Do you find the amount of pizza places in College Park overwhelming? There are so many options on both sides of Route 1 in addition to North Campus and South Campus. The options are endless.
We polled 140 UMD students and alumni to help you decide which pizza shop to go to on your next adventure for greasy goodness:
Blaze Pizza
Photo by Jennifer Cao
Blaze Pizza came in first place, receiving 90 percent of the students’ votes. One student referred to this shop as “the best bang for your buck” and another student praised the shop for its customization, cheapness and “dankness.”
Blaze is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to midnight and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. with dine-in and carry-out options.
They offer nine signature pizzas or a build-your-own option with unlimited toppings, which seemed to be the most popular among those in favor of Blaze.
“It’s really cool being able to have my own signature combo,” said sophomore journalism major Samantha Reilly.
They also offer a selection of salads, drinks and desserts.
One student favored Blaze because of their gluten free options. They offer allergen information on their website, detailing the contents of each menu item.
Slices Pizza Co.
Slices Pizza Co. came in second with a 78 percentage point gap, getting 12 percent of the votes.
Slices is open Monday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m.
Sophomore journalism major Mina Haq said she enjoys Slices for its variety and dependability.
“Every other place is questionably edible while Slices is reliably good every time,” Haq said.
At Slices, customers can choose from a selection of 16 specialty pizzas or choose the option to create their own. The restaurant also offers eight salad options, five original pizza options and four deep dish options.
“They have a really good amount of variety and the pizza is already made and cooked so I don’t have to wait long to get a high-quality, affordable slice, allowing me to continue ball on a budget,” said sophomore journalism student Andy Dunn.
At Slices, you can dine-in, carry-out or have your order delivered. In addition to pizza, they also offer garlic knots, calzones, Stromboli, wraps, subs and cannolis.
Pizza Kingdom
Photo by Cara Newcomer
Pizza Kingdom, open Saturday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m., received six percent of the votes.
“There’s something about the cheap greasiness that tastes so good [after a night out],” said sophomore marketing student Sean Tooley.
Known for their five dollar “jumbo slice,” Pizza Kingdom allows customers to dine-in, carry-out or have their food delivered.
On the menu, they offer pizzas ranging from $14.99 to $20.99, depending on size, overstuffed subs, eight inch and 12 inch, appetizers like pizza fries, jalapeno poppers and mozzarella sticks and chicken tender meals. You can also get buffalo or boneless wings with options to order as few as five wings up to as many as 100, each wing costing about one dollar.
Pizza Kingdom also offers fresh salads, desserts, homemade pasta and Stromboli.
Papa John’s
Photo by Cara Newcomer
Papa John’s, open Sunday through Wednesday from 10:15 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 10:15 a.m. to 3 a.m., received five percent of the votes from the students polled.
Junior journalism major Ani Sridhar said he prefers Papa John’s because of their discounts.
“There’s 50 percent off when D.C. teams win,” said Sridhar.
Papa John’s, a carry out and delivery service, allows customers to create their own pizza or choose from a selection of six signature specialty pizzas and three meatless specialty options. There are also two local flavors to the College Park location, the double bacon six cheese pizza and the smokehouse bacon pizza.
Customers can also choose from five “lighter choices,” which are 300 or fewer calories per slice.
Papa John’s also offers six different types of chicken wings and seven starters, including bacon cheese sticks and their new pepperoni rolls.
They even offer chocolate brownies and chocolate chip cookies for dessert.
D.P. Dough
Photo by Rachel Davis
D.P. Dough, open Sunday through Wednesday from 11:30 to 2 a.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 1:30 a.m. to 3 a.m., received 5 percent of the votes. While this carry-out and delivery service shop does not serve pizza, their popular calzones are the reason they made this list.
UMD alumnus Michael Patrick likes D.P. Dough so much, he said owning a franchise has become one of his life goals.
“There is something so satisfying about picking up the zone, admiring the delicious ingredients, dunking it in the sauce and taking a bite,” Patrick said.
D.P. Dough’s menu consists of a choice from six D.P. Dough classics calzones, five chicken calzones, four meaty calzone and two veggie calzones, all for $7.95 each. They also offer three types of steak calzones, five College Park calzones or the option to build your own calzone for $8.50 each.
The build your own option allows customers to choose four ingredients, with additional protein being a dollar extra and additional toppings 75 cents extra. There is also a $6 “zone of the day” that changes daily.
In addition to calzones, D.P. Dough offers salads, bread sticks, wings and loaded tator tots.
The Original Ledo Restaurant
Photo by Cara Newcomer
The Original Ledo Restaurant, a dine-in restaurant, received four percent of the votes. The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Ledo’s offers a full menu with choices of appetizers, salads, entrees, calzones, burgers, subs, soups, desserts, sides, and more. When it comes to pizza, they offer six specialty pizza options and a build your own homemade pizza option.
Most students said they liked Ledo’s for the quality of their food.
“There are really good middle pieces without crust [at Ledo’s],” said senior business student Katelyn Fosta.
Spoon’s own Sharon Kim reported that she goes to Ledo’s for their “buttery flakey square crust.”
Domino’s
Photo by Cara Newcomer
Domino’s tied with Pizza Mart and Pizza Boli’s getting one percent of the votes. Domino’s, a carry out and delivery service, is open Sunday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
At Domino’s, you can build your own pizza and pasta or order one of their 15 specialty pizzas, including the Philly Cheesesteak pizza, Honolulu Hawaiian pizza and Memphis BBQ chicken pizza. To build your own, you have a choice of nine meats and 18 additional toppings.
“I would probably choose Domino’s because its super cheap and I’m a baller on a budget,” recent UMD graduate Zach Crowther said.
The prices of the pizzas range depending on the number of toppings you get and the size you choose.
They also offer a selection of eight different sandwiches, four different pastas and four specialty chicken selections, including boneless chicken wings. Domino’s also offers gluten free options.
Pizza Mart
Photo by Rachel Davis
Tying with Domino’s and Pizza Boli’s, Pizza Mart received one percent of the votes. The pizza shop offers carry out, dine in and delivery services and is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 a.m.
Sophomore Leo Falcone said he prefers Pizza Mart for their prices.
“It’s definitely the cheapest,” Falcone said.
Pizza Mart sells pizza starting at $9.99 for small, 10.99 for large and 11.99 for x-large, with toppings costing extra. They have a selection of eight pizza delights, including house specialty, all meat and Hawaiian.
In addition to pizza, they have four famous calzone options and four meat options for their lasagna and stuffed shells. They sell fresh salads, eight inch subs, shrimp or fish platters that are served with salad and fries, jumbo Buffalo wings and fifteen options for side orders.
#SpoonTip: Pizza Mart has a selection of coupons on their website for special offers.
Pizza Boli’s
Photo by Cara Newcomer
Pizza Boli’s, a delivery and carry-out pizza shop, also received one percent of students’ votes.
Pizza Boli’s offers twelve specialty pizzas or a build your own option with a choice from 20 different toppings.
In addition to pizza, they sell 15 different types of overstuffed subs, both hot and cold. They also sell gyros, jumbo wings with twelve sauces to choose from, salads, spaghetti, lasagna, stuffed shells, Stromboli and 12 different side options.
The shop is open Sunday through Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Friday and Saturday from 10:30 to 3 a.m. On Mondays they offer two large pizzas for the price of one.
They also list other daily offers on their website.
Pizza Autentica
Photo by Cara Newcomer
Coming in last place, Pizza Autentica received less than 1 percent of the votes. The sit-down restaurant is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Pizza Autentica offers different combo specialties, including the pepperoni slice combo for $4.99, and Stromboli combo, panini combo or stuffed pizza combo, each for $6.49. The pizza shop also offers combos with a choice of a side salad that will cost you a couple dollars more.
Hungry for a late breakfast? Pizza Autentica also sells bagels and a breakfast Stromboli.
Recent transfer sophomore student Rob Lewis chooses to go to Pizza Autentica because of its convenient location.
“I like it because it’s only nine floors below me,” said Lewis.
The pizza shop is located right below the View building two, with access from inside the apartment.