Revisiting the great pizza debate

After all the chatter leading up to the WS debut of Garlic Jim’s, it’s been open a month now, and the buzz has died down. A lot of folks gave it a try, with mixed reviews. So we’re asking today, has your pizza routine changed? Is GJ’s a regular part of it? Or, has the Pagliacci delivery-zone extension changed anything for you? We’ll start: Since GJ’s delivers to us but Pagliacci doesn’t, we haven’t gotten Pag pizza in weeks. (We’re sure they’re not missing us, since we’re not frequent pizza procurers.) Got GJ’s recently; 25 minutes from order to delivery, slightly overbrowned pepperoni pizza (left). We’ve noticed two major differences between GJ and Pagliacci: price, and subtlety — Pagliacci flavors can be subtle; GJ’s, generally not. Which is fine by us, as you would never mistake us for actual gourmets, though we do think GJ’s beats the non-locally based delivery chains (Papa John, Pizza Hut, Domino’s), and the price is right. Next up in the WS pizza world: the mysterious (still can’t find a biz license or anything else pointing us to who’s behind it) Giannoni’s (and neighboring Taco del Mar) is progressing at Westwood Village (right)

CandrewB April 28, 2007 (1:50 pm)

Yes, I realize the natives are real sick of hearing this. Since being transferred from Chicago in 2002, I have not had a great pizza; in fact, I’ve pretty much given up on the idea all together. Pags isn’t bad though. Now don’t get mad, your seafood and sushi/Thai is fantastic. Every region has their own specialty. Interestingly enough, the best pizza I ever had was this place in San Francisco that didn’t even specialize in it.

Jiggers April 28, 2007 (1:52 pm)

Jim’s is too epensive in my opinion. Not worth the value.

Sean April 28, 2007 (2:37 pm)

I actually liked Garlic Jim’s very much. I like the fact that they put corn-flour in their crust – it does improve the texture. I like their bold flavors and exotic toppings. I don’t care Pagliacci’s doesn’t deliver to us. Garlic Jim’s is our new fave delivery pizza!

Delivery Dude April 28, 2007 (2:41 pm)

What I like more than anything else is giving EXTRA LARGE tips to delivery drivers who delivery EXTRA LARGE pizzas timely and courteously. : )

The House April 28, 2007 (3:26 pm)

Sorry GJ, I tried your pizza and I thought it OK but don’t see myself ordeing it regularly (despite the fact that you deliver). Abondanza is still the best pizza around followed by Pags!

Sue April 28, 2007 (3:40 pm)

I never have pizza delivered and rarely eat it out since few pizzas compare to the NYC pizza I grew up on. That said, I did go to Garlic Jim’s right after they opened. I was very unimpressed. It was good, but frankly no better than anything I’ve ordered at Dominos, at twice the price; the price was shocking for what we ordered. I would not go back again. I also found the waitstaff at GJ’s to run around so fast that they nearly knocked me down on the way to the bathroom, and nearly knocked the condiments off the end of our table. I do like Tallarico’s probably the best of the local places and do NOT like Pagliacci’s.

Trevor F. Smith April 28, 2007 (3:44 pm)

I’m stuck on the Feta Fetish pie from Amante, so I haven’t tried Garlic Jim’s yet.

Phinneas April 28, 2007 (4:07 pm)

Having been a longtime customer of Papa Johns, but not being all that happy with them lately, the Garlic Jim’s arrival inspired me to look for other options. Unfortunately GJ is way too expensive for my taste, so I finally decided to give a shot to the unremarkable little corner pizza hole-in-the-wall, called A-Pizza-Mart, at the corner of 35th & Roxbury. I was never really interested, judging it my its name and apparent insignificance. It turned out to be the best pizza I’ve had in WS other than of course Pegasus. Loaded with toppings (PJ’s has gotten pretty chincy there, imho).I never would have expected it, but this place is my new pizza fave.

Lou April 28, 2007 (4:10 pm)

We tried GJs and we were not impressed. The basic pepperoni pizza was nothing better than Papa Johns or Pizza Time. We also had an artichoke pizza with their garlic sauce – not bad but nothing exciting.

My wife likes Pags much more than me. I personally like Chicago-style the most and I haven’t ventured out to find such a place in Seattle. So I’m stuck ordering from…well, Chicago at http://www.loumalnatis.com/.

Berkeley has Zachary’s pizza which is some of the best Chicago style in the country.

I’ll stick to ordering my pizza from Lucianos for now.

WSB April 28, 2007 (5:23 pm)

Re: GJ price, they send out a lot of coupons, so if you are interested in patronizing them (or trying again), look for them in the junk mail. I don’t think we’ve paid non-discounted rate yet.

Tish April 28, 2007 (5:38 pm)

Since I contributed to the hoopla, it’s only right that I comment. I ordered from Garlic Jim’s and am woeful to admit that I hated it. I could have been that particular day/pizza but the garlic (included the not-so-great burnt cloves)was REALLY strong (and I should note that I love garlic). Additionally, the combination of ingredients (I ordered the Margherita and the Chipotle) was rather unspectacular. The result? I’ve remained a loyal Pags customer. Since they now deliver to my area (woohoo!), I’ve even started to order from them more often. So thanks Pags (and sorry Garlic Jims!).

Bubba April 28, 2007 (6:14 pm)

keep an eye out for the Veraci Pizza trailers and treat yourself to a damn fine pizza. Unfortunately the WS farmers market didn’t work out but if you’re down at the sculpture park this summer give it a try
http://www.veracipizza.com/calendar.html

Bill April 28, 2007 (7:32 pm)

Lou: Malnatis!! Oh, I miss that deep dish totally layered with italian sausage. And the butter crust!! DROOOOL!!!

Ali April 28, 2007 (8:15 pm)

The only place we get pizza from is Pegasus on Alki. House Toms Special and a Greek salad and I’m in heaven!

Lou April 28, 2007 (8:38 pm)

I just ordered 4 pies from Lou Malnati’s – 2 cheese and 2 ronis…Getting them on Friday…I can’t wait!

Mike April 29, 2007 (7:26 am)

Luciano’s next to the Admiral Theater is good pizza pie and they deliver throughout West Seattle, far and wide.

K April 29, 2007 (7:53 am)

Hey Bill-I’m with you on Lou Malnati’s. Just can’t find good pizza in Seattle and can’t understand why. When I need a fix and can’t get home to Chicago, I order their pizza and have it shipped Fed Ex. SUCH A TREAT! It’s fun to have friends over and order a bunch!

Agen April 29, 2007 (8:49 am)

With the recent addition to our home (now 6 weeks old), we’ve found ourselves ordering from Garlic Jims about once a week. We’ve been stuck on the Garlic Gourmet (we go the vegetarian route, so there’s only the Veggie Special and the Margharita that apply to us from GJ), but we don’t have any complaints about it. Our usual pizza ordering routine is picking up from Stellar in Georgetown, so this is definitely more convenient. And while we have enjoyed the Garlic Gourmet, it’s a distant second to the Corson Classic and Corky’s Veggie at Stellar.

WSB April 29, 2007 (9:40 am)

Part of the joy of keeping this site is learning so much from you guys. ORDER PIZZA BY FED EX??? Would never have imagined. Reminds us of the famous story of Oprah having Ezell’s Fried Chicken flown to her from here TO Chicago. But seriously, is it frozen? Or do they have some other way of preserving a pizza? Checked their site and couldn’t really tell.

CH April 29, 2007 (10:46 am)

http://www.tastesofchicago.com/faqs

Perishable products are flash frozen and packed with dry ice in a reusable “keep fresh” cooler and shipped via UPS next day air saver for delivery by 7 p.m.

Bill April 29, 2007 (10:56 am)

I ordered 2 Roni and 2 Sausage yesterday after commenting here. Should be here Tuesday…MMMMMMM!! Some friends said the pizzas heat up delicious, and are packed up very nicely with dry ice. Haven’t had Malnati’s pizza for a few years. This will be a treat.

Bill April 29, 2007 (11:00 am)

Agen: We’ve recently discovered Georgetown, so I’m glad to hear a ‘za joint mentioned. Fri night we ate dinner and chugged Manny’s at Jules Maes. What a great place! Smarty pants has all those great sandwiches too. We’ll try Stellar soon…

flipjack April 29, 2007 (11:01 am)

We had Garlic Jims the other day. Fast delivery, not cheap, but the pie was really good. Great thin crust, quality ingredients (fresh and REAL mozarella cheese)… I’d say give them a try. We had a veggie pizza with pepperoni. We also like A-pizza mart when we’re on a budget. Friendly delivery and definately better than Pizza Rut and the other big chains.

Steph April 29, 2007 (6:28 pm)

The other great thing about having Chicago style pizza shipped from Chicago’s Lou Malnati’s, is that it is packed in dry ice. Dry ice provides hours of entertainment while you enjoy your awesome pizza.

Westseattlite April 30, 2007 (7:13 am)

Basically, Garlic Jim’s is a step-up from the national chain. I would hardly call it ‘gourmet’. Not to say that it’s the BEST pizza I’ve ever had…but not quite Pagliacci’s level.