Dominos, Little Caesars, Papa John’s, Sbarro, and Pizza Hut: Which Pizza Is Best?
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| Photo Credit: Yahoo News |
Cheese, dough, and sauce. With just three ingredients, you would think pizza is the simplest food of all-time — but it isn’t.
Thin
crust, deep dish, Chicago-style, New York-style, Detroit-style,
hand-tossed: I fancy myself a pizza connoisseur. I have spent my entire
life living in New York City, arguably the pizza capital of the world
(it’s the water), and consider pizza to be my favorite food on the
planet. From Di Fara in Brooklyn to Frank Pepe
in West Hartford, Conn., there isn’t a place that is too far when it
comes to grabbing a great slice of pizza. While in 26 years, I’ve easily
tried more than 50 places in the New York tri-state area, but my
expertise isn’t limited to your local mom and pop parlors. I love the
national chains, too.
I can offer you hacks
on how to get four toppings for the price of two on your Dominos order
and explain to you the difference between Pizza Hut’s breadsticks and
Little Caesars’ Crazy Bread. I’ve made friends with delivery drivers —
that’s how frequently I dine on pizza.
Recently,
in an effort to once and for all determine the best pizza you can get
across the United States, I spent an afternoon sampling some of the
largest chain pizza shops in America: Dominos, Little Caesars, Papa
John’s, Pizza Hut, and Sbarro.
The
parameters of the test were simple: Order one large pie with half
pepperoni from each store, delivered if available, and taste each one
individually in order to determine which reigns supreme in the battle
for cheesy, doughy dominance.
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| Photo Credit: Yahoo News |
Papa John’s
Delivery: Yes, delivery took 37 minutes.
Warmth: Lukewarm
Ordering method: Website
Price: $21.15 ($2.64 per slice)
Signature feature: Pepper and garlic dipping sauce comes with every pie
Review: The first thing I noticed about the pie from Papa John’s was that it looked as if it were a bit undercooked compared to the others – with the cheese lacking any color or burn marks and the pepperoni did not have any crisp around the edges. The size of the pie was comparable to Dominos and Little Caesars, but the cut was unbalanced, with some slices being much larger than others and not cut all the way through. The pizza’s texture was rubbery and too chewy and the sauce-to-cheese ratio was a off, with far too much cheese. When I did get a good taste of it, the sauce offered a nice sweet and zesty balance, but the cheese flavor was a tad overwhelming. I also would have liked for the pie to have been cooked a little more to give the cheese some nice burn marks, which may have prevented the chewy texture and provides a more aesthetically pleasing look. I will admit that Papa John’s had the best tasting pepperoni of the group and the topping was sliced thinner than the others, most resembling what you would get from a deli. As far as the crust, there was a nice balance between crunchiness and fluffiness, with the garlic dipping sauce adding a bit of flavor when used. Despite the great topping flavor, Papa John’s didn’t offer enough to make it stand out among its competition.
Ranking: 5th
Delivery: Yes, delivery took 37 minutes.
Warmth: Lukewarm
Ordering method: Website
Price: $21.15 ($2.64 per slice)
Signature feature: Pepper and garlic dipping sauce comes with every pie
Review: The first thing I noticed about the pie from Papa John’s was that it looked as if it were a bit undercooked compared to the others – with the cheese lacking any color or burn marks and the pepperoni did not have any crisp around the edges. The size of the pie was comparable to Dominos and Little Caesars, but the cut was unbalanced, with some slices being much larger than others and not cut all the way through. The pizza’s texture was rubbery and too chewy and the sauce-to-cheese ratio was a off, with far too much cheese. When I did get a good taste of it, the sauce offered a nice sweet and zesty balance, but the cheese flavor was a tad overwhelming. I also would have liked for the pie to have been cooked a little more to give the cheese some nice burn marks, which may have prevented the chewy texture and provides a more aesthetically pleasing look. I will admit that Papa John’s had the best tasting pepperoni of the group and the topping was sliced thinner than the others, most resembling what you would get from a deli. As far as the crust, there was a nice balance between crunchiness and fluffiness, with the garlic dipping sauce adding a bit of flavor when used. Despite the great topping flavor, Papa John’s didn’t offer enough to make it stand out among its competition.
Ranking: 5th
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