The Iowan Pizza Chronicles: Attempt #72 - Via Sofia's Italian Kitchen

Monday, May 1, 2017

Attempt #72 - Via Sofia's Italian Kitchen

Venue-Inside

The Venue

1125 1^st Ave. SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402(319) 362-9667

This restaurant is located in the downtown Coe College/St. Luke's Hospital neighborhood. Part of the restaurant was once a Zio Johno's, while the back end was once Sip 'n Stir. This new chain (the first and currently only location) is a spin off of Zio Johno's. This counter-service eatery has several types of pasta, pizza, and even ice cream. They have plenty of table and booth seating available, in a clean, well lit atmosphere. I was extremely impressed by the customer service. They clearly tried to put the customer first by the service. They even provided us 2 free baskets of garlic bread on the house. Sounds like an Italian eatery to me!

All Meat, Large 16 Inch, $17.99

The Pizza

Chicago Style: No

Crust Thickness: Average

Menu: https://www.viasofias.com/menu

Participants: 8

Pizza Ordered: 3 Specialty Pizza, 1 Single Topping

Sizes Offered/Ordered: Small (12”), Medium (14”), Large (16”)
Crusts Offered/Ordered: Standard Crust

Pieces Cut: Triangular-Shaped – cut rectangular per request

Pepperoni – Large $14.25.

All Meat – Ham, sausage,beef, and pepperoni, smothered with mozzarella cheese – Large $17.99.

Chicken Gourmet – Seasoned chicken with Alfredo sauce and mozzarella cheese – Large $18.99.

Veggie – Mushrooms, tomatoes, green peppers, onions and black olives, smothered with mozzarella cheese – Large $17.99.

Chicken Gourmet, Large 16 Inch, $

The Verdict

Sauce: The sauce was average.
Cheese: Average.

Crust: This was a little burnt on a few of the pizza. The flavor was average (a little on the sweeter side), nothing to write about.

Toppings: The toppings selection were sparse on the pepperoni. The sausage was tasty, which came from a good butcher.

Final Comments/Considerations: This pizza is worth a shot if you are around Coe/St. Lukes hospital and want to try something else out. I like the counter-service concept. It provides more of a help-yourself American atmosphere. As for the pizza, I would personally order the All Meat as I found the sausage to be unexpectedly tasty! The majority liked the chicken, with its creamy Alfredo sauce base.