Attempt #68 - Falbo Bros. Pizzeria – S. Gilbert St.

The Venue

Venue Sign in Window

457 S Gilbert St,
Iowa City, IA 52240

(319) 337-9090

This restaurant is located stone is in the historic college town of Iowa City, Iowa. It is within walking distance from the University of Iowa campus, and is carry out only. There is no seating inside! We ended up meeting up at the Old Capital mall to eat their pizzas. The joint has 90s looking artwork, staffed with local college students. They have a fountain self serve pop machine alongside the pizza by the slice options and the to-go 2 liter pop bottles (Pepsi products).

The Pizza

Venue Kitchen

Chicago Style: Yes

Crust Thickness: Thin-Average-Thick

Menu: http://falbobrosiowa.com/order

Participants: 8

Pizza Ordered: 4

Sizes Offered/Ordered: Small, Medium, Large, X-Large/3 Large, 1 Small
Crusts Offered/Ordered: Thin, Deep Dish, Stuffed / 2 Thin, 1 Deep Dish, 1 Stuffed
Pieces Cut: Triangular-Shaped

Pepperoni – Large, Deep Dish Crust, $17.37.

Large, Da Works, Thin Crust, 20.21

Four Cheese – Two kinds of mozzarella, Romano and cheddar, Small, Stuffed Crust, $16.27.
Da Works - Pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, mushrooms, onions and black olives, Large, Thin Crust, $20.21.

Taco – Large, Thin Crust.

The Verdict

After cooking, the pizzas cut into triangular shaped wedges.

Sauce: Lacked flavor, and was light on most pizzas except the stuffed.
Cheese: This seemed okay. Nothing great tasting, but nothing special.

Crust: Burnt of the bottoms of the stuffed and deep dish. Lacked bready flavor, seemed dried out and like cardboard.

Toppings: Average

Participant Favorite: Da Works

Large, Pepperoni, Deep Dish, 17.37

Final Comments/Considerations: I don't have much to say on this pizza attempt. Many commented that this place would be rated a 1, and to my surprise, it was better than I expected. It hands down beats its neighbor (Sam's Pizza). The Pepperoni was simply foul tasting, but the four cheese was quite good (except for the hard layer of burnt crust). On a plus side, the staff were helpful and friendly. If you're drunk and need a late night pizza, this place might be a good option, since they deliver.

Here are our ratings, where 1 = worst and 10 = best.
Overall 5.00

Cheese 5.13

Sauce 4.13

Topping 4.50

Crust 3.25

Venue 0.00

Favorite: Da Works

Large, Taco, Thin Crust

Small, Four Cheese, Stuffed Pizza, 16.27