On Friday, October 9, 800 Degrees Pizza opened at 812 Church St., between Barnes and Noble and Five Guys. The California-based pizzeria is centered around the same fast-cooking, assembly-line concept as Northwestern student favorite Blaze. This begs the question: which one is better? I visited both and scored them on seven criteria in order to determine which pizza reigns supreme.

Note: Both Blaze and 800 Degrees offer a handful of pre-made pizza options; however, the real draw at both locations is the “Build Your Own” option, where you are able to customize a pizza with ingredients of your choosing. This option was the basis for comparisons.

1. Price

Photo by Emma Danbury

The big advantage of Blaze is price. They charge a flat $8.45 for any custom pizza, simple as that. This means that you can indulge in every single topping your heart desires without worrying about accidentally creating a $20 monster pizza.

Alternatively, 800 Degrees doesn’t have a flat rate. A custom pizza costs $5.55-$7.55 for a base, plus $1 per topping (more for some specialty toppings). This means that a simple pizza could end up being cheaper than Blaze. That said, beware of going all out and getting every topping available, because you risk sacrificing your wallet to the pizza gods.

Winner: Blaze

2. Ingredients

Photo by Emma Danbury

Blaze is fairly standard in this department, with a solid selection of quality toppings. They offer 7 protein options, like chicken and sausage, 15 produce toppings and 7 varieties of cheese including a vegan cheese option.

800 Degrees really shines with its variety of ingredients. They offer 2 times as many protein options as Blaze, including specialty proteins like prosciutto and egg. They also offer 19 produce toppings, with more exotic choices like capers, and 9 cheeses including truffle and vegan cheese.

Winner: 800 Degrees

3. Extras

Photo courtesy of Flickr user su-lin

Blaze keeps their focus on the pizza, with fresh side salads and a s’mores dessert pizza as secondary options.

800 Degrees, on the other hand, goes all out with salads, burrata (cheese) plates, “small bites” like meatballs and truffle parmesan bread, as well as gelato.

Winner: 800 Degrees

4. Service

Photo courtesy of 800 Degrees

Both Blaze and 800 Degrees have friendly, helpful staff who are willing to accommodate your questions and requests.

Winner: Tie

5. Atmosphere

Photo courtesy of 800 Degrees

Blaze has the typical fast-casual atmosphere: small, minimalist tables and chairs in a signature black and orange with just enough seating for a lunch rush, as most people order carry out from the restaurant.

Part of the higher price of 800 Degrees is clearly going towards the interior decorating. Between the heavy wood tables,  the sky-high, hammered-metal ceiling and the oversized chandeliers, this newcomer definitely feels like a step up from your average college town fast casual joint.

Winner: 800 Degrees

6. Hours

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Ernesto Andrade

Blaze is open every day for twelve hours, from 11 am-11 pm. Perfect for lunch, dinner, or brunch, if you’re into that.

800 Degrees is open every day as well until the wee hours of the morning, from 11 am-2 am. That means you have access to hot, gourmet pizza 15 hours a day. #pizzagoals

Winner: 800 Degrees

Conclusion: Based on objective scoring, it’s clear that 800 Degrees takes the cake–I mean, pie–in this face-off. Of course, Blaze has its strong suits: a consistent price with endless free toppings is not something to throw shade at. But with more variety, a decadent atmosphere and more student-friendly hours, 800 Degrees is the place to be.