Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Attempt #28 - Zio Johno's Spaghetti House


The Venue
Pizza Menu (Marion, IA Location Only)
755 7th Ave, Marion, IA ‎
(319) 373-2400

Zio Johno's is a locals favorite affordable Italian dining experience (as far as Cedar Rapids, Iowa gets).  The Tuesday special at the Marion location means that all pizzas are 50% off.  The dining room is very clean, with a fancy appeal.  Outdoor seating is available as well.   This is a perfect place for the family, as they offer high chairs for the little ones.  Since the pizzas were cheap, and small we decided to "live it up" in Marion, Iowa for this attempt.  You will see what we mean below...  By the way, Their website has the menu on it, although the prices are not accurate for the Marion, Iowa location.  Take a look at:  http://ziojohnosonline.com/site/userfiles/uploads/Zio-Johno-Menu.pdf

The Pizza

Chicago Style:  No
Crust Thickness:  Regular

Pizza Assortment!
Our group consisted of 11 participants; so we ordered 10 pizzas.  All six gourmet pizzas, two small "common" pizzas, and two additional repeated gourmet pizzas.  Since we decided to order so many, we got them all in smallest sizes available, 10" for the gourmet, and 12" for the common pizzas.  Overall, with tip it came up to $7.14 a person, with leftovers.  The pizzas were: 

Supreme - Ham, Pepperoni, Beef, Onions, Green Peppers, Mushrooms, Black Olives (Small, Regular Crust [10”], $12.99)
Meatball Madness - Meatballs, Mushrooms, Onion, Red & Green Peppers, and Mozzarella Cheese (Small, Regular Crust [10”], $11.99)
Chicken Alfredo -Seasoned Chicken, and our signature Alfredo Sauce (Small, Regular Crust [10”], $9.99)
Chicken & Pesto - Pesto Sauce,  Grilled Chicken Breast, Bacon, Roma Tomatoes, Caramelized Onions, Roasted Red Peppers (Small, Regular Crust [10”], $9.99)
Chicken & Artichoke - Grilled Chicken, Artichoke, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Black Olives, Mushrooms over a base of Alfredo Sauce (Small, Regular Crust [10”], $9.99)
Angelo - Italian Sausage, Mushrooms, Grilled Onions, Capicola, Black Olives, Roasted Red Peppers, Zesty Homepage Pizza Sauce (Small, Regular Crust [10”], $9.99)
2x Amore - Mortadella, Capicola, Italian Sausage, Salami, Red Onions over our Original Olive Oil, Fresh Garlic Base (Small, Regular Crust [10”], $9.99)
2x Meditation - Italian Sausage, Pepperoni, Black & Green Olives, Red Onions, Roasted Red Peppers, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Green Peppers (Small, Regular Crust [10”], $9.99)

The Verdict

The pizzas were cut into small rectangle shapes by our request (normally they are in triangular pie shapes).  The dough was just right for average, not too thick nor was it cracker thin.  Sadly, they only provided one option for the crust.  The dough had a slightly sweet taste to it.  If you have ever had anything else at Zio Johno's, you'll quickly notice that their breads are all sweat, since they add sugar into the dough.  Surprisingly, it worked well on the pizza.  I felt that it was less apparent on the pies that had a tomato based sauce than the ones which had a creamy Alfredo sauce.  The most popular pick of the bunch was the Angelo, with a solid four votes, followed by the Amore with three.  The sauce was a little on the light side; but overall we were surprised as how delicious and cheap these pizzas were.  The pizza toppings were inventive, creative, and ornate.  So, if you are in Marion, and want a cheap personal gourmet pizza, head over to Zio Johno's on Tuesdays!

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall            8.32
Cheese            7.86
Sauce               7.73
Topping           9.18
Crust                8.50
Venue              8.82

Small (10"), Chicken & Artichoke, Regular ($9.99)
Small (10"), Mediterranean, Regular ($9.99)


Small (10"), Amore, Regular ($9.99)

Small (10"), Chicken & Pesto, Regular ($9.99)
Small (10"), Angelo, Regular ($9.99)
 











































Small (10"), Supreme, Regular ($12.99)
Small (10"), Chicken Alfredo, Regular ($9.99)

Small (10"), Meatball Madness, Regular ($11.99)









No comments:

Post a Comment