The Iowan Pizza Chronicles: November 2013

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Attempt #30 - Hunt Brothers Pizza


Venue Inside

The Venue

502 E Avenue NW,

Cedar Rapids, IA 52405

(319) 364-4606

Venue Outside

Large (12"), Veggie, Thin ($9.99)

Large (12"), Pepperoni, Regular ($9.99)

This pizza is served currently within the Cennex gas station off of E Avenue, on the west side of Cedar Rapids. Hunt Brothers has over 7,000 locations nationwide, and they are based out of Indiana. This location is the first one in the area (to my knowledge). Because of the location (within a gas station), there is no seating available, so for this attempt, we met at a nearby friends house to dig in. You can find their menu online at: http://www.huntbrotherspizza.com/menu

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Thin/Regular

Our group consisted of 11 participants; so we ordered 6 pizzas. We ordered them in the only size, a large 12" size. Each pizza cost $9.99, regardless of how many toppings were loaded on it. They offered three specialty pizzas (Veggie, Loaded, and Lotsa Meat); nothing too out of the ordinary. The pizzas were:

Loaded - Pepperoni, Italian Sausage, Beef, Bacon, Bell Peppers, Mushrooms, Onions, Black Olives, Banana Peppers and Jalapeno Peppers (Large, Regular Crust [12”], $9.99).

Lotsa Meat Pizza - Pepperoni, Italian Sausage, Beef and Bacon (Large, Regular Crust [12”], $9.99).

Veggie - Bell Peppers, Mushrooms, Onions, Black Olives, Banana Peppers and Jalapeno Peppers (Large, Thin & Regular Crust [12”], $9.99).

Pepperoni - (Large, Thin & Regular Crust [12”], $9.99).

The Verdict

The thin crust pizzas were cut into small rectangle shapes, since the dough was prepared in a large rectangle. The regular crust pizzas were circular, and cut into triangle shapes. The dough is frozen, but the toppings were fresh. The worker (manager) even went out to get fresh tomatoes for our order on the Loaded (they normally don't have that available). The pizza cooled quickly, but while it was hot it wasn't too bad. The 'Loaded' was the favorite among the participants, although I enjoyed the regular crusted pepperoni. Pepperoni came in second, and no other votes were cast for the Lotsa Meat nor the Veggie. The sauce was light, but the rim of the regular pizza was nice and bready. This wouldn't be a bad place to pick up a slice of pizza if you are in a hurry on that part of town, but I would not advise making a special trip out on it.

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall 5.44