The most overrated pizza?

RE: The most overrated pizza? (Slim Strummer)

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:18:33 GMT

I have come to think that Upper Crust, a Boston area thin crust chain, is overrated and overpriced. For what you pay (15 or 16 bucks for a large Margherita), it oughta be great, but Upper Crust is frequently soggy or overdone. Maybe they overexpanded, but we have just stopped going at all. Back to the neighborhood Greek pizza joints for us out here in the 'burbs.

RE: The most overrated pizza? (IntelligentT82)

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:52:20 GMT

Two of the most overrated pizza are Lou Malnati's in Chicago and Matchbox Pizza in DC.

Lou Malnati's was soooo plain jane when I ate it. Nothing special about it. I should have went to Uno's/Due...which is wayyy better than Lou's in my opinion.

Matchbox in DC...I wanted to and everyone else in the DC area loves them...I don't get it.
Ledo's in DC area is overrated too. Sometimes the sweet sauce starts to get on my nerves and makes me wanna

RE: The most overrated pizza? (Michael Hoffman)

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:30:20 GMT

doggydaddy

Baah Ben

Doggydaddy - Thanks for this article. Very interesting.

So, is your favorite of the "Big 3" Modern? You did not mention Pepe's

I like Modern as I feel that it was one of my first attempts at culinary investigation, based on asking the locals. It rates as number one in the weekly paper's 'Best of' poll. These polls are based on what readers suggest and vote on. Modern and Pepe's are # one and two respectively. Then it is The Spot or Bru/Bar. Oddly Sally's doesn't place in the top three.
That is how I place them, and I do not differentiate between The Spot and Pepe's, both are joined at the hip. The best thing about Modern and those two is that there is parking for the customers, as opposed to trying to find a space on the street.

My brothers and I grew up on east coast pizza. I have taken one brother to all of these places, including the Fairfield Pepe's. He is of the same opinion that Modern is the tops. The bonus is that they also have Foxon Park birch beer and other flavors. This is important.
For those that care, Modern may be the only place where you can also get a seriously good grinder.

mark

We used to go to The Spot often -- and it was not owned then by Pepe's. As much as I liked Pepe's and Sally's, I preferred The Spot. One of the neat things about the place was the fact that the tables and chairs (there were no booths) didn't match, and there was never a table that didn't need a coaster or a match book under at least one leg to keep it from wobbling.

RE: The most overrated pizza? (ann peeples)

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 10:40:32 GMT

nocarolina-is perhaps the frozen Connies pizza I can get at the grocery from the restaurant( Like Home Run In pizza)?

RE: The most overrated pizza? (collinf)

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 10:29:11 GMT

dannybotz

Hands down the most overrated Pizza in America Is Mystic Pizza!!!

I agree.

RE: The most overrated pizza? (doggydaddy)

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:52:45 GMT

Baah Ben

Doggydaddy - Thanks for this article. Very interesting.

So, is your favorite of the "Big 3" Modern? You did not mention Pepe's

I like Modern as I feel that it was one of my first attempts at culinary investigation, based on asking the locals. It rates as number one in the weekly paper's 'Best of' poll. These polls are based on what readers suggest and vote on. Modern and Pepe's are # one and two respectively. Then it is The Spot or Bru/Bar. Oddly Sally's doesn't place in the top three.
That is how I place them, and I do not differentiate between The Spot and Pepe's, both are joined at the hip. The best thing about Modern and those two is that there is parking for the customers, as opposed to trying to find a space on the street.

My brothers and I grew up on east coast pizza. I have taken one brother to all of these places, including the Fairfield Pepe's. He is of the same opinion that Modern is the tops. The bonus is that they also have Foxon Park birch beer and other flavors. This is important.
For those that care, Modern may be the only place where you can also get a seriously good grinder.

mark

RE: The most overrated pizza? (Baah Ben)

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:22:26 GMT

Doggydaddy - Thanks for this article. Very interesting.

So, is your favorite of the "Big 3" Modern? You did not mention Pepe's

RE: The most overrated pizza? (doggydaddy)

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 07:54:08 GMT

Different tastes for different reasons. Here is a news article about Grimaldi's in Houston. Very interesting in how people perceive how a pizza should be.

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2009/02/all_grimaldis_pizzas_are_not_c.php

===As for Sally's in New Haven, here's a tip for those who brave the long lines,.. ... walk down to Libby's Italian Pastries first for a cannoli, then stand in line with friends. For those who would rather cut to the chase: call in a take-out order!===

It isn't that Sally's is over rated, it's just that You will be just as happy at Modern. That is where you will find the locals... However, if I am at Wooster St. place, I usually save room for a lemon ice at Libby's.

mark

RE: The most overrated pizza? (carolina bob)

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 11:47:07 GMT

Brad, it's not that Connie's has changed, nor do I think that it's inferior pizza. Actually, it's quite decent. I just don't think that it lives up to it's reputation. Same goes for Aurelio's. Both places have good pizza, but, IMO, not as good as their reps would have you believe. To me, there's much better thin-crust pizza to be had in the south / southwest suburbs. My three choices in the area would be Fox's in Orland Park, Simply Slices in Crestwood, and Waldo Cooney's here in Lansing.

RE: The most overrated pizza? (Foodosaurus)

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 09:34:27 GMT

dannybotz

Hands down the most overrated Pizza in America Is Mystic Pizza!!! I stopped in a few years ago thankfully while just passing through and it was so bad my wife and I actually threw our half eaten slices away and went elsewhere for lunch!! I know it was hyped because of the movie but the place was packed and I was expecting an at least above average pizza.......not!! Ive had frozen pizza 10 times better it was just awful!!

I still haven't made it to Mystic Pizza, but I have had their frozen variety. I think their frozen pizza is better than some pizza joints.

RE: The most overrated pizza? (dannybotz)

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:46:01 GMT

Hands down the most overrated Pizza in America Is Mystic Pizza!!! I stopped in a few years ago thankfully while just passing through and it was so bad my wife and I actually threw our half eaten slices away and went elsewhere for lunch!! I know it was hyped because of the movie but the place was packed and I was expecting an at least above average pizza.......not!! Ive had frozen pizza 10 times better it was just awful!!

RE: The most overrated pizza? (ScreamingChicken)

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:22:13 GMT

Has Connie's changed over the years? When I lived in the suburbs from '85-90 it was one of my favorites.

Brad

RE: The most overrated pizza? (carolina bob)

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 02:46:01 GMT

Here in the Chicago area, I consider both Connie's and Aurelio's to be very overated. In Cincinnati, that "honor" goes to the LaRosa's chain. And I have NEVER had an edible pizza anywhere in California. BTW, I love the original Uno's and Due's; the franchised Uno's are wretched. They only use the name, not the recipe.

RE: The most overrated pizza? (ayersian)

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:09:52 GMT

I guess one could argue that any pizza reviewed on this site is overrated, since there's always someone who had a bad experience at said pizzeria. And I don't deem this as a necessarily bad experience, but our first visit to Salerno's in Old Forge, PA to have Old Forge-style pizza had us both scratching our heads. It's definitely a RF place, and, as Bruce Bilmes often reminds me, sometimes RF is more about the place than the food...but the pizza was just okay. Maybe it was a bad day, maybe we shouldn't've gone to Salerno's for our first taste of Old Forge pizza, maybe it's an acquired taste...but it was certainly not my favorite.

As for Sally's in New Haven, here's a tip for those who brave the long lines, the sometimes rude service, and the interminable wait: walk down to Libby's Italian Pastries first for a cannoli, then stand in line with friends. For those who would rather cut to the chase: call in a take-out order! Chris

RE: The most overrated pizza? (Twinwillow)

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 14:57:06 GMT

Living in Dallas, I'd kill to eat in ANY of the above mentioned NYC area pizza joints.

RE: The most overrated pizza? (Michael Hoffman)

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 14:52:35 GMT

CajunKing

Michael Hoffman

collinf

Take a gander at just this brief history lesson and then tell us what pizza is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_pizza

The interesting thing about that is the fact that anyone who wishes can change the "history lesson" to suit his or her wishes.

And to think I thought pizza was invented in Gary, Indiana......

Right. I was thinking about fixing that history.

RE: The most overrated pizza? (CajunKing)

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 14:24:20 GMT

Michael Hoffman

collinf

Take a gander at just this brief history lesson and then tell us what pizza is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_pizza

The interesting thing about that is the fact that anyone who wishes can change the "history lesson" to suit his or her wishes.

And to think I thought pizza was invented in Gary, Indiana......

RE: The most overrated pizza? (Michael Hoffman)

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 14:05:17 GMT

collinf

Take a gander at just this brief history lesson and then tell us what pizza is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_pizza

The interesting thing about that is the fact that anyone who wishes can change the "history lesson" to suit his or her wishes.

RE: The most overrated pizza? (collinf)

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:24:25 GMT

WarToad

How about an overrated style of pizza?

Chicago deep dish. I don't even really consider it pizza, rather, a frankenstein monster of various casseroles.

If you are going to start that argument, I defy you to define exactly what pizza is and what it is not, to the complete agreement of everyone who reads this forum.

Take a gander at just this brief history lesson and then tell us what pizza is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_pizza

RE: The most overrated pizza? (WarToad)

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:36:21 GMT

How about an overrated style of pizza?

Chicago deep dish. I don't even really consider it pizza, rather, a frankenstein monster of various casseroles.

RE: The most overrated pizza? (Davydd)

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:27:01 GMT

Foodbme,

Once a place gets national attention through celebrity sitings like Pizzeria Bianco has the reputation feeds on itself, and usually the feeding is done by people who have not a clue as to what they are talking about. If someone says it is the best then someone is going to read that and use it in a quote somewhere else and it feeds on itself.

RE: The most overrated pizza? (Foodbme)

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:45:50 GMT

FrankBooth

[id=quote font="arial, helvetica"]quote: Originally posted by Michael Hoffman

[id=quote font="arial, helvetica"]quote: Originally posted by Janelle79

How does everyone feel about Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix? Sure it's delicious but is it the pizza to end all pizzas?

My daughter, who grew up eating apizza at Pepe's and Sally's and now lives in Phoenix, thought it was OK, but not even close to the good stuff.

no surprise, the water is all wrong... many say this is why the pizza in napoli and new haven are the top of the pops- similar water... i don't think new haven is as volcanic as napoli though...

I just made my 3rd and last visit to Pizzeria Bianco. While the pizza menu is limited, The pizza's are just OK. Let's start at the beginning. The building while quaint, is very small with limited seating. I arrived at 5:30PM last night, Wednesday, to put our name in for a table for Six, (Neighbor's B'day party). Was told we couldn't be seated until 8:00PM!!! A 2 1/2 hour wait! If it wasn't for the group occasion, I'm outta dare! They also have an old historic house next door that they use for a wine bar. Obviously, they want you to wait there, more $$ in the till. They have a very limited snack menu at the wine bar to hold you over. The limited wine list was OK, nothing exceptional. Our bar tab was over $70. (Wine was $8-15 a glass, 2 appetizers). They seated us at 7:55PM. They put two 2X2 ft tables together. We were cramped in and very close to other patrons. IT TOOK 15 MINUTES before a waiter showed up! to take our drink orders. 10 minutes to get our drinks and order 3 pizza's, nothing else. 25 minutes to get the pizza's which were 12" in size, all thin cracker type crusts. When I picked up my first piece, all the ingredients slid off onto the pan! Had to put it back together. The pizza's were sparcely covered with ingredients, nice flavors but not worth the $15 BUCKS each. The bill for six came to just over $70.00 + tip. So between the $70.00 Bar Bill and the $70 Dinner bill we're talking $140 Bucks for essentially 3 pizza's and some wine for 6 people, and the designated driver drank Coke. Not worth the agrivation. They obviously have a GREAT PR Company that excels in creating Hype.
www.pizzeriabianco.com

RE: The most overrated pizza? (JBarry713)

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:10:18 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Foxyfishy14

Ok I would just like to address some things about the people who responded to my post...and then I'm off of this topic...

# 1 I most certainly do NOT think that Italians...or any other group of people are inferior to me...as Michael Hoffman would like to think...in fact I am Italian!

# 2 for the person that thinks I should "expand my horizons" as far as food goes...I experience different foods and different types of cuisines very often...and that doesn't mean I need to stand in line for 2 hours for any of it. I'm sure you don't know everything about every little place in New England known for something...so don't assume that everyone knows about something like New Haven pizza in your town.

No I don't know about "every little place in New England," for you to assume so is ridiculous. The fact is New Haven pizza is aa pretty big deal, places like the Pepe's, Sally's, and Modern are all pretty well-known places. All I'm saying is that you should "expand your horizons" when it comes to pizza, if you think that Papa Gino's makes such a great pizza. It doesn't matter if you trying all different types of food - the thread is about pizza - not "expanding your horizons" with other foods. Lastly if you don't feel like waiting in line long (2 hours is an exaggeration - I've never had to wait more than an hour - if you had to wait for 2 full hours that is an anomaly), then check out Modern Apizza (very good pizza, little if any line).

RE: The most overrated pizza? (Foxyfishy14)

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 21:41:02 GMT

Ok I would just like to address some things about the people who responded to my post...and then I'm off of this topic...

# 1 I most certainly do NOT think that Italians...or any other group of people are inferior to me...as Michael Hoffman would like to think...in fact I am Italian!

# 2 for the person that thinks I should "expand my horizons" as far as food goes...I experience different foods and different types of cuisines very often...and that doesn't mean I need to stand in line for 2 hours for any of it. I'm sure you don't know everything about every little place in New England known for something...so don't assume that everyone knows about something like New Haven pizza in your town.

RE: The most overrated pizza? (Michael Hoffman)

Sat, 07 Jul 2007 22:17:58 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Foxyfishy14

Hey Bubbaboy and Frank Booth:

GET A LIFE! First of all, I wouldn't wait out in the rain/snow...even good weather conditions for a very long time for any kind of food...my time is much more important than that..and when I pay for any kind of meal..I pay for the whole experience..therefore, the service counts too..and Sally's had horrible service...period. Second of all, you two are obviously going to be "loyal" to the New Haven pizza places because you grew up there! Oh and the reason why I had never heard of New Haven pizza is that I was too busy living my life in Mass...I wasn't a member of the Pizza Police like you are!

I have my opinion..and I'm entitled to it...but I didn't make fun of any of your pizza...I just said I didn't think it was worth all the hype people place on it...oh and guess what...I don't care how long they've been serving it...just because its been around for "GENERATIONS" as you put it doesn't mean it will be pleasing to everyone..so get off your high horse and accept that there are people who are going to disagree with you!

Oh and by the way...I'm so sick of people calling them "apizzas" like you just got off the boat...here in America, its called pizza...just like mozzarella is NOT "mootz." It doesn't make you sound more authentic...just stupid.

You certainly are entitled to your opinion. And opinions are like recta. Everybody has one. I'm so glad to know that you are sick of people calling tomato pies apizza. Oh,and it's mahtz, not mootz. However, it's really a shame that you seem to have this need to attack the speech of people you obviously consider to be inferior to you -- you know, Italians.

Now, when it comes to sounding stupid ...

RE: The most overrated pizza? (eatingteam)

Sat, 07 Jul 2007 21:40:51 GMT

Tacconelli's in Philly is Ok but it takes so long to get a pie that it is tough to enjoy it.

Difara's hands down is the MOST overerated Pizza I have ever traveled for.

Grimaldi's is a little dissapointing but you are going there because it is one the oldest and it is coal oven etc.

Bocci in Buffalo,NY was should also go on this list

RE: The most overrated pizza? (JBarry713)

Sat, 07 Jul 2007 20:37:11 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Foxyfishy14

Hey Bubbaboy and Frank Booth:

GET A LIFE! First of all, I wouldn't wait out in the rain/snow...even good weather conditions for a very long time for any kind of food...my time is much more important than that..and when I pay for any kind of meal..I pay for the whole experience..therefore, the service counts too..and Sally's had horrible service...period. Second of all, you two are obviously going to be "loyal" to the New Haven pizza places because you grew up there! Oh and the reason why I had never heard of New Haven pizza is that I was too busy living my life in Mass...I wasn't a member of the Pizza Police like you are!

I have my opinion..and I'm entitled to it...but I didn't make fun of any of your pizza...I just said I didn't think it was worth all the hype people place on it...oh and guess what...I don't care how long they've been serving it...just because its been around for "GENERATIONS" as you put it doesn't mean it will be pleasing to everyone..so get off your high horse and accept that there are people who are going to disagree with you!

Oh and by the way...I'm so sick of people calling them "apizzas" like you just got off the boat...here in America, its called pizza...just like mozzarella is NOT "mootz." It doesn't make you sound more authentic...just stupid.

Sorry Foxy, but the often overused line "I have my opinion...and I'm entitled to it" goes both ways in this argument. Just as you think that it is not worth waiting in line for pizza or any other food, others (such as Bubbaboy and Frank Booth) have an opinion too and they believe it is worth waiting in line for. Also, you state that you pay for the whole dining experience - not just the food itself. I'll admit that the service at Sally's is not good, but the fact that other people (again, such as Frank Booth and Bubbaboy) are willing to suffer in line and through bad service just for the food makes their opinion on the food more valuable. It's obviously what they care about and, considering that the topic of this thread is "The most overrated pizza?" and not "The most overrated pizza experience" any negative statements about the anything other than the pizza itself are outside the scope of the argument.

Yeah, I understand people may question "why would you wait an hour in line for that pizza?" Well, it is because it is that good. While some people may think judging food is purely subjective in nature, there is an objective degree (e.g. quality of ingredients) to judging food as well - most applicable when judging the same type of food (e.g. pizza). The fact that Sally's has long lines on a daily basis and has been around for generations demonstrates (without the use of mass marketing, like the chains) that it is the quality of the pizza that keep the same people coming back year-after-year. The same cannot be said about Papa Gino's. If you personally like Papa Gino's more - that's fine. However, by implying that Papa Gino's is a superior pizza to Sally's without analysis as to why is a statement with little merit.

I am also shocked that you have never heard of New Haven pizza, giving the fact you live in New England and judging by your posts, seem somewhat passionate about pizza. Maybe you should try to expand you horizons and palate more - there's better pizza out there than Papa Gino's.

RE: The most overrated pizza? (Foxyfishy14)

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 13:43:53 GMT

Hey Bubbaboy and Frank Booth:

GET A LIFE! First of all, I wouldn't wait out in the rain/snow...even good weather conditions for a very long time for any kind of food...my time is much more important than that..and when I pay for any kind of meal..I pay for the whole experience..therefore, the service counts too..and Sally's had horrible service...period. Second of all, you two are obviously going to be "loyal" to the New Haven pizza places because you grew up there! Oh and the reason why I had never heard of New Haven pizza is that I was too busy living my life in Mass...I wasn't a member of the Pizza Police like you are!

I have my opinion..and I'm entitled to it...but I didn't make fun of any of your pizza...I just said I didn't think it was worth all the hype people place on it...oh and guess what...I don't care how long they've been serving it...just because its been around for "GENERATIONS" as you put it doesn't mean it will be pleasing to everyone..so get off your high horse and accept that there are people who are going to disagree with you!

Oh and by the way...I'm so sick of people calling them "apizzas" like you just got off the boat...here in America, its called pizza...just like mozzarella is NOT "mootz." It doesn't make you sound more authentic...just stupid.

RE: The most overrated pizza? (cornfed)

Thu, 31 May 2007 19:00:48 GMT

Joe's on 6th ave. and 3rd st. in Manhattan. Beyond the proximity to the subway, don't understand the overwhelming appeal. Maybe it's the scene.

For a far better street slice, I recommend Bleecker St. Pizza on 7th. Better cheese and sauce. For an artisinal slice made by the DiFara owner's family members, walk a couple blocks down to DeMarco's on Houston. Joe's is kid stuff compared to these two.

RE: The most overrated pizza? (Awsi Dooger)

Thu, 31 May 2007 03:12:36 GMT

Pizzeria Uno definitely belongs. Every summer I go to Saratoga and for some reason I'll always stop at an Uno in that area. The pizza is expensive and mostly I'm just trying to get rid of it.

I'm pleased to see Papa John's and DiGiorno's don't seem to be rated highly on this forum. But many of my friends like them and it baffles me. I'd call them overrated if they were rated 4th to last and 5th to last among 100 options.