It’s getting to the time in the semester that involves late night pizza purchases. So, to make your life easier, I’m going to dissect the good, the bad and the ugly of Bloomington pizza.
I am from the Chicago area, so I consider myself a self-proclaimed pizza snob. I like deep-dish pizza and saucy, Chicago thin crust, which actually compliments my attitude quite well.
But in Bloomington, I’m just not going to find those amazing options and tastes I’m used to, so I’ve had to settle and try many, many places to get the best bite.
Here’s the top three places you must go — one for price, one for flavor and one for convenience.
Rockit’s Famous Pizza is the cheapest and arguably best pizza you can find in Bloomington. The ultra-thin crust is more in vein of New York-style pizza but the balanced sauce and not too sweet, perfectly browned cheese complements the palate. It’s located on North Walnut Street, right by Bluebird Nightclub and other local bars.
At Rockit’s you can buy it by the slice. It also has the best breadsticks one can find. They are crunchy on the outside but baked warm and soft on the inside. Skip the Pizza X breadsticks that often come doughy and barely baked. Grab these if you’re on that side of town.
The best place for flavor is Mother Bear’s Pizza on East Third Street. There are numerous options and combinations, so you’re not stuck with your standard red sauce and meat pizza.
The bread on the pizza is thicker, but the toppings tend to cover the crust. This is considered a deep-dish pizza, but it’s more bread than toppings in comparison to traditional deep dishes.
I recommend anything with their BBQ sauce. And don’t skip the breadsticks here either. They rival Rockit’s with their seasoning and are always warm and cooked to perfection.
Mother Bear’s has won multiple awards and also has weekly specials to make it affordable for your pocket. The Munchie Madness deal is one of the best ways to grab pizza in Bloomington.
Finally, Pizza X is your place to grab pizza for convenience. The pizza is sub-par but it will soak up whatever you’ve got going on. It has a convenient location across from the residence halls on Tenth Street, and it has the Big X Bargain and Little 5 deals to help you save money.
The nacho cheese dipping sauce offered for breadsticks is the best dipping sauce at any pizza place in Bloomington, but be warned, sometimes the breadsticks are not fully cooked.
If you’re not splitting this or taking advantage of one of Pizza X’s deals, you may want to try somewhere else as the normal prices are overpriced for the quality.
allmwagn@indiana.edu
@allisonmwagner
