Pizza is a sports-viewing staple. And with the NCAA Tournament right around the corner, it is more important than ever to have a solid knowledge of the best pizza slices in the area to chow down on during the big games. There are a variety of local establishments that lay claim to having some great pies, but some are better than others. The Daily Orange pizza taste test can help determine the top and bottom seeds for you readers.

—Compiled by The Daily Orange Feature staff

1. Dorian’s Pizza and Deli: Greek pizza

If you are walking down Westcott Street and decide not to go inside Dorian’s for a slice of its Greek pizza, stop and reconsider. This pizza is everything novelty pizza should be. There are bursts of unexpected flavor, unconventional cheeses seldom found outside of the salad realm and a doughier crust than the usual cheese-and-pepperoni variety. Every mix of flavors is done just right — the tomatoes, cheeses and spinach complement one another. Whoever thinks the Parthenon was the greatest Greek accomplishment hasn’t tasted this pizza.

2. Varsity Pizza: pepperoni pizza

Solid, simple and reliably good. Varsity pizza is the cornerstone pizza for sports games. It’s the place to go to fill up before heading to the Carrier Dome for the next big basketball game. It’s also a key spot to go to after football wins, as the Syracuse University Marching Band infiltrates Varsity and plays inside. These are reliable pastimes, and reliable is the way to describe the slice itself. Every slice has a yummy blend of cheese, sauce and pepperoni. After a few bites, you aren’t worrying about the massive amount of orange grease on your hands. Though the pizza might not be the best, it’s always good.

3. Franco’s Pizzeria and Deli: Philadelphia chicken pizza

Are those tears in your eyes? Probably. Maybe they’re tears of joy, but more likely the eye-watering hot sauce slathered across Franco’s Philadelphia chicken pizza induced them. Don’t let its name fool you, though. This is no Philly chicken cheesesteak copycat. It’s completely different. Like most chicken pizzas, this one is four-parts hot sauce, two-parts chicken and one-part cheese. While slightly intimidating, this slice is great for spice lovers. The spice lingers, so be ready with a glass of water in hand. But the faint-of-heart should avoid this slice at all costs.

4. Acropolis Pizza House: Buffalo chicken pizza

This specialty slice is worth it: a satisfying Buffalo chicken pizza. It has enough chicken to cover an entire slice and the Buffalo sauce packs a punch, more so than you might expect. But its other ingredients are rather unbalanced. The inconsistency of the cheese and uneven distribution of the sauce lend themselves to either bites of uncomfortably thick cheese or a mouthful of sauce. That’s not to say the sauce is bad. Any Buffalo fan will be pleased with what Acropolis has to offer. And what is lost in the cheese is recovered in the doughy crust.

5. Sabastino’s Pizza: cheese

Nothing too special, but if you’re looking for something just for the satisfaction of sinking your teeth in, this slice will do you right. This particular piece of cheese pizza is a big one, and needs two hands to fully embrace the slice’s weight. The taste itself is a little disappointing. It tastes like a normal slice of pizza. If you’re looking for quality texture, cheese and sauce, this isn’t it. This slice lets you take the big bites, and if you’re hungry, sometimes that’s all you need.

6. Johnny’s Pizza: chicken bacon ranch

Simply put, this is “not-pizza pizza.” As a slice of pizza, it is not even worth contending with some of the other slices featured on this list. But the taste is so out there, one would not go out of his or her way to call it bad. It’s better described as different. The cheese-and-bacon combination give it a strange sort of mac-and-cheese-on-bread feeling. At the same time, the taste could pass for something akin to grilled cheese. So, if you’re looking for something that’s not run-of-the-mill, this could be for you. If you’re looking for an old-fashioned slice, steer clear of this one.

7. Little Caesars: pepperoni pizza

Little Caesars was the only chain restaurant represented in the taste test, and its mass-produced roots really showed through in the pizza’s quality. All the basics were in check, but there was nothing special about it. There was no pizzazz, no distinctive flavors and the crust was the blandest part of the whole slice. It was aggressively mediocre, as mass-produced food is wont to be. Little Caesars is not a bad choice for entertaining a big crowd and maybe ordering a pie or two, but if you are looking for just one slice to satisfy your hunger and titillate your senses, this probably won’t be the pizza to do it.

8. Cosmos Pizza and Grill: cheese pizza

The “famous plain pie,” as Cosmos describes on its menu, is totally lackluster. Actually, it’s worse. Just one bite is enough to twist your stomach into knots. The cheese — too sparse to actually call it a cheese pizza — is bitter and doesn’t mix well with the tomato sauce. Cosmos is right to call it a “plain” pizza because it is just that. With no outstanding ingredients, the slice is overshadowed by others around it. The herbs sprinkled on top do it no favors, either. If anything, they’re an unwelcome, subtle flavor. Do yourself a favor and order something else.

Published on March 20, 2013 at 11:04 pm