Orderingpizzahas become the solution for so many occasions.
Perhaps you’re too lazy to cook, the babysitter is coming, or your kids have friends over.
Maybe you’re throwing a birthday party or enjoying a pool night.
Photo: Chris Shott. Design: Eat This, Not That!
Another option is grabbing a pizza at Costco.
With over 600 locations nationwide, the popular warehouse club actually ranks among America’s biggest pizza purveyors.
Pizza Hut did not fulfill my request, sending me a whole pepperoni pie instead.
Photo: Samantha Lande, Eat This, Not That!
So I had to peel the meaty slices off to make it part plain and complete this test.
I also enlisted the help of the best connoisseurs of quick-serve pizza that I knowa gaggle of tween boys.
This matters, but the recipe characteristicscheese, sauce, doughshould remain relatively similar across locations.
Photo: Samantha Lande, Eat This, Not That!
So, I was very disappointed to experience Little Caesars as an adult.
This particular pie didn’t live up to my childhood dreams at all.
At the same time, it didn’t hurt my wallet nearly as much as some of the others.
Photo: Samantha Lande, Eat This, Not That!
The taste: As one of the boys said, “This one didn’t hit right.”
The sauce was extremely spicedso much so that it was all you could taste in some bites.
The crust was soft and breadier than other versions and the cheese was just okay.
Photo: Samantha Lande, Eat This, Not That!
The pepperoni was tasteless.
Sadly, I don’t think I will be ordering this again.
Pizza Hut
I may be dating myself here, but remember the old Pizza Hut buffet?
Photo: Samantha Lande, Eat This, Not That!
Now, that’s what dreams were made of!
Sadly, that reference is completely lost on younger diners.
The 14-inch pizza itself cost me $24.74.
This was a tough call, whether to rank this pizza ahead or after Domino’s.
Some tasters were huge fans, others weren’t, but I think the two were pretty darn close.
The look:Slightly thinner than some of the other pies.
The crust wasn’t as uniform as others.
It sort of resembled the kind of pizza you’d get in a cafeteria line.
The taste:“Like school pizza,” is how one of my tween tasters described it.
I am not sure that should be taken as a terrible comment.
It was definitely the sturdiest of the pies with a bread-like dough.
It was very sauce heavy, though, which is not something I personally love on my pizza.
I wouldn’t count it out completely but for me Pizza Hut didn’t get top billing.
Domino’s seems to always be a fan-favorite chain.
This pizza cost me $16.68.
The look:Quite well done.
Another minute or so, and it probably would have been overcooked.
This one did have a nice golden crust, however.
The sauce here is very tomato-forward.
Overall, this pizza was certainly overdone but at least it didn’t taste burnt.
Unlike all of the other chains, the warehouse club’s food court doesn’t deliver.
If you live nearby, maybe this doesn’t matter.
So, it’s definitely a plus and minus.
For the size, however, you aren’t beating this price anywhere.
The whole pie cost me $10.65.
Most of the large pizzas from the other spots were far smaller and cost nearly twice as much.
Slightly less top crust than some of its competitors and the slices were longer in length.
It’s certainly a “floppier” pizza, as my husband said.
When you pick it up, it’s hard to maintain all the weight of the cheese and toppings.
Like everything at Costco, it’s go big or go home.
This pizza probably had more cheese and pepperoni than the other pizzas combined.
The dough is a bit chewy and the sauce is nice and mild.
The pepperoni here too ranked high.
Although some of our middle picks received mixed opinions, this was hands-down the favorite pie for everyone involved.
It just had the best balance of cheese and sauce and had a great crust.
This pizza cost me $20.99.
The look:A nice thick top crust with a thinner undercarriage.
The topping coverage was even.
The cheese featured nice brown spots without looking overdone.
The crust looked good and pillowy.
The taste:Everyone loved the crust on this one the best.
It had a nice chew and was more of a defined crust than some of the other pies.
The sauce-to-cheese ratio was balanced and the sauce wasn’t overpowering.
Although the pepperoni wasn’t our favorite, it wasn’t tasteless like some of the others.
