I have lots of fond memories of picking up a slice of pizza or stromboli from the Sbarro at my local mall food court as I headed out to buy clothes or visit whatever new chain bookstore had popped up.
It was greasy and absolutely delicious.
(Remember patting the slices with paper towels so the grease wouldn’t drip off onto your clothes?)
But let’s face it – a lot’s changed since then.
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For one, pizza has gotten a LOT better.
Gone are the days when chains put out warmed-over garbage that tasted like cardboard.
And, frankly, even grocery store pizza has improved quite a bit.
For another, my taste buds are now fully developed…so I know Sbarro isn’t actually all that good.
Here are seven pizzas that are quite a bit better:
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Where you’ll find them: Domino’s has over 14,000 stores worldwide and has an umbrella that covers every state and then some. It’s everywhere you want it.
What makes the pizza great: For Domino’s, it’s all about the crust and the improvements they’ve made. Their basic crust is really good now that they’ve added garlic…but have you tried their new parmesan stuffed crust? It’s simply amazing.
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Where you’ll find them: Like Domino’s, Papa John’s is everywhere – every state, and over 40 countries too!
What makes the pizza great: For Domino’s, it’s the crust; for Papa John’s, it’s the cheese. There’s just something about the specific mix they use that’s incredible. I can’t really describe it – it’s just good! And while their crust is just “ok” (if still better than Sbarro), get the garlic butter sauce – it makes everything tastier!
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Where you’ll find them: Godfather’s only has standalone stores in Iowa and Minnesota, although it’s also served in Love’s gas stations in 30 different states.
What makes the pizza great: Godfather’s has great thin crust pizza (I know they hype their original, and it’s good, but I like their thin crust better), and they’ve got a great taco pie – beef, onions, taco sauce, cheddar and mozzarella, lettuce, and tomatoes. I also appreciate that their sizes can go from “mini” (personal pan) all the way up to jumbo (12 slices)…and you can change your sauce to buffalo, ranch, garlic parm, sweet chili, taco, and even bbq!
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Where you’ll find them: MOD Pizza is in 28 states, with most stores in the West.
What makes the pizza great: MOD Pizza is made-to-order, and it’s fantastic. I like the Caspian, which is basically an elevated bbq pizza, but you might appreciate the Lucy Sunshine (a white pizza with garlic, mozzarella, parmesan, artichokes, and dollops of tomato sauce on top. Kind of an inverted pizza in some ways). Finish it off with the mega cookie – you’ll be glad you did!
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Where you’ll find them: Like the other universal pizzas (Domino’s, Papa John’s) – Little Caesars is everywhere, with over 4,200 locations across all 50 states.
What makes the pizza great: I think Little Caesars tastes just fine, but what I really love about them is all the experimentation they do. Their slices-n-stix pizza is a brilliant idea – half pizza, half cheesy bread sticks.
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Where you’ll find them: Vocelli is in 7 states in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic.
What makes the pizza great: Honestly, I think Vocelli is my favorite chain pizza. The ingredients are good, the flavor combos make sense, their bbq chicken pizza is my favorite, just from top to bottom everything is good there. Oh, and get their pizza rolls (the pepperoni ones).
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Where you’ll find them: In just about any grocery store.
What makes the pizza great: Tombstone pizza is great for frozen pizza. It’s no Vocelli or even Domino’s, but the pepperoni has a nice spice and the crust is good.
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I get it! A lot of people are nostalgic for Sbarro.
That’s not a bad thing – and you’ll be able to get it on plenty of road trips (and, well, most anywhere else – it’s in 45 states, after all).
The pizza is too greasy for me these days, but if you love it, have at it!
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So there you have it – seven pizzas with a good argument for being better than Sbarro.
At least they aren’t as greasy!
But really, the big question is:
What do YOU think?
Is Sbarro the best? Is someone else better?
Let us know in the comments!
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