You’re leaving the bars with your friends, standing on the corner of Clinton & Washington Streets, deciding what the next play is going to be. Do you go to a house party? Head home? Grab some drunk pizza? For many students here at Iowa, pizza after the bars is a weekend tradition. But where’s the best place to go? We tried three of the most popular pizzas available past midnight to decide which one was the best. Is it Falbo’s, Mesa, or Gumby’s?
In order to accurately rate these pizzas, we decided to give each a score from 1-10, with 10 being the best. We scored them on crust, sauce, cheesiness, and wow factor.
Falbo Bros
Location: 457 S Gilbert St, Iowa City, IA 52240 or delivery until 3 a.m.
What we got: Pepperoni
Sauce: 5.5; the sauce was very flavorful, but there just wasn’t enough on the pizza.
Crust: 8; Falbo’s crust was chewy and different than what you’d normally get in Iowa City. It’s similar to deep dish but much easier to eat.
Cheesiness: 3; it wasn’t as cheesy as expected. It may have been because our slice wasn’t very warm to begin with. There was absolutely no cheese pull, which was disappointing.
Wow factor: 5; this pizza may be great after a night at the bars, but on a Friday afternoon and as sober as you could get, this was just very decent at best.
#SpoonTip: Falbo’s delivers for free if you order through OrderUp. Don’t have an OrderUp account? Sign up here and use the code SPOON7 to get $7 off your first purchase.
Mesa Pizza
Location: 114 E Washington St, Iowa City, IA 52240 or delivery until 2 a.m.
What we got: Meat Lover’s (bacon, ham, pepperoni, and sausage)
Sauce: 8; the flavor of the sauce stands out and can still be tasted despite having a bunch of toppings on the pizza.
Crust: 4; Mesa’s crust is pretty generic. There are a lot of pizzas that have similar crusts. It’s a mix between thin and a medium crust, but it was a little flimsy and didn’t really stand out.
Cheesiness: 6; because the toppings are truly what make Mesa Pizza as unique as it is, our slices didn’t have much cheese. However, this piece did have a cheese pull and it was above average.
Wow factor: 8; Mesa pizza is visually appealing, and actually walking into Mesa and choosing what to get is quite the experience. The pizza is tasty and warm at first bite, as well.
Gumby’s
Location: 702 S Gilbert St, Iowa City, IA 52240 or delivered until 3 a.m.
What we got: Cheese
Sauce: 5; Gumby’s sauce is very average. Like Mesa’s crust, it’s just not very unique. You can find a lot of pizzas with similarly flavored sauce.
Crust: 5.5; depending on what kind of crust you like, Gumby’s crust can range anywhere from a 4-7. It’s chewy and thick, but it’s not anything special. Some people go crazy for Gumby’s crust, though.
Cheesiness: 8; Gumby’s never skimps on the cheese. Even if it’s delivered and been out of the oven for a while, there’s always a cheese pull. Admit it, there’s nothing better than opening a box of Gumby’s and pulling out the first slice.
Wow factor: 5; this pizza is pretty unimpressive. It tastes similar to other chain pizza places, but at the same time is the perfect drunchies food. It’s hot, greasy, cheesy, and full of all the nourishment you need after a night out.
So there you have it. Choose wisely next time you’re drunk after midnight and in need of some ‘za.