The best "National" pizza chains?

What's the best national pizza chain joints out there?

Just had my first Pizza Hut pizza a few weeks back.

I was incredibly let down.

To me, this venture was a very big dissappointment- thick, doughy (the airy, bready, spongy kind), bland.

I'll be trying Papa John's in the near future. I've never had it before- they aren't common around here.

Anyone with experience with Papa John's?

I've never liked Domino's. To me, a step above Pizza Hut, but still not a quality pie. Avoid the Noid!

Uno's Pizzaria Chicago style pizza is okay. Not my favorite, but surely not terrible. In fact, it's quite good, just not my personal favorite. Quality ingredients, a thicker dough than I prefer, but never too thick, and never airy or cheap tasting.

I prefer Bertucci's, a nice high-end style pizzaria. Truly magnificant.

And Papa Gino's has been a favorite for years- hardly ever dissappoints. Both Papa Gino's and Bertucchi's uses a thinner crust, flavorfull, fresh and well-propoetioned with quality cheese and sauce.

California Pizza Kitchen has always been a delight too. Oddball toppings, thin crust, fresh ingredients. Thumbs up in my book!

Oh, an aside-

I love and support independently owned places too- the Mom & Pop pizzarias that litter the neighborhoods here, from the Greek-American -owned pizzarias to the Italian-american owned, to now the Brazilian owned, the barroom pizzas, and the restaraunts that turn out pies.

But that won't help this thread, which I'd like to keep nationwide.

I just felt they deserved a mention.

Another aside-

I've hit 33 states in my travelling days, and unfortunately, the further west I go, the harder it is to get a good pizza.

This is not to knock my west coast friends- as I love it out there, and I'd say the Spanish tapas joints, the Mexican places, and of course the fried chicken is superb to what New england often offers up. Cuban and Columbian has proven best in Florida.

But pizza seems to be a Chicago, New York, or Boston specialty. I'll blame New York's Little Italy and Boston's North End. I'm not sure what Chicago's section would be called- only vaguely familiar with the windy city.

Sushi has proven great on both coasts, but I'd pass it up in the land-locked states, as it's tough to get fresh seafood in places like Gallup, or amarillo, or at least it used to be.

Unfortunately, most pizza parlors these days are owned and run by people who have no idea what a pizza is supposed to be. When they weigh or measure the ingredients before they put them on, I figure I'm getting something to merely quell my hunger, no more.

Back in the early 80s, my wife and I would get a Straw Hat pizza almost every Friday night. She would stop on her way home from work and pick it up. I'm a nut for good sausage, and their sausage and black olive was to die for. One night she picked up the pizza, and it tasted different. It had that typical crappy tasting grocery store sausage with the greasy taste covered up with too much fennel. We thought it was just a fluke, and the next week ordered another. Same crappy sausage. The following week, we ordered pepperoni instead. When the wife went to pick it up, the girl at the take-out window (who knew who we were by then) asked why no sausage. The wife told her the reason, and she got this strange look on her face. She told us that the manager had always been able to purchase his toppings locally. He had taken this pizza parlor to one of the top Straw Hat producers in the US at the time. Corporate, however, decided that they could save a few bucks by buying their toppings in bulk and shipping them to the individual parlors. There went the quality. The manager fought it, but lost. The pizza was never the same after that. But all bad deeds do not go unpunished.

The manager, as I said, had set some records with the company, and had also won several Chamber of Commerce awards in town. About the time of the corporate "takeover", some fancy Italian restaurant with several location in the Los Angeles area made him an offer he couldn't refuse, and he left to run their places.

The Straw Hat is now a video store.

We now use Papa Murphy's Take 'n Bake. Not bad, but not great.

the chains are hit and miss depending on how well the place is managed. i've had all of them range from pretty good to lousy. the only exception is a dominos thin crust, suprisingly good.

I hate to say it, but all the national brands we have available around here suck.

I vote for Abby's, but it's only available in Oregon and Washington. This is thin *crunchy* crust, not the floppy New York style. Mmmm........ Pizza......

John

PAPA Murphy's is by far the best IMO, they just came out with a thick crust pizza that kills, they measure their ingredients but it seems to be the right amount.

Was in chicago for a convention in 2000, and had a little pie, what was different was how thick it was, it took 45 minutes or longer just to cook it. but I will say, it was very, very good. Cant remember the name of the parlor.

elroy

You guys are spoilt for choice.

All we have is Pizza Hut, over here. Well, not quite, but almost.

Jorge

If any of you jokers make it to my joint in Chicago I'll make you a pizza that will force you to move here! I've yet to get good pizza outside of Chicago or New York.

Chicago, Boston, New York- the best pizza ever- so far. My opinon only. But I'd have minions backing me up.

Jorge, the "Pizza Hut" is a rotting, lying shame of what pizza should be.

It's not right that it is your only choice.

In all honesty, you're better making your own, than digest that drivel.

Really, avoid that sock and underwear-flavored imitation of a pizza pie.

So sorry!!! Really- avoid it- it's a phony!

the question is.. do people prefer thin or regular or thick crust.. i like all three actually.. depending on my mood of course. some thin crust pizza's, just taste really good with the right toppings. other ones you have to have a thicker crust for it to be best.

I really like Pappa John's - Spinach Alfredo Chicken tomato pizza the best. it's del-ish.

I don't eat pizza very often (I prefer Vietnamese & Thai). The best chain restaurant pizza I've had in the Portland area is Round Table. Best mom & pop place is Flying Pie. The local Pizza Hut is pretty good. I always order pepperoni & mushroom with thin crust.

Thai is hot. I know.

Mark B, you naughty boy.

Jorge

Believe it or not, I prefer frozen pizza to the pizza in maryland. The red baron isn't half bad. We have vocelli's, which is more expensive than papa john's and that's not bad. I liek papa for sheer quantity though. there's a palce in Adams morgan that will sell you slice the size of a pie for about $4. After drinking, the thought of that much grease entering my body forbode from trying it though it looked good.

Try a Thai pizza.. they are pretty good..