Brittany's Brick Oven Pizza in Madison, IN

Basic Information:

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

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

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Summary Review: 5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Customer Service: The service was quick and witty.

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

The Final Judgment:

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

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

Basic Information:

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

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

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Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

The Final Judgment:

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

Rustic Farms Pizza in Greenville, SC

Basic Information:

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

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

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Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

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

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

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

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

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

Pizza Appearance: This pizza has a balanced fresh appearance.

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

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

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

The Final Judgment:

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

Papa Angelo's Pizza in Bethany, OK

Basic Information:

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

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

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Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Final Judgment:

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

Barro's Pizza near Phoenix, AZ

Basic Information:

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

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

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Summary Review: 5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Customer Service: The service was quick and friendly.

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

The Final Judgment:

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

Next Door Pizza in Chino Hills, CA

Basic Information:

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

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

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Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Customer Service: The service was quick and friendly.

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

The Final Judgment:

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

Round Table Pizza in Southern California

Basic Information:

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

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

Photos:

Summary Review: 5 stars (out of 5)

The Macro:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Final Judgment:

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