Is there a better food than pizza? More versatile? More of a crowd-pleaser, a reliable favorite that can still surprise and delight? 

We eat it for lunch or dinner, but also as a perfect midnight snack or even as leftovers for breakfast. 

It’s round, it’s square, it’s thin crust, deep dish, or hand-tossed with red sauce or white sauce. Carnivore options abound but swap out the toppings and it’s vegetarian friendly. 

You can get half of this and half of that if your household is divided. Vegan cheese and gluten-free crusts make it even more accessible. It travels well and can magically show up at your front door. It makes good leftovers. (Side note, if you haven’t discovered this already, the best way to reheat pizza is in a skillet on the stove top.) Your honor, I rest my case. Pizza is the best.

Worthy recommendation

Recently I experienced a pretty big pizza tragedy. The place closest to home where I most often order stopped serving pizza. Not only was it convenient, but it was also really good. It was a huge bummer! What’s a girl to do? I decided it was time for some pizza research. 

I wasn’t completely devoid of existing options. I’m a big fan of Big Apple Pizza, 120 W. Wayne St., especially when I’m in the mood for traditional New York-style. Three Fires, 5215 Illinois Road, makes a wood-fired margherita pizza that I’m getting hungry thinking about right now. 

I’ve written previously of my love for Johnny Ox Pizzeria at the Union Street Market at Electric Works, but I can’t neglect to mention them here as well. 

But it was time to consider new options and see what else might satisfy my pizza cravings. 

Early in my mourning for the lost ’za — or perhaps it was just whining — a friend recommended a’Roma Pizza at 1123 E. State Blvd. Said friend has proven to be a reliable witness. 

Waiter on the Way delivers from a’Roma, so I was able to make a pizza show up one night recently when I didn’t have time to make dinner. I built my own pizza, with mushrooms and onions. It showed up hot, which was a delight, and it completely satisfied. The toppings were chopped into small, manageable pieces, with even distribution all the way to the edge, which is probably my favorite topping situation. It makes for easy eating and getting to enjoy all the flavors with every bite. 

Solid thumbs up delivery experience. 

Road trip

After sharing my pizza quest with friends, more than one suggested we check out Coterie Pizza, 1850 S. Randolph St. in Garrett. 

Garrett is not far in the cosmic sense, but how many pizza joints would we drive past to get there? Could it really be worth it? To my surprise, heck yeah it was! 

All their pies are 12-inch, so we decided to create our own (mushroom, onion, mild sausage) and check out one of their specialties, the Hot Honey (ricotta, pepperoni, hot honey drizzle, and crushed red pepper flakes). 

These pizzas had everything I love about pizza crust. They were thin without being greasy and had structural integrity so you could pick a slice up and easily eat it. The edges were chewy with just the right amount of crunch and a touch of saltiness. 

Both were flavorful and quite tasty, but the Hot Honey really won us over. It had just a whiff of heat, enough to make things interesting without overpowering everything else. 

My boyfriend and I left the restaurant wishing it were closer. However, we will absolutely make the trip back! 

Dominating performance

Central Fort Wayne has some new options in the pizza scene that we visited. 

Dom’s Pie Shop is a new venture from the team at Shop Two Sixty, serving up creative and super yummy pizza at Draft Taproom, 1833 N. Wells St. 

They have a long list of available toppings, with a choice of 12-inch New York or 8-inch-by-10-inch Detroit-style crust, but we opted to try two of their specialty pizzas. 

We ordered a New York style Sofa King Good (tomato sauce, sausage, pepperoni, meatballs, bacon, peppers, onions, roasted mushrooms, mozzarella, and ranch drizzle) that packed a lot of punch. Each bite had more than one taste, and it met every bit of a traditional pizza craving. 

We also ordered a Detroit-style Grape & Gorgonzola (roasted red grapes, smoked bacon, fresh rosemary, onion bechamel). Obviously, that is not your typical pizza, but I cannot stress this enough: Try it! The roasted grapes were terrific, draped with the creamy goodness of the bechamel. It was rosemary forward in terms of flavor, but not overwhelmingly so. This pizza was exceptional. The Detroit-style crust was chewy and crunchy, and I look forward to trying a more traditional combination on that crust. 

Some of the things on Dom’s menu sound … weird. Don’t worry about it. They know what they’re doing. 

Great landing spot

We also paid a visit to Papi’s Pizza, 111 W. Columbia St., on The Landing. 

When Alto Grado Pizza vacated that space, Te Gustó Hospitality, owners of Mercardo, expanded into the realm of pizza. 

Papi’s offers a classic thin crust round or a thicker Sicilian-style crust. The classic comes in 12-inch or 20-inch sizes, the Sicilian only in large size. 

Sticking with the “try as many things as possible” strategy, we ordered two of the 12-inch classic: Meat Me OTL (pepperoni, Italian sausage, meatballs) and the Jalapeño Hunny (pepperoni, pickled jalapeño, ricotta, honey drizzle). 

Apparently honey on pizza is a thing right now, and I am here for it! The sausage, meatballs, and pickled jalapeños were all made in-house, and those were the things that made Papi’s shine. The meatballs were so flavorful. 

And for this self-proclaimed wimp when it comes to spicy foods, this was the first time I’ve enjoyed jalapeños, providing balance against the sweetness of the honey and the saltiness of the pepperoni. Papi’s will also get return visits.

Slices of heaven

There are oodles of places serving pizza by the slice now, which was not a thing around here until recent times. It’s especially convenient for workday lunches when maybe you don’t have time, appetite, or storage for a full pie. 

A not necessarily exhaustive list includes 816 Pint & Slice, Big Apple, Dom’s Pie Shop, Papi’s Pizza, and Johnny Ox. 

Eventually, deadlines and word limits put an end to my pizza escapades, but I’m open to trying more. I’ve heard good things about Greek’s Pizzeria (with a few locations in the region) and Famous Monster Pizza in Decatur looks like fun, so they’re on the list. 

Did I miss your favorite? Drop me a line at WendyEatsFW@gmail.com with your recommendations.