Pizza Delivery Taste Test: Pizza Hut, Papa John's, Little Caesars, or Domino's?

Epicurious.com

Kendra Vizcaino-Lico

Pizza delivery taste test!
Pizza delivery taste test!

In preparation for our Super Bowl Sunday celebrations, we decided to find out which of the big pizza delivery chain restaurants had the best pies. We tasted cheese and pepperoni pizzas from the big four (Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa John's, and Little Caesars) to find out which one was worthy of a place in our game day spread. See the results after the jump.

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The winner: Domino's
This was by far Epi editors' preferred pizza of the bunch. They liked the balance of softness and crispiness in the crust, the slightly sweet sauce, and the savory spice of the pepperoni. Some felt it could use a little more cheese, but the quality of the crust is what won over the tasters, "The crispy crust is a nice touch, it has a little chewiness like real pizza," said one judge.

2nd Place: Pizza Hut
Overly sweet sauce and a thick, doughy crust put this pizza out of favor with many of the tasters. "The crust is quite puffy and fluffy, not for a crisp crust lover." However, the abundance of gooey cheese and a healthy helping of pepperoni helped make up for some of this pie's shortcomings.

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3rd Place: Little Caesars
While the judges enjoyed the thin crust and flavorful "zesty" sauce of this pizza, it ultimately lost points for lack of freshness. Despite the fact that it was made while we waited (there were no "Hot-n-Ready" pizzas prepared), most judges felt it was very similar to frozen pizza. "Very processed look and flavorless dough, tastes very pre-fab," stated one judge.

4th Place: Papa John's
Although the majority of the judges felt this one looked the best in the box, they were disappointed by the very sweet sauce, lack of cheesiness, and dry mouth feel. "Tastes like the dough mostly. Needs a heavier hand with the cheese," noted one taster.

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