Pizza, which is located 2 exits further north on I-91, better than Brattleboro House of Pizza.  Score: 81/100.

Dino's Pizza and Restaurant in Holyoke, MA

Basic Information:

Pizza: Dino's Pizza and Restaurant
Number of Locations: 1

Location Reviewed: 615 Homestead Avenue (corner of Homestead Ave. and Westfield Rd. on US 202)
Website: https://www.dinospizzaholyoke.com/

Date of Review Visit: September 2023

What I Ordered: large (18") pizza with pepperoni and sausage; Coke to drink
Price: $26.56 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

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Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Dino's Pizza and Restaurant has a nice crispy texture, but it is not super thin.  This crust has a nice bready taste, and while I wish it were thicker, this crust has plenty going for it.  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: The sauce appears in sufficient quantity and has a fresh tomatoey taste.  What more could you want?  Score: 10/10.

Cheese: The cheese does not have a lot of flavor, even when you sprinkle on some parmesan.  It does produce quite a bit of grease, which leads to a mandatory deduction.  The quantity is sufficient but only sufficient.  Score: 5/10.

Toppings: The sausage is excellent: it comes in nice large chunks with a fresh pork taste and just a little spiciness.  The pepperoni is more average.  The toppings appear in slightly below average quantity.  Score: 8/10.

Overall Taste: The sausage really stands out and turns a rather ordinary tasting pizza into one worthy of a pizza eater's palette.  This pizza would taste better if I had ordered double sausage rather than sausage and pepperoni.  Score: 8.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza looks a little bland due to the sparseness of the toppings.

Dining Atmosphere: Dino's has a casual dining atmosphere with a bar and plenty of TVs to watch, which came in handy on the September Sunday afternoon I came here.

Customer Service: The menu is outdated: increased prices are not reflected in the menu prices.  Other than the menu, the service was quick and attentive. 

Monetary Value: The price is high, but this is a high quality 18" pizza in Massachusetts.  That considered, the value is not as bad as you might expect.

The Final Judgment:

Dino's is not the cheapest pizza around, but it offers quality pizza at a reasonable price.  If I lived near Holyoke, I would be a regular customer here.  Score: 82/100.

Pizza Hut, Big New Yorker Pizza

Basic Information:

Pizza: Pizza Hut
Number of Locations: many nationwide
Location Reviewed: 1647 E. Greenville St. in Anderson, SC (near Publix and behind Chick-Fil-A)

Website: https://www.pizzahut.com/
Date of Review Visit: August 2023
What I Ordered: Big New Yorker Pizza (16" pizza with double pepperoni and extra cheese)
Price: $16.34 (includes tax but not drink or tip)

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Summary Review: 3 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: Pizza Hut has many "interesting" crusts, and you can add to that long list the Big New Yorker crust.  This crust has a nice fresh taste and below average thickness, but it is too crispy to be foldable like a true New York style crust.  While I have had worse crusts, I prefer their pan or stuffed crusts to this one.  Score: 6/10.

Sauce: The pizza has sufficient sauce, but the sauce has an almost bitter taste.  Also, the sauce tastes canned rather than fresh.  I prefer sweet sauces, and while I have certainly tasted worse sauce, there is room for improvement.  Score: 6/10.

Cheese: There is supposed to be "extra cheese" on this pizza, but extra must be relative; this cheese appears in only average quantity.  Also, something on this pizza makes it taste very salty.  The breadsticks dipped in pizza sauce do not suffer from a salty taste, so I am thinking it is the cheese.  Score: 4/10.

Toppings: Pepperoni is actually my favorite topping at Pizza Hut, partly because their sausage is rather horrible.  The pepperoni comes in thin slices with just a little spiciness.  If this pizza has "double" pepperoni, I would call their "single" pepperoni half pepperoni, i.e. the quantity is acceptable but not overwhelming.  Score: 7/10.

Overall Taste: The salty taste overrides almost everything else on my tongue and really brings this score down.  This is not the worst-tasting pizza I have ever eaten, but it is a far cry from the best.  Truth be told, I have always thought Pizza Hut's breadsticks taste better than their pizzas.  Score: 6.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: There is a clear circular pattern in the pepperoni, which gives this pizza an unusual swirl-like appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: I used to really enjoy the dining atmosphere at Pizza Hut, but these days the service and dining atmosphere vary widely across locations.  The Anderson location performs quite well on these criteria except that...

Customer Service: ...the service at the Anderson location can be slow at times.

Monetary Value: The price is quite low for a decent quality 16" pizza, and therefore the value is quite high.

The Final Judgment:

The Big New Yorker is not my favorite pizza at Pizza Hut, which in turn is not my favorite pizza provider, even among the national chains.  That said, I come here fairly often, so maybe my actions speak louder than my reviews.  Score: 72/100.