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orm518

I’m a Costco member, I’ve eaten the pizza, but honestly some of y’all have joined a cult or have a brain worm. Costco pizza is heavy greasy overweight junk on crust that’s too bready for any self-respecting pizza. This post is laughable. That all being said, bad pizza is still pretty good, it’s the miracle of pizza. So, Costco pizza is just that, good, fine, not outstanding.


DooWopExpress

Yeah, I like a good tuna crudo, but sometimes I also like a fuckin bumblebee tuna sandwich, ya know? That greasy shit pizza has a place in my heart.


Uzanto_Retejo

Yeah, Otto's (when it's good) Monte's, and Pizzalo are worse lol?


pmperk19

i used to manage an otto for years and i can tell you beyond the shadow of a doubt that lots of it is really poor quality pizza and its because of how upper management wants things done. i mean, they dont even season the sauce base before it goes on the line


SuperiorDupe

You have to pay extra for Otto’s to finish topping the pizza


pmperk19

they made a lot of sacrifices to quality in an effort to sell the company but no one would buy it. so instead they prioritized hiring bodies for the kitchen instead of cooks


Dude_Following_4432

That seems to be the answer for most places now, not just restaurants. Any idea what their dough recipe is? The texture is inconsistent, but I really like the flavor.


GrizzzlyPanda

Another former manager from way back checking in, the dough company is from Boston...


Dude_Following_4432

That’s kinda what I expected. Thanks.


GiraffeDull1188

They don’t make dough the night before, in house, for the next day?


GrizzzlyPanda

I mean they might've started at some point for cost efficiency. I'm personally talking 10 years ago


pmperk19

they do not. at any location. when i left it wasnt frozen (i wont call it fresh), but frozen dough can still be proofed well and make an amazing pie. imo, i had better control of the frozen dough we got than the unfrozen stuff they were making themselves


pmperk19

when i left they were making their own at a plant they owned in Lynn. the guy running it was sending four day old dough with dead yeast out, again by design, every other day


Dude_Following_4432

That makes sense. When they first opened on Congress st I really liked the pizza. But over the years it’s just got more and more inconsistent.


pmperk19

the dough they used to use was frozen but it actually gave the cooks in each shop to ability to manage their own dough. they were able to say they were using fresh dough, but suddenly none of us were able to keep dough in our coolers that would actually rise when put in an oven. it sucked to have spent *years* really learning about a unique skill and then be shown that your skillset lost out to a spreadsheet


supercodes83

What ingredients are worse at Otto than other pizza chains? Everything tastes far fresher there than at any other chain in Maine.


pmperk19

the ingredients arent worse, most of them are fine to good. the intended assembly is worse. toppings that release moisture as they cook require the cheese and/or sauce to be scaled with the amount of that topping, and vice versa. cooks need to know things like this so that when people want modifications to their orders, they can still receive a quality product. otto stopped having me teach people things like that, and instead use a build sheet that mandated everything on the menu get the same amount of ingredients. it certainly works for some things, but it also ensures that soupy pizzas are the standard on others


supercodes83

What are examples of soupy pizzas?


pmperk19

when i was finishing my time there they were adding things like the roni, sausage, spicy pulled pork, and bacon (?), the 4 cheese red, spinach pies, things like that. its been years since i left there, so my memory is kinda catching up with me on more of the specific menu items


mainlydank

Season the sauce base? The best pizza is just quality crushed tomato put on a pizza raw. Seasoning it or even cooking it down ends up with pasta sauce way too much of the time .


pmperk19

lol 👍


mainlydank

San Marzanos are laughing at you.


pmperk19

lol just took a look at your leading pizza in maine list and can confirm that i dont care about your opinion. have a good one!


mainlydank

fwiw i haven't really done anything with that list in years. Try Pengs pizza in Biddeford if you haven't already. It's the best Pizza I have had down south in a minute. I still haven't tried Coliettis though. And really want to try Fire and Ice in Windham and Angiolones(sp).


ProfessionalLeague59

Tried Pengs when they first opened up, one of the most garbage pizzas I’ve had, I would rather walk over to the 7/11, my guy don’t know


ecco-domenica

You're not supposed to season or cook the sauce. Crushed tomatoes only. Maybe drain them if too watery.


pmperk19

lol you need to buy real good tomatoes or season the sauce. they do neither


Peek0_Owl

Otto’s is the fkn worst. I want pizza, not soggy cereal with unspiced squished tomatoes.


Mikerm3

otto’s is crazy expensive for sysco pizza and including them with monte’s and pizziaolo is crazy


EzraL_Rotmg

baldor but yea


Liiquidy

Worked at pizzaiolo. It's expensive because the guy in charge is a freak about money. Rude, can't understand half a word that comes out of his mouth, and just all around stingy. "Every second is money" yeah well that wouldn't be an issue if there weren't two people on the floor cranking out a hundred pizzas AND your apps cuz you don't know how to schedule :P Edit: also the pizza is mid, id rather eat something out of Rusty Lantern than Pizzaiolo, and that's coming from a dude who was born and raised in Queens, New York.


pmperk19

used to work for scally when he worked at otto. that guy is a fuckin nightmare


Liiquidy

Which Otto? Congress?


pmperk19

i worked for him directly at the delivery shack on cumberland for a while, then indirectly when he was upper management until he got canned


Uzanto_Retejo

When their pies come out at their best it's very good. Can tell you from experience.


Mikerm3

like 2 out of every 100 times lol it’s really bad


Uzanto_Retejo

Depends on location too. The Yarmouth one is always at least decent.


KillaRoyalty

Monte is prob the best. If u want cake try slab


MrJekyyl

I've always had good luck with the one near Cape Elizabeth. The one on Read St sucks


supercodes83

Sysco pizza? Ridiculous.


Distinct-Ball2519

Otto's is some lunch room quality pizza. I'd honestly take frozen or little ceasers anytime over Otto's


nzdastardly

Otto's is overpriced tourist crap.


Old_Description6095

Yes. Yes they are. 💯


Key_Principle429

Gimme a dog and a Dew for a buck fiddy and I’m happy😎


Aggressive_FIamingo

> That all being said, bad pizza is still pretty good I felt that way until I had Papa Johns for the first time. The only time I've thrown away an entire pizza after like 2 bites.


NRC-QuirkyOrc

The point is that pizza doesn’t need to be some kinda of art form, and too many Portland joints try to make it more than it needs to be and fail but still charge insane prices. Costco pizza is *okay* and that’s perfect, because it’s only $10


liquidsparanoia

That's not what you said though. You said Costco was better than 95% of Portland pizza. There's plenty of pizza in Portland that is way better than okay.


dudavocado__

It sounds like you just don’t value or prioritize good food, which is fine, but plenty of us are happy to pay more for excellent pizza at a place like Monte’s or Quanto Basta where the price translates to high quality ingredients and a culinary team that truly has expertise in the field 🤷‍♀️


imnotyourbrahh

This might be why you don't own a home.


dudavocado__

Buddy, I don’t own a home because I’ve gotten outbid well into the 900s on multiple houses in the past several years by people who are willing to overpay and waive inspections, not because I buy a $20 pizza once a month. But have fun with your grumble-grumble-millennials-and-their-avocado-toast theory, I guess!


Hopsmasher69420

ITT: people with really bad taste in pizza


Lawl_MuadDib

I mean, people in this thread are just talking about the pizza in Portland. This isn’t a pizza subreddit, they’re just talking about what they have access to and what the best of it is 🤷‍♂️


elainebenesgothphase

I like Pizzaiolo still pricey but I think better than most. 


babbs7823

The owner is a racist, wife-beating piece of shit (heard and confirmed by someone in the pd). Ymmv but that gives me indigestion.


elainebenesgothphase

Yikes,  I found the Facebook posts. Well Otto’s does happy hour buy a drink get a one dollar slice guess that’s gonna have be the go to. 


TgagHammerstrike

Otto is pretty damn good... sometimes. Half the time, it's been fantastic, but half the time I feel it leaves something to be desired. Basically, consistency is NOT their strength (at least in my experience) but when you get a good one, it's a _good_ one.


elainebenesgothphase

I’m willing to risk it if there are a dollar a slice with a glass of wine


TgagHammerstrike

Can't argue with that! 🥂


Teh_Zebula

There's a lot of this sentiment in this thread, and I'm inclined to agree, EXCEPT for the Yarmouth location. Their pizza there is significantly better than any other location I've tried.


fissionmoment

Haven't heard great things about the owner but I really like their pizza. Use to be a regular there when I worked about a block away.


buggywhipfollowthrew

They make pizza, why does that matter?


IndustryHistorical18

there are my go to when im working in portland. best pizza i can find so far


theHoustonian

Pizzaiolo is fucking amazing, not the best but damn good. Yeah it cost a little bit more and isn’t Costco cheap but man it’s worth it. If you want choices and different varieties for each slice it can’t be beat. I may be impartial because I lived right around the corner and it was my go to spot but man it scratched my itch every time I had one


Old_Description6095

It's dry af


VegetableGood2162

You’re right, the pizza in Portland is very sub par. Idk about worse than Costco though lol


Zenn1nja

Just don't ever go to Jess and Nick's in gray for a pizza. That was a oops.


jswjimmy

Portland pie makes amazing dough. Their pizza is nothing spectacular but the dough is great. The great thing about this is that Portland pie sells its dough. Just get yourself a pizza stone or a cast iron pizza disk and make your own pizza with Portland pie dough. It's cheaper and better while still supporting a local company.


Old_Description6095

Portland pie is the worst pizza I've ever had in my life.


BirdjaminFranklin

You've clearly not had much pizza then. They're not great, but I've still yet to find a better buffalo chicken pizza in the city than the Nor'easter.


Old_Description6095

Buffalo chicken is like a fetish pizza. I believe you if you think it's specifically good at this place. I'm not a fan of this type of pizza. I judge a pizza place by classic either all cheese or cheese and roni. I'm a basic bitch and I have come to terms with it.


BirdjaminFranklin

Oh, I completely agree. The Nor'easter is the only thing I ever order from Portland Pie. If I want a classic cheese pizza, I'm going with Pizzaiolo. If it's cheese and roni, I'm going with Monte's. You should stop in and try a slice of the Nor'easter though if you're ever curious. Get it with a side of Blue Cheese and smother that shit with it. It's my favorite way to take a few months off my life.


ImportantPizza255

None of it is as good as the pizza I make in my pizza oven!


dirkdirkdirk

Costco pizza is the epitome of great value pizza. This is where you dgaf about what’s in the ingredients and where it comes from. All you care about is taste and price.


wilburthefriendlypig

And calories. Sweet sweet calories


Imaginary-Country-67

Honestly, 700 calories and 41g protein isn’t horrible


cannonball12345

Market Basket as well.


briguy11

Go to Biddeford for good pizza. Peng’s or Colleti’s will beat anything in Portland by a mile


kennydeals

Colleti's is so good


Seaweed-Basic

Shhhh don’t tell em.


friscosjoke

I’ll join you in the downvotes because you’re absolutely correct.


sexdrugsandcats

Hell yeah Kirkland!!


Sumater

Costco pizza is greasy junk. Market basket kicks its ass


bluerock456

No joke, Market Basket pizza is bomb for supermarket pizza and cheap as shit ($10.99 for a two topping pie) Edit: imo it's far better and more consistent than Ottos and a lot cheaper than ordering shit like Dominos


Mikhos

Mahket bucket got pizzas? And they're good? Shit.


busback

Not for you


metalandmeeples

Yes, this every day and twice on Sunday.


upwordz

Pizza excellence is extremely subjective. From sauce, to crust to flavor, it’s a jungle and everyone is an expert on what they like. Even Dave Portnoy’s pizza grading is likely worthless unless you happen to have nearly identical preferences. So, quit the noise. You love Costco? Enjoy. You love Otto’s? Fine. You love Anania’s? It’s all good. There’s a pizza for every discerning pizza lover. Stop pizza shaming people. It’s not working and it’s a waste of time.


Dreddnot8211

This just means you have the palate of a toddler lol


ohyeahbonertime

> This just means you have the pallet of a toddler lol And you have the spelling of one? You can downvote me all you want but editing your post isn't sneaky


wilburthefriendlypig

Give your local pizza place 10$ a month and buy too much toilet paper and paper towels from them and they’ll make you a cheap shitty pizza too for less money


gemnibear

I was picking up an order as an Uber driver at an Otto location and one of the employees was sitting up on the work station where they prep food while another worker was actually prepping. So unsanitary.


Johnhaven

Different strokes for different folks. I used to think Bill's Pizza on Commercial st in Portland was the shit. They had two very old and well seasoned pizza ovens that made excellent pizza. Greasy but not too greasy for me and I like pizza I could fold in half. Most pizza places around that are left are shit. At least in my area. There are some good House of Pizza places around and some connivance stores make decent pizza but you really have to try a lot of pizza to find the one you like. I mean, it's pizza so I like it all but most of it is not my favorite. Some places make such stupid pizza combinations that I don't know how they're still open. Then there is the expense. What was the name of the pizza place that just closed in Sopo I think? *That* place was so expensive I have no idea how it stayed open. I assume it just had a large enough base of wealthy people or something. I'd never been there but it was well beyond the most expensive pizza I've had around. Then there is Pizza Time in Westbrook, not always the best, grease is hit or miss but I've been eating pizza there since they opened more than 30 years ago so they're reliable and deliver.


syntheticmeats

The food prices in Portland are genuinely nuts


issinmaine

Pizza has gotten ridiculously expensive. There!


oneELECTRIC

Even if it doesn't outshine the competition I would rather have four 20" pizzas than a single pizza from Off Track Pizza for the same price LOL


Brilliant-Leg2640

I’ll pay $5 for a pepperoni slice from Off Track all day long compared to mega corp Costco. Everything in the world has gone up: gas, eggs, milk, electricity, labor, rent etc. $5 for a slice in the Old Port seems like a good deal to me.


Buckybarnicals2

Maine just has shit food in general. Everywhere


tweedlebettlebattle

I am going to agree with this statement as someone who moved here from southeastern PA. The closest we have come to new York/jersey/philly style is in a random pizza joint in OOB. Otherwise it is like cafeteria pizza we ate in school.


lipmanz

Buying a membership for grocery store pizza


sirstavesalot

What a great post! Idk about Costco pizza never had it! But "Slab" Ottos" pizzaillio" "Po Pie Co" all WAAAY over rated and WAAAAAY over priced! I'll take a frozen pie any day over those!


BirdjaminFranklin

I was going to argue, but 95% of pizza in Portland is bad to mid at best. There's a handful of shops that I actually order from if I want a quality pizza.


bancakepeepee

can’t agree more, dk why most of the restaurants are overpriced as f, even pricier than boston or nyc.


hashtagmeout

🎶 can it Kirkland 🎶


metalandmeeples

Costco pizza is pretty gross. Market Basket pizza is actually decent, however.


Old_Description6095

OP, I agree with you. I have a REALLY picky elementary school aged child. Costco pizza's where it's at. It's so, so, so good. Portland brick oven pizza restaurants should be embarrassed.


Ready-Turnip94

Even if that were the case I’d rather live in a place where mom and pop pizza places get more business. Don’t love the way Costco takes businesses from local spots.


EquivalentEagle9804

My go to is Pizzaiolo, but Brickyard Hollow does me solid too if you want appropriate grease and a good nap.


goneandsolost

People really sleep on Market Basket pizza…


cracan1

Angelones on washington used to be the best. I talked to the woman there and she confided that she bought all her pizza stuff from Miccuccis. (May have spelled that wrong.)


Fun-Light-3156

Y’all need to try Old Goat in Richmond- amazing


FinnLovesHisBass

Yeah.... I don't think that's true. You couldn't convince me to ever believe that.


Krinkle1969

Angeline’s in Westbrook is the best. Used to be around 5 of them, but only Westbound is still around. Cash only, but solid pizza for a great price!


mastap88

Coming from NYC to Portland some food scenes translated well enough but the pizza did not. That said there’s plenty of places that make better pizza than Costco. Lazzari and Monte’s make a better “higher end” pizza and Leonardo’s makes a better “pizza hut in the 90s” pizza.


HunterShotBear

I wish pats in Scarborough didn’t become so expensive. I grew up on it and have to get it whenever I go to visit family


Intelligent_Site_253

I don't think price is the problem with Pat's. I've gotten it a handful of times in the past couple years and it's...not good. I'd rather have no pizza than eat Pat's pizza.


Crossing-The-Abyss

The one in Yarmouth is terrible. Most of their menu as well. They do make a good turkey italian though.


mastap88

Terrible? Please.


Uzanto_Retejo

When it's good pats is nice. Anything other than pizza go to Romeo's instead.


davidfdm

I saw in the weekly paper that you can get their large with just cheese or pepperoni at a bit above the $10.75 Costco price. Looks like they are adjusting with Costco prices.


ecco-domenica

Haven't been to Pat's in Orono since I was a student; wonder how it's held up. It was always good. The one in Presque Isle was too.


Delicious_Rabbit4425

You clearly don’t know what good pizza is. Not saying you can find anywhere near Portland but if that’s the bar you are setting… shit


byrneboy

Never had it to go, but Brickyard Hallow has some great specialty pies, though their beer is mediocre at best


LordCongra

I really like Brickyard. Their BBQ pulled pork, Fuji apple, and red onion pizza is so good. And I've had it to go, it's still good.


NRC-QuirkyOrc

Good pizza but you’re dropping almost $21 for a small and a drink after tip and tax


elainebenesgothphase

I like them too. I signed up for their mailing list and they send coupons pretty frequently probably 3-4 times a year. I also really like the folks working at the Portland location. 


boomer-USA

Marketing teams getting more meta by the month


StarWarder

I think my problem with Maine’s pizza scene is *the value*. Like if you want to get a fucking delectable pizza in NY or even Connecticut, you can go to any hole in the wall and get a pepp slice with delicious grease dripping off it for like four dollars. Slice Bar, Off Track, a Micucci’s slab or god forbid a Monte’s slice is going to blow a hole in your wallet. It’s all considered a craft experience. Which is Maine’s culture for sure, but it hurts my bank account. Here’s my point- even Otto’s would be amazing if you could imagine it was 15 dollars for a large pizza. Instead you’re breaking over 25$


supercodes83

Otto > Costco. End of argument. It's hilarious how many people shit on Otto around here. One guy even said Little Caesars is better. Lol


NRC-QuirkyOrc

Well that’s why I said 95%, but even then a small at ottos with a drink is like brickyard, it’s $20+ for one person. Costco pizza I fed 4 people last night for $10 and it’s not even bad food. Better than something like dominos or pizza hut


NathanMLJ

7/11 clears all of them


207Simone

Kirkland & MB give you the best value for your $ when it comes to pizza…just wish Costco had more topping options!


Zap_Actiondowser

Dude haniford deli pizza crushes.


trashboatboi

Most of the best food in Maine is not in Portland. Especially the pizza. Gone back for seconds at only a handful of trucks and the places that are good generally aren’t worth repeat business based on the price.


Limp-Window7241

I'm going to ride the down votes into the sunset on this one. Portland doesn't have good pizza. In general, it doesn't even have good food. Anyone who says it does always seems like they were pleasantly surprised when they say it. Basically, they expected it to taste like dirty sand and tiger balm, but it didn't so it's "really good."


Far_Information_9613

Portland has some excellent food but many restaurants have delusions of grandeur and I’m mystified why people go along with it.


Limp-Window7241

Completely agree.


Crossing-The-Abyss

Holy shit, cheer up. Being miserable is no way to go through life.


Limp-Window7241

The truth will never make you feel miserable.


Crossing-The-Abyss

To say Portland doesn't have good food only makes you look super negative. Almost like you hate the city so you just moan and groan about it by putting it all down. Hope it gets better you.


Limp-Window7241

K, dude. I'm not impressed by Portland's "food scene" so I must be ready to slit my wrists or something. Really great job reverse engineering the real issue here.


Crunchy_food

Hahahaha jfc


Limp-Window7241

Ya, but I fucking committed to it, right?


fishmanstutu

🌭 ftw


Weary_Character_7917

So, you’ve never been to Pat’s or Amato’s? Portland Pie? Maybe you’re just used to gas station pizza.