The Iowan Pizza Chronicles: Attempt #43

Venue Outside

The Venue

6905 C. Ave NE

Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

(319) 294-8899

According to Wikipedia, Marco's Pizza is operated by Marco's Franchising, LLC. It is a restaurant chain and interstate franchise based in Toledo, Ohio that specializes in Italian-American cuisine. The first store is in Oregon, Ohio at Starr Avenue and Wheeling Street. It was founded by Italian immigrant Pasquale "Pat" Giammarco in 1978. Currently, it is rated one of the top 25 pizza chains, and is noted for fast growth in 2013. The venue has only carry out with no available dining seating. This (and numerous Marco's) establishments partnered with Family Video to create a one-stop-shop for a date night. When visiting the website you can scope out some major deals, on Monday's the pizzas are 50% off with the coupon code "Monday50"! You can check out their menu and order on-line at this location: https://www.marcosorder.com/Menu/Pizzas?_=1415677707061.

Pizza Sizes

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Thick, Average, and Thin

Our group consisted of 9 participants, so we ordered three large (14") pizzas and two medium (12") pizzas.

Meat Supremo - Cheese, Classic pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage, bacon & sprinkling of extra cheese (Medium 12", Thick crust, $13.99).

Deluxe Uno - Cheese, Classic pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, green peppers, onions & sprinkling of extra cheese (Medium 12", Thick crust, $13.99).

Deluxe Uno, Medium 12", Thick Crust, $13.99

Pepperoni Magnifico - Pepperoni Old World (Large 14", Thin crust, $12.99).

Chicken Fresco - 4 types of cheese including cheddar, grilled chicken, bacon, onions, sliced tomatoes (Large 14", Classic crust, $16.99).

White Cheezy - Award Winning - 4 types of cheese including feta, bacon, onions, sliced tomatoes, garlic butter sauce (Large 14" Classic crust, $16.99).

The Verdict

Every pizza was cut into triangular-shaped pieces, except for the pepperoni magnifico (thin crust?) for some strange reason-it used rectangular pieces. Several people mentioned that overall, they were surprised by this pizza...it was actually pretty good. As far as chains go, it was certainly better than Papa Johns or Pizza Hut. One common complaint is that it was excessively greasy. Upon arriving, the staff was helpful, theypresented each pizza to me, to ensure it met my expectations, and then asked if I wanted additional dipping sauces for the crust and if I wanted butter/cheese placed on the rims of my pizza crusts. They even helped open my car door when picking up the stack of pizzas. As far as favorites go, the Deluxe Uno and the Meat were the clear favorites amongst the participants each scoring 3 votes. The pizza passed the 'lift test' on the slice of Meat Supremo and the toppings did not slide off although the crust did slightly sag down a tiny bit. I got the sense from the leftovers that the Chicken Fresco and the White Cheezy were not popular choices. The thick crusted pizzas were hearty and maybe slightly undercooked, giving it a little more doughy texture. The Thin on the other hand was overcooked, and a little dried out. The Classic pizzas were cooked about right. My guess is that they all went into the oven at the same time, which explains the variation. Overall, this pizza joint surely replaces some of the more popular chains in my book. Not bad for picking up a pizza after work. This is especially cheap on Mondays too!