Ledo Pizza

 

0

9

Andrew R.

Laurel, MD

Not sure why the other person gave this a 5, maybe a different branch was way better.  This was one of those places we went to try, but will never go back.  Not because it was horrible, but because it wasn't good enough to warrant another trip.

I think this is a great example of how a few tweaks to their menu and how they put their food together could improve their offering by leaps and bounds.

For starters, they only offer Dr. Pepper in a 20 oz bottle, which means no refills.  Not a huge deal, we got root beer instead, but a seeminly easy matter to correct.

Then we ordered breadsticks to go with our pizza.  I don't know about you, but when I think about "an order of breadsticks" I think of a basket, kind of like what you get at the Olive Garden for free.  Well, here breadsticks cost $2 and they give you 3 breadsticks (and a little thing of pizza sauce to dip them in).  Now, for Heaven's sake, not only is that rather expensive for breadsticks ($.66 each), but 3 seems like an unitelligent amount of breadsticks to give 2 people. If you're going to charge for breadsticks, think more about what a customer would want and adjust your offering.

Then there was the pizza.  Their pizzas are rectangular and are served on cafeteria trays; that alone gives the impression of poor quality and cost-cutting.  The crust reminded me of the Pillsbury dough you buy in the can, then roll out on a cookie sheet, but even more soggy and flimsy.  We got the Ledo Deluxe or something that sounded very good on the menu, but when it came, it reminded me of what a 4th grader might make if told to make a pizza, given all the ingredients he would ever need, and never taught how to make a pizza.  All the ingredients by themselves were alright enough, though their pepperoni didn't match the American definition of pepperoni, but when all brought together you had this huge, greasy, flimsy, mix of stuff.  We couldn't even hold a piece.  Not only was it too piled and flimsy, but the pieces were tiny.  Then there was the bacon.  It came with bacon, but for some reason they thought it would be a good idea put a whole pig's worth of bacon on top, way more than you could or would want to eat on a pizza, and I love bacon.  I would rather they save the money on so much bacon and give me more breadsticks.  We ate enough to be satisfied and then left about 2/3 of the pizza, since it wasn't something we'd want to have more than once.

Our server was kind and always kept our drinks full.  The place was clean, and close to where we live, so you can take everything for what it's worth.  Two drinks, 3 breadsticks (1 order), and a cafeteria tray-sized pizza, with tip came to about $26, so pricing isn't really an issue.  However, next time I want pizza, I'll go to Papa Johns for more pizza for less money, and I know it's good.  Now if Ledo's would make some changes and create an offering that would make someone want to repeat their experience, I might try them again, but for now, I'll spend my money elsewhere.

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18

20

Brian T.

San Diego, CA

Ledo Pizza is the only pizza that comes remotely close to Jioio's in Latrobe, PA.  Even sometimes I like it better depending on my mood and the lunar calendar.

When I moved from the Pittsburgh are down to the Bal-Wash area, I was instantly longing for Jioio's. However, we had Ledo's and not Jioio's, so as CSNY puts it, "Love the one your with."

Ledo's is not chopped liver by any means.  While the original location is in Adelphi, I find this location to make the better pizza consistently.  My friend Ryan and I would eat here about 1-2 times a week religiously and we got to the point where we never had to ever say a word.  They brought out our 2 tossed salads and medium cheese pizza.

MEDIUM and PLAIN (explained)

On the topic of the medium: somehow the medium is the best and I am not quite sure why? Small and Large both are tasty, but the medium just comes out of the oven better. Also, while there are toppings to choose from, the plain comes out better and I CAN explain this one. Ledo Pizza is fairly saucy and has a higher moisture content and toppings often add to this moisture content and it ends up a bit on the wet side and the cheese doesn't get as bubbly or the dough just doesn't bake up the way it should in my opinion.

Okay, so I have eaten a load of Ledo pizza in my life and I wish I could still eat it here in San Diego. :-(  The pizza comes on the cafeteria tray that says Ledo Pizza. The foundation is a pie dough type crust that is not usually fully cooked, so it has some sweet chewiness. mmm... Then the ladle on there signature sauce, which is really tangy and has a slight sweetness to it. Forrealz, the sauce is some of the best pizza sauce in my opinion. I am not a huge fan of most pizza sauces, but this stuff just makes me want to order a side of extra sauce to dip the already liberally sauced pizza in. To top it off they use a perfect amount of cheese. I believe that the cheese used is not straight mozzarella, but a blend with an amount of something saltier with more zing, provolone is my educated guess.  Anyhow the result of these flavors linking together like Voltron on your palate is delicious and addictive. It also makes a pizza that cries out to be snuggled up by some beers (I recommend lots of Natty Boh!).

While pizza is not the only thing on the menu, it is the best thing on the menu. It's so good that Oprah showcased Ledo Pizza on her best Pizzas in America show.

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