PrintPizza Showdown: The Best Delivery Pizza
While some folks worry about Super Bowl food, planning menus and such, you and I already have a game plan. We're ordering pizza. But with all the options available from the nationwide chains, things can get a little confusing.
Who better than Slice to coach you through the pizza playbook? After the jump: careful analysis of the various crusts, toppings, and specialty pizzas from Pizza Hut, Domino's, and Papa John's.
We spent hundreds of dollars on delivery pizza from the major chains in order to study their plays. Armed with napkins, paper plates, a stack of soft drinks, and plenty of antacid, we plowed through piles of crusty, cheesy, saucy stuff, trying to find the best pizza for you to order on game day. We ordered a selection of each chain's specialty pizzas as well as one plain pizza (just cheese), to judge the foundations of each contestant's team.
Domino's
Team strengths: Fast delivery. Cool online Pizza Tracker option. Many crust options. Low price; any pizza of any size with any number of toppings is $10.99 on game day
Weaknesses: Underwhelming flavor, overly sweet sauce
Available crusts: Classic Hand Tossed, Crunchy Thin Crust, Ultimate Deep Dish, Brooklyn Style, Crispy Melt
Online ordering process: Awesome. Simple and intuitive and allows you to add, remove, and edit pizzas easily while giving you the option to update pricing info without forcing a full page reload. Remembers your favorites. And has the great Pizza Tracker that allows you to see exactly where your order is in the entire mouse-to-house enterprise, updating in real time
MVP
The Philly Cheese Steak Pizza (Classic Hand Tossed Crust): This pizza, surprisingly, had the most going for it. It'd normally be an affront to both dishes—managing to muck up the flavor of both iconic American foods—but its steak, Provolone and American cheeses, onions, green peppers, and mushrooms worked well together and had the best flavor among the Domino's line-up. Recommended crust: Classic Hand Tossed is hearty enough to stand up to the topping load but not so thick as to throw things out of balance.
Rating: 
Second String
The Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza: I never thought we'd pick hybrids as the top two players on Team Domino's, but this pie was a strong second. Made with mozzarella, cheddar, ground beef, and bacon, our analysts determined that its strength came from ... the bacon, of course. Recommended crust: Try a Crunchy Thin Crust if you really want to emphasize the bacon-cheeseburger-ness of this specialty pizza.
Rating: 
The ExtravaganZZa: Good ratio of meat and vegetable toppings. The crisp vegetables are a nice foil to the otherwise doughy texture of the crust, and the saltiness of the meat toppings masks the sweet sauce. Recommended crust: Ultimate Deep Dish is a must in supporting the weight of pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage, beef, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, black olives, extra cheese.
Rating:
Disabled List
The Crispy Melt: Looks good on paper—a Crispy Thin Crust base and an equally thin layer of crisp dough sandwiching sauce, cheese, and toppings of your choice—but this pizza doesn't manage to complete the play. Too much dry, flavorless crust. Special notes: Only available in large, but you were going to order that anyway, right?
Rating: 
The Vegi Feast: Flavorless vegetables serve only to add texture to this pizza. Order it only as a Hail Mary to please your whiny vegetarian friends.
Rating: 
Papa John's
Team strengths: Higher-quality toppings. The most specialty pizzas. Decent crust. Ample toppings. Excellent presentation.
Weaknesses: Higher cost. Only three crust styles. The most specialty pizzas (some of them are pretty wack)
Available crusts: Original, Thin, Perfect Pan
Online ordering process: Lame. The site itself looks like ass, and navigation is frustrating. Forces you to log in just to see ordering menu. Choosing/adding toppings is confusing. If Domino's and Pizza Hut are NFL, Papa John's web ordering is Pop Warner
MVP
The Works (Perfect Pan Crust): This was the most visually pleasing pizza we encountered while scouting Super Bowl pizza pies. The crust had a rich, deep-golden-brown color around the edges and the toppings were artfully arranged. All in a square pizza cut in a novel way (see photo). Amount of toppings exceeded those on comparable Domino's ExtravaganZZa and Pizza Hut Super Supreme. Example: Instead of laying pepperoni slices flat, several slices of the topping were nested together and placed on the pizza in concave hills of meat held in place by plenty of melted cheese. This seemed to increase the amount of pepperoni that could be placed on the pie. Small chunks of sausage dotted the pie evenly, around and hiding under pepperoni slices. Vegetables had better flavor than either Domino's or the Hut. Perfect Pan crust was light and bready. Topped with: pepperoni, ham, spicy Italian sausage, onions, green peppers, baby portabella mushrooms, black olives. Recommended crust: Perfect Pan would seem the ideal base, but here its airiness collapsed under the weight of the toppings. A denser Original crust might be the way to go
Rating: 
Second String
The Meats: Pepperoni, sausage, hickory-smoked bacon, and ham give this pizza plenty of flavor and is sure to please the carnivores at your party. Like The Works above, the sliced meats are arranged carefully to allow for ample loads. Looks are deceiving here, but in a good way: Meat appears above the cheese and is hidden below it, so you get more than what you're led to believe just looking at it. Be sure to keep plenty of beer or liquids on hand, though; the saltiness of the meat will make you thirsty. Recommended crust: We tried Original by chance, and it stood up well to the carnal onslaught.
Rating:
Disabled List
Regular Cheese Pizza: We had high hopes for this one based on the look and taste of The Works pie. But the plain cheese pizza from Papa John's really does need to be topped if it's going to have any flavor. Disappointing. Recommended crust: N/A
Rating:
BBQ Chicken and Bacon: Seemed promising. I mean, bacon? 'Cue? We figured it was PJ's version of California pizza, but the substitution of barbecue sauce for the usual tomato sauce was a fake out we couldn't get our heads around. And the sweet intensity of the sauce drowned out any chicken flavor—not surprising as it's all white-meat chix. Recommended crust: N/A
Rating:
Hawaiian BBQ Chicken: See above, and add pineapple. Recommended crust: N/A
Rating:
The Towel Boys
We had to designate these specialty pizzas "towel boys," since they're not even in the game. We couldn't even bring ourselves to order them. I mean, could you imagine yourself ordering the following for your Super Bowl party?
- Spinach Alfredo
- Spinach Alfredo Deluxe
- Spinach Alfredo Chicken Tomato
- Chicken Alfredo Supreme
Pizza Hut
Team strengths: Innovative specialty pizzas. The most crust styles.
Weaknesses: Slow delivery. High price. Innovative specialty pizzas (hello? Stuffed Crust?)
Available crusts: Hand-Tossed Style, Pan Pizza, Stuffed Crust, Thin 'n Crispy, Crunchy Cheesy Crust, Pizza Mia
Online ordering process: Very good. Site itself looks beautiful. And ordering is just as intuitive and easy as Domino's, but gets upstaged by the Domino's Pizza Tracker. Allows you to store a "Pizza Playlist" (favorites) and your credit card info for even faster ordering
MVP
Pizza Mia: OK. So you know how sometimes team owners are crazy? Well, Slice–Serious Eats team owner Ed Levine went a little nuts and, unbeknownst to us, ordered one of Pizza Hut's new Pizza Mia pies with bacon and black olives. What kinda of combo is that?!? But you know ... it worked! This was the best of the Pizza Hut pies we tasted and was actually good and not just "good for Pizza Hut." The crust was had a nice crispness to it and was thin but still just bready enough. The olives were flavorful without being overpowering, and the bacon wasn't half bad. The sauce is slightly sweet but not too much so, and the balance of crust, sauce, and cheese was pretty much on. We were all stunned that this thing came out of Pizza Hut. It was like Adam Sandler going from the waterboy to team MVP. And, it's reasonably priced—much more so than the other garbage pies we ordered. Recommended crust: N/A. If you order a Pizza Mia, you get the special Pizza Mia crust, "created for the taste expert" and made with "fine white Great Plains flour."
Rating:
Second String
The Super Supreme: Just barely makes it into the game. After the Pizza Mia, this is the best Pizza Hut pie we tried. Toppings aren't as flavorful or as abundant as Papa John's, and crust is greasy and spongelike. Sauce is slightly bitter.
Recommended crust: We ordered ours as a Pan Pizza, but this one would benefit from the Hand-Tossed Style crust. Notice how that's "Hand-Tossed Style. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
Rating:
Disabled List
Anything with the Crunchy Cheesy Crust: Have you ever had really bad garlic bread—you know, really dry, with just too much of that garlic powder–salt mixture? That's what this is like. It wasn't discernably more crunchy than any other Hut pizza we had and was in fact nowhere near as crisp as the Pizza Mia. Recommended crust: N/A
Rating:
Post-Game Analysis
For overall marks, we were most impressed with Papa John's. Its pizzas seemed to be made with more care, were tastier overall, and seemed to use better ingredients—and the delivery driver arrived quickly.
However, our favorite single pizza was, strangely enough, the olive-and-bacon Pizza Mia from Pizza Hut.
Domino's only seems worth ordering this Sunday if you want lots of inexpensive pizza.
Special Thanks
Here's to everyone who helped taste-test the pizza. Eat through the pain, my friends! Eat through the pain. Pizza photographs by Robyn Lee.
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21 Comments:
And the Lombardi Pizza trophy goes, unsurprisingly, to Slice! On to Disneyworld!
Lauren Krueger at 10:10AM on 02/01/08
I have a hard time imagining any pizza from any of these places getting 4/4 on any scale, but ok. I'll secretly imagine that you're actually rating these pizzas on a 10 slice scale. Or, I'll imagine that you actually do not like eating pizza, but rather cardboard-flavored crap.
maxharp3r at 11:37AM on 02/01/08
@maxharp3r: Perhaps I should have explained the rating system and mentioned that it pertains only to chain pizza and the lot of it we tasted over the last three days. Of course most of this stuff would get 0/4 if you threw in even the most average NYC slice or pie into the mix. Or you can just keep imagining it's on a 10 scale. But do not imagine that I don't like eating pizza. Keep imagining that, and I'll have to prank send you a boatload of Alfredo Supreme Papa John's pies. ;)
Adam Kuban at 11:55AM on 02/01/08
While I realize Slice has no political affiliation, for eaters wishing to 'vote with their dollars' they should be aware of Domino's support of anti-abortion groups.
HeartofGlass at 12:10PM on 02/01/08
I shy away from those huge corporate "chain" pizzas in favor of local places. I've never found a chain pizza that could come close to the mom and pop establishments in my area. Why would you even bother with them when there are mom & pop pizza places that deliver in like every city in the US? I'd rather support those than a chain. BTW, what the heck is an Alfredo Supreme pizza???
RichardCrystal at 1:08PM on 02/01/08
@HeartofGlass: It's true. With very few exceptions, I try to keep politics out of pizza discussion, but thanks for the info. This topic often comes up whenever Domino's is mentioned. I know the founder, Tom Monaghan, sold Domino's and it's now a public company, so I wonder if the corporation itself still donates to specific causes. But I believe Monaghan still has a significant financial stake in the operation, so perhaps, indirectly, Domino's pizza dollars may still find their way to causes some folks find objectionable.
@RichardCrystal: I know. I don't make it a habit of eating chain pizza, and pretty much even the crappiest slice I can get in New York is superior to what we sampled here. But for the majority of Americans, pizza comes from one of these three places. It's an editorial direction I struggle with, because I do love pizza in most of its forms and love talking about all aspects of it, but I know my hardcore NYC base will look at posts like this and say, Why bother? If you've been reading the site over the years, I think you'd see I keep chain stuff to a minimum, so I figure a once-in-a-while chain post is OK.
Adam Kuban at 1:19PM on 02/01/08
I'm a fan of this post.
Though, I really think you need to try the papa johns "thin" crust. It's their least-ordered though probably best pie.
Prairie at 3:24AM on 02/02/08
Coming from someone whose wife has worked for both Papa John's and Dominos...the Papa John's ingredients are almost universally better, except, interestingly enough, for the bacon. As for the religio-political issue, there's no way of knowing what percentage of your particular pizza order is going to end up in the hands of some group with whom you disagree. On the other hand, chances are that at least 15% of it will go to a minimum-wage driver who is trying to make enough to cover the heating bill this month.
apagano at 4:39AM on 02/02/08
i pitty all of u not living int he st louis area
IMO's and Cecil whittekers i couldnt live without them
lspiderl at 2:57PM on 02/02/08
I'm not anywhere near NYC, but I'd still rather eat frozen pizza than any of these. At least the frozen pizzas are a cheaper way to eat cardboard with tomato sauce and mozzarella. For those who don't know - alfredo pizzas have alfredo sauce and often have cheddar cheese or some other non-traditional cheese on top, instead of the traditional pizza sauce and cheese, so, yes, chicken and spinach are going to taste a heck of a lot better on them than on the traditional pizza. I'd order them when eating at a place like California Pizza Kitchen, where they do them right. I doubt that I'd try them at any of the chain pizza stores you've mentioned, though.
ShayAlyce at 3:16AM on 02/03/08
I dont mind any of the above chains if I am in a pinch or they have a good special, pizza hut being the best tasting out of the choices but I will never order there again due to their overwhelming inadiquite common sense and cutomer service. I have not been around the entire country but I have eaten a ton of pie from a ton of places and you are all missing what I think is the best Donatos. I have not seen them outside of Ohio although there may be some but it is by far the best pizza I have eaten and they dont cry like the babies at pizza hut if you ask them to switch the tomato sauce with bbq. A bit expensive but WELL worth it.
j_diddy at 4:29PM on 02/03/08
We lived in St. Louis for a few years, and did not like the pizzas there. They use a type of cheese called "provel," which isn't the same as provilone (it's like white American). Those who were born and raised there seem to think it's the greatest; we thought it made the pizzas taste cheap. My favorite pizzas come from a place called "Noble Romans;" we used to buy them when we lived in Indiana. I think it would be impossible to truly rate pizzas, though, because everyone has their own idea of what makes a great pizza.
Dutchy at 4:51PM on 02/03/08
@Prairie: Thanks. I think we did have a PJ's thin-crust, and of all PF's crusts, I like it the most, but we had a Hawaiian pizza on the thin crust, and it was not good, so it did not get a mention here.
@ShayAlyce: Frozen pizza probably is better. And, yes, chix tastes better on CPK pies.
@j_diddy: I'll have to check to see where Donato's has locations. I know the name but have never had a Donato's pie.
@Dutchy: Yes. Pizza is subjective, but it's fun to talk about, no?
Adam Kuban at 10:49AM on 02/04/08
None of them deliver in my area. The only place that does is Italian and their food is inedible. :(
PerkyMac at 3:37PM on 02/05/08
Actually the "Alfredo" pizzas from Papa John's are kind of good. You get around the overly sweet sauce problem that plagues most chain pizzas by replacing the sauce with something resembling a more creamy and garlicky butter. I think there is one with Chicken and Bacon and that is delicious (mostly because Bacon + Butter + Garlic= always delicious).
chasgoose at 10:18AM on 02/06/08
@chasgoose: You may have convinced me. Though it will be many weeks before I order a Papa John's, Pizza Hut, or Domino's again. ;)
Adam Kuban at 11:09AM on 02/06/08
The only good chain pizza I have ever had is Donatos. Everything else on the menu is terrible: sandwiches, salads, wings, ciabattas, thick crust pizza. But the thin crust pizza more than makes up for it. Pizza as good as a lot of places in Brooklyn and NJ.
Unfortunately, Donatos is only available in Ohio, Alabama, Northern Kentucky, Indianapolis, and Orlando. But if you ever want to experience the best pizza in fly over country, this is it.
RobynHarris at 6:07PM on 02/11/08
On the west coast is a bake-at-home chain called Papa Murphy's. For our household it was the only tolerable cheapy crap pizza, made more tolerable by being able to pick up the unbaked pizzas and then refrigerate them until we were drunk enough to bake them.
Anyway, Murphy's had what they called "garlic sauce," a cream sauce not unlike alfredo. A friend tipped us off one day to order "pink sauce," or have them mix the garlic and traditional tomato together and I have to say it was rather brilliant, particularly when ordering a pie with a lot of vegetables on it. Makes me wonder if Papa John's will do the same thing.
Oh, and I live in Donato's country right now and I vote no. No Donato's.
Subspace at 12:58AM on 02/15/08
I spent 20 years plus running around the country in the military. I've had pizza around the country. NYC, Chicago, Old Forge style, every chain there is, and my personal favorite, Erie pizza.
There's a lot to be said for pizza you grow up with. I'm from Erie, PA and our pizza, especially the crust, is quite unique. They usually use par-baked shells that are somewhere between thin and thick crust. I know it sounds sacreligious, but I've never had better. The ovens are seasoned from high use and they add a nice char taste to the bottom. The sauce is spicy and plentiful, and they have an enticing aroma that hits you as soon as you walk in the door.
I live in California for now (0 good pizzas in this state), but I was just home a couple of weeks ago, and I can't get over how much I love Erie pizza. Erie's such a small town that I don't expect our food to reach much of an audience, but if you ever travel through, try Patti's, Skipperino's, Valerio's, Serafini's, Presque Isle, or one of the other mom and pop places.
We had a Domino's in the heart of downtown Erie, but it went out of business. For a town of around 100K there are more mom and pop pizza joints than any other food, Erie's a great wing town too. Like NYC, Erieite's take their pizza seriously. Before you laugh, think about it, not one Domino's. I don't have anything against Domino's other than the fact that I dislike their food.
Yes, we're more famous for Brian Wells, the "Pizza Bomber", but Mama Mia's where he worked is a great shop as well.
Donato's is the biggest chain in Cincinnati. The quality of their toppings is very good, but sorry, that "cracker" crust is a big turn off to me. NY style fresh dough is great, but that's not what Donato's is. Tasty pizza due primarily to the quality toppings, but lousy crust in my opinion. They cut their round pies in to whacky squares too. I don't care for that either.
The comments about St Louis and about people that moved to NY are probably accurate. If you grew up with a certain style like I did, you tend to remember it fondly. As far as I'm concerned, all of the chains are abhorrent, and just support your local establishments.
tjmile1 at 1:38AM on 02/20/08
Ok, where is MVP pizza and Second String??? I've tried to google these pizza joints. If there is going to be throwdown and recommend these places, put the @#$!&*$@@@!!# address and location so people can order one, DUH!
laemtandrew at 7:38PM on 03/02/08
laemtandrew: You're joking right? "MVP" and "Second String" are not pizzerias. They're the descriptions of ... oh, never mind. AGH.
Adam Kuban at 10:34PM on 03/02/08