December 2010
Papa Johns has become our default pizza joint in the last 6 months. We find the pizza to be good enough (no worse than what you can find at most San Leandro pizzerias) and the fact that it's 1/2 a block away from our house, so we can easily pick it up and thus avoid a long wait (pizzas are usually ready in 20 minutes) and delivery charges is very attractive. They no longer have the great deal that they had when they opened, but they usually have a deal that makes the pizza substantially cheaper than regular menu prices. BTW, the deals online are usually (but not always) better than those on the printed menus.
June 2010 Review
As I mentioned in my last posting, a Papa John's Pizza joint has opened at the former Peewee's site. We were out of food last night, so we ended up checking it out. The conclusion: it offer mediocre pizza, but, right now, at an unbeatable price.
We got an x-large pizza, half with extra-cheese and ham, and half with a bunch of meats, cheeses and pineapple. The pizza dough was fine, not too chewy, tasty but not particularly so. The sauce was a bit sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. The cheese was fine, but not very flavorful. The main problem with the pizza is that Papa Johns puts the toppings underneath the cheese, which means that they slide off the pizza very easily, taking the cheese with them. So it's a bit messy to eat. In all, it tastes OK, but it wouldn't be my first choice if 1) it wasn't so cheap (right now) and 2) it wasn't just across the street from my house.
As for the prices, the regular prices are quite high. A 16" specialty pizza will cost you $21. But right now they have a deal where you can have such pizza for only $12. And, if you order an extra-large pizza at whatever cost, you get a free three-pack of It's It ice creams. So yeah, it'd be hard to find a better deal. Delivery, btw, is $2.
In conclusion, I'll probably order pizza from Papa John's while they are having this deal, but I won't when they stop. BTW, I ordered online and it worked perfectly.
Papa John's
2198 East 14th St.
San Leandro
510-483-7272
http://www.papajohns.com/