Review: The Best Pizza in Iowa

Let's put on our thinking caps and remember back to the days of yore. The days when nickel beer night was the highlight of the week - when a pile of quarters on your dresser was a necessity - when black & gold were the primary colors in my wardrobe. That's right - COLLEGE!

Photo courtesy of Pagliaisic.com

My favorite place during all of college was Pagliai's Pizza - it's an institution in Iowa City. The tradition was watching the Homecoming Parade across the street from the Old Capital (the original capital of Iowa - was Iowa City) and then as SOON as the parade got by you - you SPRINTED to Pagliai's. If you didn't get there quick enough - you'd be in a line that went out the door and around the block. 

I hadn't been to Pagliai's since I moved out of Iowa City which was the year after graduation - so um - a long ass time. The menu is simple - pizza. 

One of my favorite things is that you can watch the guys making the pizza up front. It's tradition.

And there it is - the amazingness that is Pagliai's. If you go - beware - IT'S HOT AS HELL when you get it. Our standby order was 1/2 pepperoni/green pepper and 1/2 sausage/mushroom and of course I had to recreate it. It was just as good as I remembered! 

The crust is thin and crispy - the sauce is a bright red tomato sauce - the cheese is browned and a little crispy and the toppings are fresh! 

I ate. And ate. And ate. And ATE! 

I was practically going from table to table asking strangers for their leftovers. OMG it's so good! 

We also sat in the world's largest camping chair (okay - maybe not "world's) - but that's fun - right?

And after pizza - WRESTLING!! LET'S GO HAWKS!!!

It was so much fun to grab some nostalgia - I hadn't been to a Hawkeye wrestling meet in about the same amount of time (15+ years) and man was it fun! Hearing the fight song and watching the Hawks get about a million takedowns - such fun!

Why Should You Go? If you live in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area and haven't been to Pagliai's - you might want to get your mental status checked. It's the best. Go tomorrow - they open at 4.