It’s no secret that the pizza Hawaii is surrounded by some controversy. Many people would gladly wake up in the middle of the night for this delicacy, but for others this pizza is a blemish on the glorious Italian culture.
Opinions were also divided within the UT Nieuws test panel. That’s why the panel also took into consideration how easy it was to remove some ingredients from the pizzas. It also judged the quality of the pizza (warmth, quantity of ingredients, greasiness), delivery time, taste, price tag, sustainability of the order and the possibility of ordering beer to go with your pizza. Bonus points were awarded to those restaurants that drew a cartoon on the box. In the end, the panel rated the pizzas on a scale from 1 till 10.
Disqualifications
Restaurant Aleyna immediately dropped out of the competition. Although their website said they were open, it wasn’t possible to order through TakeAway.com. Conclusion? Disqualified.
Pizzeria Ninive also didn’t make it. It was possible to order, but moments later they called and said they would not deliver on campus if the order is less than 25 euros. Unfortunately for them, this isn’t the way to please a student audience.
8th place: Le Mans – 4.9
The Le Mans pizza was the last pizza the panel tested. Although it looked good and rated highly on quality and sustainability, the taste just wasn’t there. After one bite, some of the team members wanted to spit it out right away. A pizza shouldn’t taste this chemical. The ham in particular had a nasty aftertaste. The pizza was also quite expensive – which is not good for students. The restaurant did have beer, though - good to flush away the bad taste.
7th place: La Candela – 5.1
La Candela drew the best cartoon on their box. Bravo! Unfortunately, this wasn’t an excuse for the long delivery time. The quality was good – with a lot of ingredients and a large pizza with a thin bottom. But the pizza is not ideal for any Netflix-n-chill evenings with your new date. Imagine this: you’ve just sat down on your bed, open the box and you find out it wasn’t precut – so you have to get a knife. Well, that changes the experience. Also, the flavor was nothing to write home about.
6th place: La Strada – 5.7
A very average pizza. Actually nothing really remarkable. Everything was okay: the quality, delivery time, taste, price tag and sustainability. Which also means everything could have been better.
5th place: New York Pizza – 5.9
Although loved among students, it rated quite low according to the test panel. Of all the pizzas tasted, the flavor of this one was definitely the best. The prize (10 euros for a very small pizza) lowered the average score drastically. Also, the delivery time was so long that the pizza was almost cold when it arrived.
4th place: Elat Roma – 6.3
Elat Roma is also a student favorite, because of the price tag. It was an ugly pizza to look at, so you’re in a disadvantage if you want to share your spectacular pizza night on Instagram. No filter can cope with this appearance. Nevertheless, the taste and quality were fine.
3rd place: Turtle’s – 6.9
This pizza looked good. The toppings were so carefully placed, it looked like the work of someone with OCD. It gave the panel a sense of tranquility. The restaurant didn’t go easy on the cheese, which made the pizza greasier than most others, even though it didn’t really help the taste. However, it was a very cheap pizza, which boosted its overall rating.
2nd place: Domino’s – 7.1 (+0.5 for desserts)
Domino’s is usually the go-to place for students to order pizza. If you’re really hungry and want a pizza within 15 minutes, this is the place to order. What didn’t help in Domino’s case was the prize (a pizza Hawaii costs 8,95 euros and is quite small). The taste, quality and sustainability were fine, though. Desserts were also ordered here. Hot fudge cakes, yum! The panel didn’t include this in the final score.
And the (surprising) winner is… Mediterana – 7.7
Nobody in the test panel had ordered from this pizzeria before. But everyone was so happy with this order. The pizza was dirt-cheap and rated second in taste, just below New York Pizza. The ham was very good and the pineapple pieces were huge! Ultimate enjoyment for every pizza Hawaii lover. The only downside is that it didn’t come precut. But that didn’t rain on the parade of the test panel. Congratulations, Mediterana!
SAX panel: Le Mans came out on top
Our colleagues of SAX – the independent news medium of Saxion – had their own pizza test. Remarkably, Le Mans came out on top in their test, with a total score of 8. Although the UT Nieuws panel rated the pizza as ‘chemical, with a nasty aftertaste’, the SAX panel found ‘nothing wrong’ with the Le Mans pizza. Let’s just say: tastes differ.
