pizza restaurants near me

Local Pizza Restaurant Near Me Using Traditional Methods

When you search for a pizza restaurant near me, a national chain will usually pop up. Offering convenience, speed, and competitive pricing, many diners choose these establishments over local, independent shops. Yet, will these diners be getting a better pie, or just a cheaper meal?

National Chain Vs. Local Independent Pizzerias

Americans eat a lot of pizza – between 80 and 140 slices per year. Yet, when comparing pies, you’ll soon find that not all pizza tastes the same. In fact, there’s a huge difference between national chains and independent pizza shops:

National Chain Pizza Restaurants

Pros:                                                                            Cons:

Inexpensive pizzas                                                       Limited menu items

Speedy preparation                                                     Use of food additives/preservatives

 

Independent Pizza Shops

Pros:                                                                            Cons:     

Fresh ingredients                                                            Fewer locations than national brands

Extensive menu

Use of traditional techniques

Price And Speed Come At A Price

When searching for a pizza restaurant near me, it can be easy to choose a national chain. Many have a franchise nearby and offer enticing, cheap deals that make them irresistible. For example, Little Caesars offers a 14-inch pie for just $5.50

The reason chains like this can offer pizza so cheaply is due to several reasons. First, national chains purchase ingredients in large quantities, which reduces their cost. However, this also means these restaurants need to use preservatives to keep food fresh.

Sometimes, chain pizzerias also make pies in advance to eliminate preparation time. You’ll also find that these types of shops offer less variety in pie sizes.

Cooking methods also differ. Many national chains use conveyor belt-style ovens. These oven types work great for high-volume, quick-service establishments. Conveyor belt ovens don’t require much skill and make cooking easier.

Finally, some establishments limit their menu items. In doing so, they reduce waste and inefficiency. For example, fewer dishes mean having a limited number of core ingredients. This translates into fewer items to store, count, and reorder.

What Mario’s Offers

Alternatively, you can choose an independent pizzeria shop, like Mario’s Pizza. Mario’s offers unique and tantalizing flavors because we follow time-honored traditions:

1. Fresh ingredients

We rely on the vibrant flavor of fresh ingredients for our dishes. Additionally, locally sourced produce is rich in nutrients for a healthier meal.

2. Traditional techniques

Hand tossing pizza dough is fun to watch, but it also serves an important purpose. It retains some of the gas produced during fermentation, resulting in a light and airy texture when baked.

Additionally, the backing method greatly affects the final product. Originally, Italians baked pizza in coal-fired ovens. Today, independent pizza shops use deck ovens that most closely mimic the results achieved by the first pizza restaurants.

3. Plenty Of Toppings

Americans love pizza toppings. Usually, every restaurant offers the most popular, pepperoni. However, many other delicious toppings exist. So, it can be disappointing to find out your pizzeria doesn’t offer it. At Mario’s Pizza, we offer 32 tasty toppings to customize your pie.

Standard Pie Sizes And The Pizza Restaurant Near You

Most pizzerias offer small, medium, and large-sized pies. Unfortunately, the industry doesn’t standardize these sizes. Thus, the actual measurement in inches can vary among restaurants. Many chains consider 14 inches to be the large size. However, numerous independent pizzerias designate 16 inches as their large size.

For example, a large pie is 14 inches in diameter at Little Caesars, Domino’s, Pizza Hut, and Papa John’s. All make an extra large pizza pie that measures 16 inches, while only Papa John’s makes an 18-inch pizza.

However, Mario’s offers the largest size pie of them all, a humongous 24-inch. Each foot-long slice delivers the delicious NY style pizza as you remember. Additionally, ordering a 24-inch pizza provides more food than two 16-inch pizzas – 452 square inches versus 402 square inches.

Don’t worry if you need a smaller pizza. We also make pies in these other sizes:

  • 12-inches
  • 15-inches
  • 17-inches
  • 19-inches

FAQs About Mario’s Pizza

Want to learn more about why people love Mario’s so much? Below, we answer a few questions about our pizza restaurants.

Does Mario’s Offer More Than Pizza?

While NY style pizza is our specialty, we offer many other delicious meal choices:

  • Traditional and boneless wings
  • Toasted ravioli
  • Garlic bread
  • Salads
  • Hot and cold sub sandwiches
  • Calzones
  • Strombolis
  • Lasagna
  • Eggplant/chicken parmigiana
  • Bakes ziti
  • Spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce
  • Desserts
  • And more

Where Can I Find The Nearest Mario’s?

For your convenience, we’ve placed our restaurants within easy reach of major thoroughfares:

Does Mario’s Really Make The Best Pizza?

While we can’t speak for deep dish, we do think we make awesome NY style pizza. Most importantly, our customers believe we do too. Here are comments from some of our diners:

We came to Mario’s after an afternoon full of sun and swimming for a slice of their amazing pizza. We ordered and within minutes we had our plates. The slices were falling off the plate they were so huge!! We opted to sit outside as they have three outside tables. There are quite a few places to sit inside as well and the parking is abundant. – Felicia L.

Food is fantastic. Their service incredible. I would recommend Mario’s Pizza to anyone who loves pizza. – Deborah W.

The best tasting pizza & wings I’ve had in this area so far. 10/10 would recommend! Also a chill place to dine in. Affordability points in my book! – Aida C.

When searching for a great pizza restaurant near you, head on over to Mario’s Pizza.