When Wendi and I were looking for Raising Cane’s in the Columbus area in April 2018, I happened to notice it was near Giordano’s, a franchise known for its Chicago deep dish-style pizza. I made a mental note of the restaurant because I wanted to come back some time to try the pizza. For the record, I am not a big fan of deep dish pizza — but I was willing to see if this one would change my mind. I prefer Neapolitan/New York-style pizza, which is the kind I grew up eating in Revere, Mass.
We were in the Columbus area to celebrate the first birthday of our great-niece, Isabella. We had a good time with Bella, her parents, Ashley and Adam, her brothers, Dee and Noah, and other family members. I suggested to Wendi before we got there that we don’t eat much at the party so we would still be hungry for Giordano’s. I had been craving chicken wings lately. When we were seated, Wendi noticed them on the menu. She asked if I wanted the wings, and I said I would rather get the Giordano’s sampler for less than $2 more. It was a good decision.
The sampler was awesome. Wendi loved the bruschetta. The bread/crostini was toasted and layered with thick slices of fresh mozzarella cheese. Sometimes the bruschetta will include sun dried tomatoes and onions, but Wendi didn’t recall it having either. I had just a little. I typically want my mozzarella melted on a pizza, in a calzone or on a meatball sub. But, it looked like the tomatoes were mixed with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, seasonings, and fresh basil.
The fried mozzarella triangles were good, too. And, as you can see from the photo below, very cheesy.
In looking at the photos of the sampler, it dawned on me cheese plays an important and significant role in the sampler. It is featured prominently in the bruschetta, the mozzarella triangles, and in the cheesy garlic bread. This doesn’t even take into account the pizza, which was filled with cheese … more cheese than you can imagine.
The final selection in the sampler platter was the boneless wings. They were a little small, but tasty. The Buffalo sauce was good, as was the barbecue sauce. The thing with the Buffalo sauce was you had to use the right amount. If you put a lot of sauce on your chicken, then it tasted a little to vinegary. However, with just the right amount, the flavor really came through. The barbecue sauce was sweet and smokey.
When we sat down, the waitress informed us the pizzas were made to order, and it would take about 45 minutes to get one. The decision to go with the sampler was a good idea, as it broke up the time. I also thought we would eat about half of the sampler, take it home, and then have it with leftover pizza. We ended up eating everything, except for a couple pieces of the cheesy garlic bread. Wendi really loved the bruschetta. I enjoyed the boneless wings. We both enjoyed the mozzarella triangles.
In my mind, a deep dish pizza is a hearty, stuffed pizza. So, I didn’t think Wendi and I could have ordered our old standby pizza: Pepperoni and bacon. (If I am ordering a pizza for myself, it is always a cheese pizza. If I am ordering for Wendi and me, it is pepperoni and bacon.) It needed to have more ingredients. So, we asked our waitress if we should also include meatballs or seasoned ground beef. She said the meatballs were good. It was settled: We ordered a large pizza with pepperoni, bacon, and meatballs. The price of the large was not significantly more than a medium, so I ordered us a large pizza, knowing we would be taking some home.
When the pizza came out, I was surprised at how high the sides were. The manager brought the pizza out and served Wendi and me our first slices of Giordano’s deep dish, stuffed pizza. I couldn’t wait to try the pizza. So, I happily dove in. Now, I must admit, I do not know the proper etiquette for eating Chicago-style pizza. If we were in Boston, I would not eat pizza with a knife and fork. However, that is exactly what I did with my slice of Giordano’s pizza.
Wendi said she was surprised to see just how thin the crust was. It was a pretty thin foundation for holding such a hefty amount of ingredients. Spoiler alert: We didn’t eat the entire large pizza, and when I was carrying the box of leftover pizza to the car, I was complaining because it was so heavy. Normally on a pizza, the sauce goes on the crust, then the cheese goes on top of the sauce, and the toppings finish off the pie. With this stuffed pizza, the ingredients go on top of the crust, followed by a ton of cheese. All of this is topped with the sauce.
As I started eating the pizza, I was somewhat shocked that I really didn’t like it. I realize I prefer a Neapolitan pizza, but I had heard so many good things about Giordano’s that I wanted to try it. I am glad I did get a chance to experience it. I just didn’t like the “total package” that was the stuffed pizza. I tried to break it down, so I started nibbling on the individual ingredients. The meatballs were good, just like the waitress said. The pepperoni was good. The bacon was good, and Giordano’s uses real bacon slices that they cook in the restaurant. You are not getting those ground up bacon bits. The cheese was great and plentiful. They pack the cheese on it. The pizza sauce is pretty good, too. So, what did the pie in?
The crust. It was flavorless. There was nothing about it that stood out other than its height. Like I said about the pizza crust at Mama Santa’s, it could have used a little salt. As I was eating my slice of pizza, it tasted pretty good when I scooped the ingredients off the crust. So, I finished my slice, leaving the crust from the edge. I ate it plain, and it did nothing for me. I then decided to dip it in the ranch dressing from the sampler plate, and the ranch made it OK.
While this is not my preferred style of pizza, I am glad we tried it. I love the interior of the restaurant, which features brick and open ceilings with exposed ductwork. Wendi enjoyed the music, as they were playing 80’s top 40 hits. Everything I ate tasted good, except the crust. It was good quality. The server and the manager were very friendly. Wendi and I ended up eating only one slice of pizza at the restaurant, but it was not because we didn’t like the pizza. Rather, it was because we were so full after eating that sampler, which we loved.
So, even though the pizza was not my favorite, I have no reservations recommending you try Giordano’s. I am definitely in the minority when it comes to Giordano’s. So, if you go, let us know how you like it.
