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| Cheese pizza at Sbarro |
Does anyone still eat at Sbarro? It's a valid question when you consider the once-great, now forgotten pizza franchise charges five bucks (including tax) for a slice of subpar pizza. I found one that's still around... at Montgomery Mall's food court; and decided to see if things have gotten better, worse or stayed the same.
To make a long story short, Sbarro hasn't changed one bit... Translation: It's still not very good. The pizza's still overpriced and flavorless. The pasta is still overcooked and cold... and the meatballs still taste nothing like meatballs. That's a lot of "stills," but when you don't keep up with the times... what else can you expect?
Lucky for me, I had a coupon for a free slice of cheese pizza (sign up for their free eClub and Sbarro will send you a coupon via e-mail, the very next day.) That saved me $3.49 + tax (the regular cost of a slice of cheese) so I splurged on a $2.19 regular soda (Pepsi, not Coke... boo!) Leave it to Sbarro to dress up their otherwise boring pizza with terms like "super slice" and "gourmet toppings." That might work on some folks, but I find it insulting. I saw nothing super or gourmet about the slices or the toppings available.
My slice was nothing more than average. Despite heating it up for almost five minutes, it remained cold in the middle. The crust was nice enough (not too thick, not too thin) and the cheese passable. I would have liked more sauce (what little there was, tasted zesty.) Not too greasy, I suppose it's pretty good for a shopping mall... but utterly forgettable anywhere else.
Atmosphere: D (There's something depressing about the way Sbarro displays their food.)
Service: C+ (They accepted my coupon without a fight: I suppose that's something.)
Crust: B- (The best part of my pizza)
Toppings: C- (Not enough sauce, and the cheese lacks flavor to make up for it.)
Taste: C
Overall: C- (Lunch at a mall... need I say more?)
