What pizza is the closest to Showbiz Pizza? -

[Dom Cruise]

I do anytime I want to recreate that AUTHENTIC 1980s bowling alley snack bar experience. (The snack bars at my local bowling alleys served Tombstone exclusively)

Home Run Inn pizza is something I pick up from time to time. Gotta take a trip down the I80 corridor to actually find one to eat at in the wild. But I think Home Run Inn frozen has a unique taste to the crust--not something you'll get if you're looking for CEC or Showbiz. My city once had a Celebration Station--just like CEC and Showbiz. Then the same slot turned into a CEC and has been ever since.

If you want CEC like pizza... maybe Casey's or Noble Roman's?

Also: You can still find Celebration Station: http://www.celebrationstation.com/

I haven't been to a Celebration Station but I have been to a place just like that while visiting family a few times as a teen (and even early in my early 20s I think)

Same basic idea though of a place with go karts, arcade games, laser tag, a bowling alley and a place to eat.

I don't think I ever ate any pizza there though, but if I ever make it back there (and if it's even still a thing) I'll be sure to check out the pizza.

 

[Quantum Diabetes]

I was passing through Martinez, GA circa 2006 and found a Stevi B's pizza buffet with an arcade off Bobby Jones..
Best pizza buffet I had in awhile. They'd make you a custom one like Mac and cheese if you wanted.

I just checked recently and it looks like it closed years ago.

 

[XYZpdq]

I think there's a Chuck E Cheese vaguely near me.
I haven't tried them because I'm not six years old.
I assume you could buy a few cheap robot toys from Five Below, blast some shitty music off youtube, and make some shit pizza in the oven and get about as good experience these days.

 

[The Real SVP]

Chuck E. Cheese is delivering pizza under "Pasqually's Pizza & Wings" for some reason.

They come out of the same kitchen, but the Pasqually branded pizza has more sauce on it.

 

[E Solveig]

this is going to sound surprising, but go to a sams club or a costco.

their pizza is basically chuck-e's, but slightly less shitty. (or more shitty, if you get a piece that isn't particularly fresh)

stewarts pizza (a gas station chain in the northeast) also has surprisingly decent pizza. its more like a circular sicilian tho, idk if that matters.

it was better when chuck e had a huge ass cigar and bowling cap, and looked like he smuggled alcohol for capone using the cheese holes under the stage, but chucks ain't fucking godawful

pizza hut however has fallen substantially in quality since the 80s- while tripling in price. fuckin 34 dollars for pizza.

....really for the best pizza, just make that shit at home. cornmeal and flour to keep it from sticking to a pan. don't use a circular pan, fuck that shit. low moisture mozzarella. pizza sauce, preferably in a can that says pizza. dough. bam, better fuckin pizza than any of these shitty brands

 

[Xarpho]

Never tried it myself, but I've heard tell that Peter Piper Pizza has been consistently terrible since the 1990s.

I also never really experienced Chuck E. Cheese, either, the one in town closed just before I was born, and when they finally re-entered I was already in 8th grade and long grown out of it.

 

[XYZpdq]

this is going to sound surprising, but go to a sams club or a costco.

their pizza is basically chuck-e's, but slightly less shitty. (or more shitty, if you get a piece that isn't particularly fresh)

stewarts pizza (a gas station chain in the northeast) also has surprisingly decent pizza. its more like a circular sicilian tho, idk if that matters.

it was better when chuck e had a huge ass cigar and bowling cap, and looked like he smuggled alcohol for capone using the cheese holes under the stage, but chucks ain't fucking godawful

pizza hut however has fallen substantially in quality since the 80s- while tripling in price. fuckin 34 dollars for pizza.

....really for the best pizza, just make that shit at home. cornmeal and flour to keep it from sticking to a pan. don't use a circular pan, fuck that shit. low moisture mozzarella. pizza sauce, preferably in a can that says pizza. dough. bam, better fuckin pizza than any of these shitty brands

never had the food mart's version of Kirkland Pizza, but for a long time I dug the fuck out buying the Kirkland Generic Cheese Pizza multi-pack and doing those up with a bunch of random toppings

 

[Dom Cruise]

If I've ever been to a Chuck E. Cheese I was so little I don't remember it, I certainly don't remember the pizza.

I've just had a weird interest in Showbiz Pizza because of the Red Letter Media connection and the Rockafire Explosion documentary.

pizza hut however has fallen substantially in quality since the 80s- while tripling in price. fuckin 34 dollars for pizza.

I'm purposely asking about agreeably shitty pizza, but on a side note I've been looking for genuinely good pizza as well.

A year ago I tried Pizza Hut for the first time in ages and I was like ", this is great!" then the two times I tried it since they undercooked the fucking thing, I wish it was still like the old quality.

I also just recently tried Domino's again for the first time in a little while and it's not bad, but it's definitely bland, seems like it was better as recently as 2016 or so.

So over the last year or so I've tried Pizza Hut, Dominos, Papa John's and Little Caesar's, none of them are great or at least consistent, I don't know why pizza seems to be so hard for a corporate chain to get just right, it shouldn't be that hard, should it?

The reason I'm trying all these different chains is for years I stuck with local pizzerias, but one of them closed, one them is just a bit too far away and my favorite one that was my go to place for over a decade suddenly dipped in quality, so it can happen even to non chains as well.

It's actually been on quite a journey over the last year to find a new favorite pizza and failing that I think be funny to find one that's "agreeably shitty" as I put it ala Chuck E Cheese or Showbiz.

 

[Autumnal Equinox]

If I've ever been to a Chuck E. Cheese I was so little I don't remember it, I certainly don't remember the pizza.

I've just had a weird interest in Showbiz Pizza because of the Red Letter Media connection and the Rockafire Explosion documentary.



I'm purposely asking about agreeably shitty pizza, but on a side note I've been looking for genuinely good pizza as well.

A year ago I tried Pizza Hut for the first time in ages and I was like ", this is great!" then the two times I tried it since they undercooked the fucking thing, I wish it was still like the old quality.

I also just recently tried Domino's again for the first time in a little while and it's not bad, but it's definitely bland, seems like it was better as recently as 2016 or so.

So over the last year or so I've tried Pizza Hut, Dominos, Papa John's and Little Caesar's, none of them are great or at least consistent, I don't know why pizza seems to be so hard for a corporate chain to get just right, it shouldn't be that hard, should it?

The reason I'm trying all these different chains is for years I stuck with local pizzerias, but one of them closed, one them is just a bit too far away and my favorite one that was my go to place for over a decade suddenly dipped in quality, so it can happen even to non chains as well.

It's actually been on quite a journey over the last year to find a new favorite pizza and failing that I think be funny to find one that's "agreeably shitty" as I put it ala Chuck E Cheese or Showbiz.

Don’t know where you live, but if you’re in the Pacific Northwest, give either Flying Pie or Bellagio’s a try. Both are local chains that make some pretty tasty pizza

 

[The Real SVP]

The reason I'm trying all these different chains is for years I stuck with local pizzerias, but one of them closed, one them is just a bit too far away and my favorite one that was my go to place for over a decade suddenly dipped in quality, so it can happen even to non chains as well.

Bake your own. It's not that much work, and does not take much longer than waiting for delivery*.

https://kiwifarms.net/threads/itt-we-try-to-make-pizza-for-the-first-time-from-scratch.73599/

*: You don't have to let the dough proof for days in the fridge. Or, you can freeze the dough after a few days. If you freeze it flat and pie shaped it will thaw in ~20 minutes.

 

[Dom Cruise]

Bake your own. It's not that much work, and does not take much longer than waiting for delivery*.

https://kiwifarms.net/threads/itt-we-try-to-make-pizza-for-the-first-time-from-scratch.73599/

*: You don't have to let the dough proof for days in the fridge. Or, you can freeze the dough after a few days. If you freeze it flat and pie shaped it will thaw in ~20 minutes.

I can try it but from what I understand pizza cooked in a regular oven is never going to be as good as cooked in a pizza oven, right?

 

[Some JERK]

I can try it but from what I understand pizza cooked in a regular oven is never going to be as good as cooked in a pizza oven, right?

Depends on whether or not you're willing to heat up your entire house by cranking your oven to the max and letting a pizza stone sit in it for an hour before you book your pizza.

 

[The Real SVP]

I can try it but from what I understand pizza cooked in a regular oven is never going to be as good as cooked in a pizza oven, right?

Depends on whether or not you're willing to heat up your entire house by cranking your oven to the max and letting a pizza stone sit in it for an hour before you book your pizza.

That's where oil (or butter), and sugar, and your broiler, and selecting the right cheese come in. It's a bit of an art, but after some experimentation I can outperform any corporate pizzeria with my 250° C oven.
Both of the guys I linked above made videos about it.

His website is worth a visit. https://stellaculinary.com/stella-culinarys-pizza-resource-page

Pizza is a good example of why learning how to cook is about the why rather than the how. If you only look at how professional cooks do it, you might come to the conclusion that you can't make a good pizza without a high temperature oven. But if you look at what makes a pizza good (Why is it good?) you can discover different ways to reach the same goal.

 

[Dom Cruise]

That's where oil (or butter), and sugar, and your broiler, and selecting the right cheese come in. It's a bit of an art, but after some experimentation I can outperform any corporate pizzeria with my 250° C oven.
Both of the guys I linked above made videos about it.

His website is worth a visit. https://stellaculinary.com/stella-culinarys-pizza-resource-page

Pizza is a good example of why learning how to cook is about the why rather than the how. If you only look at how professional cooks do it, you might come to the conclusion that you can't make a good pizza without a high temperature oven. But if you look at what makes a pizza good (Why is it good?) you can discover different ways to reach the same goal.

This is definitely some interesting stuff, thank you for sharing.

Ironic that I started this thread asking what tastes similar to shitty pizza (and by all means, don't stop telling me how to capture that Showbiz magic as well)

 

[Smaug's Smokey Hole]

I can try it but from what I understand pizza cooked in a regular oven is never going to be as good as cooked in a pizza oven, right?

It will be better than frozen pizza and it won't take that long to make from scratch and it can be really cheap. Even the super-basic ones can be really good because they're so fresh out of the oven. Back as a student I used bacon as the topping, not because of the bacon meme, but the fat rendered nicely with the cheese, added some salt and it got a light smokey flavor, it tasted more than it cost. The cheese was just generic(authentic) trash cheese I grated, nothing wrong with it and it melts well. The sauce was home cooked dtrash-marinara, canned crushed tomatos with whatever spices I had, I it let thicken in a pan for 10 minutes(most of the time, spice it up and apply it very lightly and it will cook on the pizza). I let the dough rise for 45-60 minutes before I baked it out on an over tray for a big, square pizza, two dinners for a total cost of like €2.

Apply these cost cutting measures on a large scale and you too can own a corporate pizza chain!

 

[Dom Cruise]

I bought a Home Run Inn pizza as well.

It'll be a while till I eat either it or the Tombstone because oven pizza is usually a last resort dinner for me, but they'll get eaten eventually and I'll let you know which one I think gave me the most "Showbiz" vibes.

 

[Pocket Dragoon]

I'd say a plain Hungry Howie's pie is the closest in flavor to what I remember, with the added bonus of actually being really good pizza.

And though I normally detest flavored crusts, Howie's cajun crust is fucking tits.

 

[Syaoran Li]

I've never been to Chuck E. Cheese in my entire life.

Usually, Mr. Gatti's was the place we went to. It was similar to Chuck E. Cheese but there wasn't a band and grown-ups could eat there on their own since they had more of a dining area.

Mr. Gatti's was pretty much halfway between Cici's Pizza and Chuck E. Cheese, both in terms of the kind of restaurant you went to and the quality of pizza they served. Generally, I liked it but I was a kid and it wasn't as good when I went there as an adult.

 

[big ups liquid richard]

Home Run Inn pizza is what I guessed it's probably similar to as Home Run Inn is something I've eaten before and it just kind of gave me that "vibe"

It's been a while since I've eaten Home Run Inn though and I chose Tombstone over it this time, maybe next time I'll try Home Run Inn again.

For the money, I think Home Run Inn is the best frozen pizza. Very simple ingredients, and the cheese is already melted so you don't have that shredded frozen cheese mess. I think their thin crust pies are the best, as the original crust versions are thick and crunchy, so you have to chew a lot more. On sale, I can usually get a thin crust for around $4.50. Original crust always costs a dollar or two more, but its a lot more food.

I like little C's but as others pointed out, if you don't eat it within 10-15 minutes of it being cooked, the crust starts to get hard and everything gets bland.

 

[Dom Cruise]

I ate the Tombstone pizza.

I was actually pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it, as far as frozen pizza goes it's better than something like Red Baron.

And I would say it had a pretty "Showbiz" vibe.