Remember when Papa John’s was a staple at every sleepover and get-together?
I feel like it was viewed as a clear “step up” from Domino’s and Pizza Hut.
Especially with that decadent garlic dipping sauce for the crust. I cannot tell you how much of that stuff I ate as a kid.
But let’s face facts:
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The pizza wars are absolutely heating up, and plenty of competitors have stepped up their game.
(Including Domino’s.)
Plus, there are new entrants to the market who are shaking everything up.
Including plenty whose fans would claim they’re absolutely better than Papa John’s.
Let’s go through the arguments one by one, starting with…
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Where you’ll find them: Marco’s is in 34 states and has you covered everywhere but the Northeast and Pacific Northwest. If you’re in the South, Midwest, or Plains states – there should be a Marco’s at least reasonably nearby.
Why their pizza is great: Their white cheezy is an ode to cheese fans (instead of tomato sauce they have a garlic parmesan sauce, their three-cheese blend, and feta). Try a pizza bowl to get all of the toppings without all the carbs from the crust.
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Where you’ll find them: Vocelli is on the East Coast and Ohio (it’s in seven states total).
Why their pizza is great: No weird gimmicks or fancy flavors – Vocelli is just good, normal pizza, executed exceptionally well. Get the pepperon Vocelli rolls if you want an extra cheesy option.
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Where you’ll find them: Mellow Mushroom is in 16 states, mostly in the South (especially around their home city, Atlanta) and Midwest.
Why their pizza is great: If you’re not into mushrooms, you might be tempted to skip them – and that would be a shame, because they’ve got plenty of other options! Try the Kosmic Karma (pesto, spinach, mozzarella, feta, Roma tomatoes – no mushrooms!) for a fun, different take.
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Where you’ll find them: Domino’s is everywhere, with over 14,000 locations serving all 50 states and plenty of other countries.
Why their pizza is great: I hinted that this was coming earlier, and here we are. Fact is that Domino’s has upped their game when it comes to their crust and cheesy bread, and it shows. Just about everything on the menu is good – especially the stuffed cheesy bread and loaded tots.
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Where you’ll find them: MOD Pizza is in 28 states, especially on the West (or “Best”, according to some people) Coast.
Why their pizza is great: They’ve taken a lot of traditional flavors and elevated them. Take their Caspian, which is like a typical BBQ pizza, except in addition to the traditional BBQ sauce, mozzarella, and chicken, they’ve added red onions (a common upgrade) and gorgonzola (definitely less common). That’s a pizza with some punch!
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Where you’ll find them: About 400 locations, mostly on the West Coast and Texas, plus Canada. (They even have locations in Alaska and Hawaii.)
Why their pizza is great: The Arthurian references are a little kitschy, but the pizza is excellent, with loads of toppings on every pie. Round Table isn’t the cheapest pizza you’ll ever have, nor does it have the most choices, but each pizza is so good that you won’t mind even a little bit.
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Where you’ll find them: Donato’s is in 29 states and rapidly expanding out in all directions from its home base in Columbus, Ohio.
Why their pizza is great: Do you remember when Pizza Hut’s thin crust was really good? Donatos is like that, but better than Pizza Hut’s ever was. Their “Serious Meat” might be one of my favorite pizzas ever, and their Hot Chicken is up there if you don’t mind pickles.
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Ok, I couldn’t leave without giving Papa John’s its due. After all, there’s a reason it’s gotten so big – the pizza is still quite good!
Where you’ll find them: Papa John’s is in every state and over 40 countries and territories outside the US. Like Domino’s, it’s basically everywhere!
Why their pizza is great: There’s something about their cheese mix that has always really appealed to me, especially when combined with pepperoni. Their wings are solid too (I recommend mambo and hot lemon pepper flavors).
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So there you have it – seven pizza chains coming after Papa John’s.
And each has an argument for why they might be able to capture the crown of “best” pizza…
But here’s the real question:
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Are they right?
Or is Papa John’s your favorite?
And are there any other great pizza chains I’ve left off? Let me know in the comments!
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