Star Pizzeria in Houston, TX

Basic Information:

Pizza: Star Pizzeria

Number of Locations: 1

Location Reviewed: 10001 W. Bellfort Ave. in Houston, TX (just east of I-69)

Website: https://www.starpizzeriamenu.com/

Date of Review Visit: December 2019

What I Ordered: medium (12”) pizza with pepperoni and sausage; 2 cans of Dr. Pepper to drink

Price: $14.58 (includes tax and drinks)

Photo:

Summary Review: 2 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Star Pizzeria has medium thickness.  It has an appealing crispy texture on the outside, but it is soggy and droopy underneath the toppings.  My pizza was perfectly baked, and that might be the best thing I can say about this crust.  Score: 4/10.

Sauce: The sauce appears in sufficient quantity, but it does not have a lot of flavor.  Score: 5/10.

Cheese: The cheese appears in excellent quantity, and it also does not produce a lot of grease.  The cheese is the strength of this pizza.  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: Both toppings appear in high quantity but horrible quality.  The sausage is the putrid pellet variety.  The pepperoni comes in thin slices with little flavor.  These are some of the worst toppings I have tasted recently.  Score: 2/10.

Overall Taste: The cheese is the tastiest part of this pizza, which says a lot about everything else.  Score: 6/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pellet sausage is distracting to the appearance, which is otherwise fine.

Dining Atmosphere: Star Pizzeria’s small dining room is functional but no more.

Customer Service: My pizza took 30 minutes to make even though they were not busy, and the man at the counter was not exactly the friendliest person in Texas.

Monetary Value: When you factor in the two Dr. Peppers and the 12” size, the price is reasonable for this kind of pizza, but it is not great value due to the poor quality.

The Final Judgment:

In my view of the pizza galaxy, Star does not shine brightly.  Score: 64/100.

Antonio's Pizza and Pasta in Powdersville, SC

Basic Information:

Pizza: Antonio’s Pizza and Pasta

Number of Locations: 1

Location Reviewed: 142 McNeely Rd. in Powdersville, SC (across the street from Aldi and WalMart)

Website: https://antoniospowdersville.com/

Date of Review Visit: October 2019

What I Ordered: large (18”) pizza with sausage, pepperoni, and ham; coke to drink

Price: $25.92 (includes tax and drink but not tip)

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Summary Review: 2.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Antonio’s offers two crusts: Sicilian and traditional.  I tried to order the Sicilian crust, but I was told they were “out of” 16” Sicilian crusts.  Thus, their crusts may not be freshly made.  The traditional crust I did manage to order is thick and crispy with a very hard texture; it was tough to cut with a knife or bite with my teeth.  The crust has a fresh bready taste, but it is very bulky and hard to eat.  Score: 3/10.

Sauce: This pizza is undersauced, but what sauce does exist has a nice tomatoey taste.  Score: 5/10.

Cheese: This pizza is also slightly undercheesed, and the cheese does not have a lot of flavor.  Fortunately, it also does not produce a lot of grease.  Score: 4/10.

Toppings: The sausage is a chunky sliced Italian sausage with only a little bit of spiciness.  Likewise the pepperoni has only a little spiciness.  The ham has almost a honey glazed taste, and I really like it.  All toppings appear in about average quantity.  Score: 9/10.

Overall Taste: The hard crust and lack of sauce really hurt here, which is too bad because the toppings left an interesting sweet and spicy combination on my tongue.  Score: 7/10.

Pizza Appearance: The thick and wide crust dominates the appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: Antonio’s dining area offers a nice dining atmosphere with faux wood tables.

Customer Service: The service was slow, and the waitress didn’t tell me they were out of Sicilian crusts until several minutes after I ordered.

Monetary Value: The price is quite high, even for an 18” pizza with three toppings.  Therefore, the value is not great.

The Final Judgment:

Large groups seem to really like Antonio’s, probably for their large pizzas, but for a single guy like me it’s only OK.  Score: 65/100.

Pizza Al's near Morgantown, WV

Basic Information:

Pizza: Pizza Al’s

Number of Locations: 5, all near Morgantown, WV or Pittsburgh, PA

Location Reviewed: 192 Jim Street in Granville, WV (in University Towne Center between I-79 exits 153 and 154)

Website: https://www.pizzaals.com/

Date of Review Visit: October 2019

What I Ordered: small (14”) sausage and pepperoni pizza; cherry coke to drink

Price: $13.25 (includes tax and drink)

Photo:

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Pizza Al’s is a hand-tossed crust with medium thickness and a fresh bready taste.  The texture does not stand out, but my pizza was baked to perfection.  Overall, this crust has more good than bad.  Score: 8/10.

Sauce: This pizza is rather undersauced, and the sauce contains chunks of tomatoes and tomato peels.  I don’t like finding things in my sauce, and that plus the lack of quantity make it not my favorite sauce.  Score: 3/10.

Cheese: This pizza is definitely not undercheesed.  The cheese comes in a thick, yummy, stringy layer that produces only a little bit of grease.  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The sausage comes in ground up bits that are rather tasteless.  The pepperoni is what some pizza places call old world pepperoni, and it has exactly the right amount of spiciness.  Both toppings appear in average quantity.  Score: 7/10.

Overall Taste: What this pizza has comes together pretty well, but the lack of sauce really leaves a vacant spot on the taste palette.  Score: 8/10.

Pizza Appearance: The cheese dominates the pizza’s appearance, which is fairly average.

Dining Atmosphere: Pizza  Al’s Granville location has a nice casual dining atmosphere with two large TV’s that were tuned to sports programming on my visit.

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

Monetary Value: The smallest pizza Pizza Al’s makes is a 14” pizza, and for a 14” pizza with decent quality the price cannot be beat.  Bring a friend or be prepared for leftovers.

The Final Judgment:

Pizza Al’s calls themselves the best pizza in Morgantown, and I can see why. If you are in need of large pizzas, perhaps to feed a large group, Pizza Al’s should be at the top of your list.  It would be part of my regular pizza rotation if I lived near Morgantown.  Score: 83/100.

Lubrano’s Pizzeria and Restaurant in Somerset, NJ

Basic Information:

Pizza: Lubrano’s Pizzeria and Restaurant

Number of Locations: 1

Location Reviewed: 1830 Easton Avenue in Somerset, NJ (near I-287 exit 10)

Website: https://lubranos.chinesenj.net/index.html

Date of Review Visit: August 2019

What I Ordered: 3 slices of sausage and pepperoni pizza; 2 20oz Dr. Pepper’s to drink

Price: $14.77 (includes tax and drinks)

Photo:

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Lubrano’s only makes large pizzas, but for individuals they sell reheated pizza by the slice.  The crust is thin and crispy, kind of what you would expect for reheated pizza.  While reheated pizza never has the best crust, this crust is near the top of its pizza category.  Score: 8/10.

Sauce: True to the New York style, the sauce does not appear in high quantity, but it has a nice tomatoey taste.  Score: 7/10.

Cheese: The cheese comes in two types: a layer under the pepperoni and a few shreds scattered atop the sausage.  The bottom layer is thick, stringy, and yummy.  The shredded top layer does not add much to the pizza.  Also, this cheese produces quite a bit of grease.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The pepperoni has just the right amount of spiciness.  The sausage is a somewhat bland mild Italian sausage, and they used the strips rather than the chunks on my pizza because the chunks were frozen.  Both toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 9/10.

Overall Taste: The overall taste is a little on the flavorless side, but it is not bad for reheated pizza.  Score: 14/20.

Pizza Appearance: The appearance is odd due to the slices of sausage.

Dining Atmosphere: Lubrano’s has a purely functional no-frills dining room.

Customer Service: The service is counter service, and it was fine despite the fact that the menu is very complicated.

Monetary Value: The price seems high, but this was basically dinner for two people.  The pizza slices are big, so in fact the value is pretty good.

The Final Judgment:

Lubrano’s is a nice pizza option, especially if you are in need of large pizzas.  Score: 82/100.

Capone’s Pizza Bar in Branford, CT

Basic Information:

Pizza: Capone’s Pizza Bar

Number of Locations: 2, both near Branford, CT

Location Reviewed: 2400 Foxon Road in North Branford, CT

Website: https://www.caponespizzabar80.com/

Date of Review Visit: August 2019

What I Ordered: small (12”) pizza with sausage and pepperoni; Coke to drink

Price: $13.83 (includes tax and drink but not tip)

Photo:

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Capone’s calls their pizza New Haven-style pizza, which apparently means a thin crispy crust with skimpy toppings.  The style and texture of the crust are fine, but my pizza was overbaked with a hard, blackened crust.  This crust is a good idea that needs better execution.  Score: 7/10.

Sauce: The sauce does not appear in a lot of quantity, but it has a nice tomatoey taste.  Score: 7/10.

Cheese: Capone’s uses a tasty cheese blend that includes some yellow cheese: the orange you see on the pizza in the picture below is cheese, not grease.  The cheese appears in good quantity too, and it is the strength of this pizza.  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The toppings are applied rather sparsely, and both the sausage and the pepperoni have a hint of spiciness.  The toppings that exist do the job as best they can, but the pizza could use more of them.  Score: 6/10.

Overall Taste: This pizza could be fantastic, but the lack of toppings and the burnt crust really keep this score down.  Score: 7.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza’s appearance is odd due to the orange cheese.

Dining Atmosphere: The dining area has a nice casual dining atmosphere with Al Capone-style decorations and big TV’s tuned to sports shows.  They also have a bar side to the dining room that the Baptist I am did not utilize.

Customer Service: The waitress did not pay me a lot of attention even though I was the only customer in the dining side of the restaurant.

Monetary Value: The quality is pretty high, and the price is not crazy given that you are in Connecticut.  Also, this is a 12” pizza, not an 8” or 10” pizza most places call a small.  Overall, the value is pretty high.

The Final Judgment:

I like Capone’s, but it could be so much better.  Score: 80/100.

Bertucci's Pizza

Basic Information:

Pizza: Bertucci’s Brick Oven Pizza and Pasta

Number of Locations: 23 across 7 states, mostly in the northeast; based in Boston, MA

Location Reviewed: 280 School Street in Mansfield, MA (near I-495 exit 12)

Website: https://www.bertuccis.com/

Date of Review Visit: July 2019

What I Ordered: small (10”) pizza with sausage and pepperoni; Coke to drink

Price: $18.48 (includes tax and drink but not tip)

Photo:

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Bertucci’s is crispy but not as thin as you would expect for a brick oven pizza.  The crust has a nice texture with some cornmeal baked into the crust.  My pizza was baked the perfect amount.  What’s not to like?  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: This pizza features a Pizzeria Uno-style sauce with juicy chunks of tomatoes.  The sauce appears in high quantity, and it has a fantastic tomatoey taste.  Score: 10/10.

Cheese: This pizza is slightly undercheesed, and what cheese does exist is a rather bland mozzarella.  On the bright side, it does not produce much grease.  Score: 7/10.

Toppings: Bertucci’s calls their chunky sausage a sweet Italian sausage, and their characterization is accurate even though it has only a slight sweet taste.  The pepperoni is slightly spicy, but the spiciness builds on your taste palette as you eat more of the pizza.  Both toppings appear in adequate but only adequate quantity.  Score: 8/10.

Overall Taste: The spiciness of the pepperoni clashes a little with the sweetness of the sausage.  The sauce really saves the day.  Score: 8/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza is asymmetrical in shape, and the large chunks of sausage dominate the appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: Bertucci’s has a nice casual dining area with comfortable seats.

Customer Service: The service was prompt and friendly.

Monetary Value: Even for a 10” brick oven pizza in New England, this pizza is very overpriced relative to what you put in your mouth.

The Final Judgment:

Bertucci’s makes a nice pizza, but in the brick oven category I like Brixx more.  Score: 82/100.

Wicked Good Pizza in Rhode Island

Basic Information:

Pizza: Wicked Good Pizza

Number of Locations: 1

Location Reviewed: 12 Nooseneck Hill Rd. in West Greenwich, RI (just north of I-95 exit 6)

Website: https://www.wickedgoodpizzari.com/

Date of Review Visit: July 2019

What I Ordered: small (8”) pizza with sausage and pepperoni; 20 oz. Dr. Pepper to drink

Price: $9.99 (includes tax and drink)

Photos:

Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Wicked Good Pizza makes thick crust pizza, but the texture is odd for a thick crust pizza: it is completely chewy with no crispiness at all.  My pizza was baked exactly the right amount, but the texture really sets this crust back.  Score: 5/10.

Sauce: The sauce appears in slightly above average quantity and has a nice tomatoey taste.  I like it.  Score: 9/10.

Cheese: This pizza has plenty of cheese.  The blend seems to be a rather flavorless 100% mozzarella, and it leaves slightly more grease than I would prefer.  Score: 7/10.

Toppings: Both toppings appear in thin slices, and neither has a lot of flavor.  They do appear in high quantity.  Score: 7/10.

Overall Taste: The best tasting thing on this pizza is the sauce, which means that the overall taste is fairly unremarkable.  Score: 7/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza has a well-balanced appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: The dining area is a set of stools with a counter, which made me happy that I ordered carryout.

Customer Service: The service was counter service, and it was to-the-point and quick.

Monetary Value: The pizza quality is not great, but the price is pretty low.  Therefore, the value is above average.

The Final Judgment:

With nothing exceedingly wicked or good, Wicked Good Pizza is a solid pizza option but no more.  Score: 76/100.