Favorite Store-brand & Restaurant Pizza Chains?

[thenetwork]

When on an extended road trip, I get tired of the fast food McRestaurants as the primary road diet. And sometimes, getting a pizza to eat on the road is a nice alternative, since it doesn't have to be eaten right away.

And sometimes, popping a pizza in the oven at home is a quick, filling meal.

What are your go-to brands for pizza that you order fir pickup and delivery, and what brand(s) are your favorite in the Frozen Food aisle??

[MATraveler128]

I personally would recommend going to a grocery store and buying a frozen pizza. DiGiorno is usually a good choice for store brought. If I ever order pizza out, I usually go to a nice local spot (we have plenty of those in Greater Boston) vs a chain place. I've never eaten at a Pizza Hut, but in my area, Papa Gino's is a good choice.

[ozarkman417]

What I would do if I wanted a pizza on the road is research what local pizza restaurants are around, and if I find one that looks good, call the order ahead, so it's ready by the time I drive to the restaurant.

[Big John]

For frozen I get a small-brand Village Pub pizza.  I rarely ever get takeout pizza, Jets recently opened up here and I seem to like it.

[wanderer2575]

For the major chains, I like Little Caesars the best if it's made right but that is a very big IF -- the quality from store to store, and even from one visit to the next at the same store, varies wildly.  I like a lot of sauce on my pizza and I think theirs is the best-tasting sauce of the chains.

Pizza Hut is the worst of the chains.  Overpriced and mediocre at best.  The barest appearance of multiple toppings but they charge like sin for them.

[thenetwork]

I used to love Marco's Pizza...when it was just a neighborhood pizza chain in and around Toledo, Ohio.  Back in the 80s they had a great recipe in place that was just a tad sweet, and the parmesean crust topping was zestier.

By the time they expanded out west, that original recipe taste was gone.  And I tried a few locations in Colorado and Utah hoping to find the original taste again.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Frozen:
Red Baron
Totino's (dirt cheap bottom of the barrel, but a good amount of sauce)
Heggie's

Chain:
I like Pizza Hut's pizza and Domino's side items.

When I went to St. Louis last summer I had Imo's. The day I ate it I found it to be nothing special, but after a couple weeks I was craving more of it.

[Scott5114]

My chain of choice is Pizza Hut. I'm not going to pretend that it's the best pizza in the universe or anything, but it's what my family got growing up so it's the Canonical Pizza to me. The yardstick I judge all other pizzas relative to.

For frozen, I like to get the individual deep dish Red Barons.

I used to love Marco's Pizza...when it was just a neighborhood pizza chain in and around Toledo, Ohio.  Back in the 80s they had a great recipe in place that was just a tad sweet, and the parmesean crust topping was zestier.

They opened a Marco's right by us and sent out coupons for the grand opening. We used it to try them out. Everyone who had some agreed that it was the most precisely average pizza they'd ever had. 2.50000000000000000 out of 5 stars, with that many significant digits.

[Rothman]

There's a regional chain in the Albany, NY area called I Love NY Pizza and it's typically good.  Not sure how many locations they have.

[vdeane]

I don't regularly get frozen pizza, though Red Baron's french bread pizza is good (too bad I have to make special stops to get it, as my regular grocery store no longer sells it).  I've had their regular frozen pizza too, and it's pretty good.

For chains, I'll go with Paesan's, which is technically a chain as they have other locations around the Capital District beyond the one I go to in Latham (I've even been to a couple other ones, due to them all having different holiday hours around New Year's).  If I'm traveling, I'm fond of service area Sbarro's or Pizza Hut Express where they exist, although if I'm getting dinner at a destination I'll go for somewhere more local.

[Rothman]

Paesan's is...passable.

[Takumi]

DiGiorno for store-bought, Mellow Mushroom for chain restaurants.

[elsmere241]

I don't really have a preference for store-bought.  Even the generic ones at Walmart are good if I'm hungry enough.

We have a regional restaurant chain here called Seasons, good for sit-down or takeout.

[jeffandnicole]

Domino's makes a good enough thin-crust pizza that has very little breading, allowing 2 people to eat a whole pie in one meal without feeling stuffed.

[hbelkins]

DiGiorno isn't as good as it was when it first arrived on the scene.

As for chains, I really can't differentiate between Pizza Hut, Domino's, and Papa John's. Little Caesar's sauce is almost too tangy for my tastes. Where the other three are concerned, I have Domino's the least frequently, so I will defer to them if I have to make a choice and all three of those (Domino's, Pizza hut, and Papa John's) are available if there is a decent coupon or special.

There's a local place where I work called Variety Pizza that is outstanding.

[ibthebigd]

I like Donato's

SM-G996U

[kphoger]

Papa Murphy's, almost every single time.

[abefroman329]

Of the big 3, probably Pizza Hut.

Regional chain, Rosati's.

Store-brand, it's a toss-up - every frozen pizza I've ever had tasted like a bowling alley pizza to me.

[XamotCGC]

For frozen pizza. I like Tombstone, Tony's, or Red Barron.

For take out. There's a local place called Ragetti's that has great Pizza and steak subs.

[jgb191]

My pizza preference is anything family-owned single-store pizzeria; they make their pizza with care and effort and fresh ingredients.  If I do pizza chains then Uno's Chicago Grill is by far my top choice.  Anything that makes and sells Chicago-style deep dish gets my immediate attention.  Not just any deep dish, but it has to be Chicago-style deep dish.

I have worked at a Pizza Hut store (delivery driver) from 1998 to 2001, and got turned off of their food from working there; I would never choose Pizza Hut ever since then.

[XamotCGC]

I quit eating at Pizza Hut when they quit selling there steak sandwiches.

[epzik8]

7-Eleven has pretty tight frozen pizzas

[Rothman]

My pizza preference is anything family-owned single-store pizzeria; they make their pizza with care and effort and fresh ingredients.  If I do pizza chains then Uno's Chicago Grill is by far my top choice.  Anything that makes and sells Chicago-style deep dish gets my immediate attention.  Not just any deep dish, but it has to be Chicago-style deep dish.

I have worked at a Pizza Hut store (delivery driver) from 1998 to 2001, and got turned off of their food from working there; I would never choose Pizza Hut ever since then.

How do you even ensure that you've found a family-owned single-store pizzeria that meets your fresh standards while on the road?

Quite interesting that Uno's gets your attention for deep dish pizza.

[zachary_amaryllis]

Blackjack is where I work, and it's decent. Mostly a Colorado/Wyoming thing, but I think they have store or two in AZ and FL.

We have one that's basically jalapeno poppers on a pizza, with this raspberry drizzle stuff on it that is to die for.

[jgb191]

My pizza preference is anything family-owned single-store pizzeria; they make their pizza with care and effort and fresh ingredients.  If I do pizza chains then Uno's Chicago Grill is by far my top choice.  Anything that makes and sells Chicago-style deep dish gets my immediate attention.  Not just any deep dish, but it has to be Chicago-style deep dish.

I have worked at a Pizza Hut store (delivery driver) from 1998 to 2001, and got turned off of their food from working there; I would never choose Pizza Hut ever since then.

How do you even ensure that you've found a family-owned single-store pizzeria that meets your fresh standards while on the road?

Quite interesting that Uno's gets your attention for deep dish pizza.

Uno's buttery crust is my favorite part of their slice (any slice for that matter).  And I trust any family-owned local diner/cafe over a nationwide chain.  I'll put it this way: even the least-good family-owned or locally-owned pizzeria that I've been to was way better quality than Pizza Hut.