Now that I have eaten 14 different pizzas across the city I feel that I am ready to sit down and give you my thoughts on the state of pizza in Edmonton. This is not to say that I am done – there are still plenty of pizzas left for me to eat – but I have sampled enough to have developed a few opinions:

Thin crust > Thick crust

Going into the pizza odyssey, I was pretty confident that I enjoyed thin crust and thick crust pizzas pretty evenly but now, after eating so many of them, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I prefer a good thin crust pizza any day. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when I have craving that only a hearty combination of dough and toppings will satisfy, but those times are becoming increasingly rare. I think the biggest detriment to the thick, pan-style pizzas I’ve tried so far is the mind-numbing sameness of them all; it’s all similar dough, similar sauce, and more cheese than a Mentos commercial. Whereas the thin crust pizzas have been noticeably different from one another, and compile so many different flavours, that there’s one for whatever mood I’m in.

Surprise, surprise

I am happy to say that I have been surprised by more than a few of the pies I’ve had – while being right all the time has its advantages, always getting exactly what you expect can be as mundane as…well, as a cookie-cutter pan pizza. After hearing all the raves about Tony’s Pizza Palace, I was surprisingly indifferent to the pie I got (both times I tried it), and I was shocked at just how much I enjoyed the pizza at the over-the-top cheesy chain, The Rock. It just goes to show that you should always enter a restaurant with an open mind and don’t let others bias your experience.

There is such a thing as “too much cheese”

Crazy, right? I might get some flak for this one, but hear me out…If you are even an occasional reader of this blog, you know that I love cheese – the more the better – stringy, gooey, melty cheese is right up there with my all time favourite things, along with bacon, BBQ, and all things deep-fried. Though what I have discovered is that a great pizza is a delicate balance of flavours and too much cheese can throw off the mix.  This is less of a problem in the pan pizza varieties where more is always better, but it is definitely noticeable in the thinner crust pizzas.  Too much cheese weighs down the crust, making it difficult to pick up (nobody wants to be that person who eats pizza with a knife and fork) and overpowers everything else.

A bad pizza is still better than a good day at work

I haven’t had to spit out a single bite of pizza yet, which is more than I can say for last year’s Yeg Burger Odyssey.  Though I haven’t had any pizzas I would consider bad yet, the memorable ones definitely have separated themselves from the pack. The vast majority would fall into the average category, which I would say is predictable.

Check out the leaderboard HERE, and let me know what you agree or disagree with. I’m still open to suggestions if you’ve got more, so feel free to leave a message in the comment section.

Baconhound is an Edmonton food blog, focusing on the best restaurants and dishes in Edmonton and beyond. Phil Wilson is also host of the Edmonton, Alberta based food podcast, Off Menu.