Price of pizza perfection

I realize I may not have been in the world for long, but if there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that you get what you pay for.

This applies to nearly everything in my life, including food. Granted, I can find a quality meal for an affordable price in town, but typically I have to pay a little more if I want a nicer meal. And pizza is no exception.


I’ve had my share of various pizzas around town — Pizza X, Mad Mushroom Pizza, B-Town Pizza, Aver’s and Mother Bear’s Pizza. Each makes a unique pie, whether it’s the quality of cheese used, variety of toppings, accessibility or price. All of these factors come into play when I choose my late night snack.

Pizza X — Formerly known as Pizza Express, this was the first pizza I had in Bloomington. It was decent — the crust was substantial and the sauce was just spicy enough. Not to mention the breadsticks are amazing. As a late-night snack, Pizza X pie is all right, since their cheese is not the best. But don’t cross them off your list, they still make a respectable pizza.

Mad Mushroom — Oh dear. I really don’t have anything nice to say about Mad Mushroom, other than it’s affordable. This is what I was referring to when I said you get what you pay for.

The cardboard taste of their crust makes me sad and their cheese is greasy. I know some who enjoy Mad Mushroom just fine and that’s OK for them. But if you’re going to bother ordering pizza late at night, avoid their pizza.

B-Town Pizza — This business is relatively new to Bloomington, but makes a pretty respectable pizza. Unfortunately I’ve never tried any of their signature pizzas, which sound delicious. Their crust is just right, the sauce is both sweet and spicy enough and the cheese is never greasy or too heavy.

Aver’s — I really don’t know what I’d do without Aver’s. As mentioned in my zucchini column, Aver’s makes the best ranch in town and their pizza is as good as their ranch.

The crust is thick enough, and the proportions of the ingredients are just right. Also, you can’t go wrong with their ridiculously creative speciality pizzas — the Lambda Gyro Pi is one of my all-time favorites. In short, Aver’s makes a perfect pizza.

Mother Bear’s — Where do I begin? Mother Bear’s is possibly the most beloved pizza place in Bloomington. They have a huge advantage over other pizza places in town because they have an actual restaurant and provide delivery and pickup.

With a wide variety of appetizers, salads, pizzas and sandwiches, Mother Bear’s has a dish for everyone. The specialty pizzas will keep you indecisive for a good ten minutes, which begs the question: “Is there such a thing as too much choice.?” You pay a little more at Mother Bear’s, but it’s worth the price.

No matter what, you have to pay for your food, unless it is from a dorm-run program. So if you’re going to spend $15 on a combo for late night pizza, you may as well chip in a few bucks more for quality.

Besides, isn’t quality better than quantity when it comes to what you eat?