It isn’t particularly prolific, but Extreme Pizza is a very good chain. Interestingly enough, I see they have one in Ireland.
Round Table is also good. Pizza Hut, Dominos, and Papa Johns are inedible.
Me too, I miss Rocky Rococo. I used to love grabbing a quick lunch there between classes.
But I have to agree with my Northern California brethren and say there is really just Round Table and everything else. It’s better than a lot of regular pizza joints pizza.
BTW, I also highly recommend BJs pizza. It is a thicker crust, but it is light and tasty.
They’re all shit, except Pizza Hut Pan. All others are awful, including Pizza Hut’s other non-pan pizzas.
Oh, and I love the way Domino’s Pizza boxes say something like “America’s favorite Pizza delivery” on them instead of what they would really like to say if anyone would actually believe it-- “America’s favorite Pizza.”
In the Boston North area, I go for Sal’s first. Then to a Papa Gino’s. Otherwise, I’d much prefer to buy one from the local pizza shop in Sandown, Bruchetta’s (Used to be Jacks).
Otherwise, MA/NH has greek pizza, which is an abomination, and a mystery as to how they stay open.
-Butler
- A personal aside… I’ve found the New England greek places make the best subs, but lousy pizza, where the Italian type pizza places make great pizza, but lousy subs.
Come to think of it, Whole Foods freshly baked pizza is pretty all right, too.
You are correct.
Round Table. Really isn’t any second place. I guess, if there isn’t one in the area, Domino’s is okay because you can get a bunch of different mediums for a decent price, and everyone can get what they want without a lot of discussion.
In the Western States, I’ll go with Pizza Factory.
Internationally, I’ll go with Pizza Hut.
It maketh sense. Pizza is big business here. I believe the Tallaght Dominoes is the busiest in Ireland and the UK if not the world.
I usually prefer Pizza Hut if I’m going with one of the big chains. Their new “natural” pizza is surprisingly good, though I do find that their quality varies alot from location to location. I ate alot of Papa John’s in college because there was one right across the street from campus which happily delivered to the dorms until about 2 am.
That said, given the choice I’ll usually go with a local place. Or a frozen California Pizza Kitchen BBQ Chicken. Nom nom nom.
My favorite CHAIN pizza was Uno’s (I LOVED their deep dish 5 cheese, although it was way too expensive for pizza). Of course, I’m now living in NYC, so I too wouldn’t be caught dead in a chain (can’t help but think of the scene on The Office where Michael goes to NYC, only to go to a Sbarro), so it’s Anna Maria’s in Williamsburg, the Ray’s on 3rd Ave & St Marks, that pizza place on the south side of 42 St & 5 Av (has the best White pizza on earth), or Famous Joe’s in Washington Square.
That reminds me, those Domino’s boxes are hilarious! I had ordered one (as I said before, cost or time would have been why I ordered them) and tossed the box in the garbage.
The box was upside down (so the bottom was showing) and there was a funny line that said something like “We sure hope the pizza isn’t in the box while you’re reading this”! Took me by surprise and gave me a good laugh.
Then I noticed all the other funny things on the box. Like for reasons why the pizza didn’t arrive on time – one says Abduction with a little picture of a UFO. Pretty funny.
Now, if they could just get their pizza to have the same quality as their boxes!
I don’t know if Dominick’s (grocery store) is considered a chain, but they have a pretty decent pizza too. It’s not frozen, they actually have a pizza place inside. Fridays you can get a large 16" thick crust, one topping pizza for only around 6 bucks.
Pizza Hut makes the best chain pizza, in my opinion. Papa John’s is a distant second, and almost everything else is inedible to me. I remember Pizza Hut being average as a kid, but either they have changed recently or I have, because in the last 3-5 years the place has started making pizza that’s just downright GOOD.
We have Pizza Hut in Thailand. And there’s a Pizza Hut spinoff called The Pizza Company. Both are good. Crappy Dominoes tried to gain a foothold here 10 or 15 years ago but could not make it.
However, there is a local chain, which also delivers, called Narai Pizza. They’re cheaper than the ones mentioned above and really very good.
We have a couple of gourmet-pizza places that are better, but they’re not chains. And they don’t deliver.
California Pizza Kitchen for sit down, Vocelli for delivery/take out.
Bertucci’s is the worst sit-down; hot dry cardboard might taste better.
Pizza Hut is ok but kind of boring.
Domino’s has a nice spicy sauce, Papa’s John’s thin crust is nice otherwise those two are kind of interchangeable.
Best local place in my area is Bugsy’s in Old Town Alexandria.
Oh man, now I want pizza! I haven’t had chain pizza in a very long time (I make my own, or eat frozen), but hands down my favorite is Pizza Hut. Locally, I like Beggar’s. Next to them, Pizza Hut tastes like crap. And actually, I don’t know if Home Run Inn counts as local or national or what, but I like their pizza more than Pizza Hut’s. It’s just that there aren’t any around, so I have to settle for the frozen version. Oh, and I also like Reggio’s. Again, not sure if that’s local or not.
Domino’s pizza is kind of crappy, but I can’t get enough of their grease-soaked breadsticks!
Mmmmm. Zombie Pizza. Now with more braaaaaiiiiiiinnnnnnns.
I make my own pizza, but I found that using my stand mixer made me lazy and the crust didn’t turn out as good. When I knead it myself it gets more holes with gluten strands in the outside crust and it’s softer and thicker overall, with an excellent crunch at the bottom from the pizza stone. That said, I don’t knead it for very long at all, just until it’s smooth, or it becomes sticky.
Sorry to hijack, but pizza making is very near to my heart. I make pizza from scratch once a week, and am planning to do it tomorrow.
There’s a local chain in Chicago called “Papa Romeo’s” that I absolutely love.
I’m not absolutely crazy about their pizza, but Donato’s is pretty good. The bigger chains seem a cut or two below, with Papa John’s being several cuts below.
The quality of non-chain outlets is variable, and not too many of them make a memorable pizza. I am not very nostalgic for “real N.Y. pizza”. That term brings to mind something so oily and drippy that you really need to put a few issues of the Daily News below the box, otherwise the grease will seep through and permanently stain whatever surface you rest the box on.