Garcia's Pizza In A Pan

I really wanted to like this place. Garcia's Pizza was a hot spot during my years at ISU, and I hadn't eaten at any of their locations for over twenty years. When I approached the restaurant, my expectations were high, and the employee at the counter said that customers (like me) told him that it tasted just how they remembered. Great!

However, nothing could have been further from the truth. I ordered two sausage slices at about 6:45 on a Wednesday evening. I was disappointed from the first bite. The slices were served hot, but the dough was yeasty, the sauce was acidic, and the toppings were meager. The thin layer of cheese was flavorless, and there seemed to be only about three pieces of (equally bland) sausage per slice. That was especially depressing, since I remembered the days when Garcia's sausage was known for its unique blend of spices. Another reviewer had called their slices "pizza bread," and that description is spot on.

Well, Garcia's...I'll still have my memories, but I won't be making any new ones at this location.

When I was young, Peoria had a Garcia's Pizza in the mall. It was one of those places I just hoped my mom said yes to when shopping. I was a pizza craved kid so any would do. Nostalgia finally got the best of me so I decided to stop. I held off because many of the early reviews were mixed. I thought I would give the place a chance to find a footing before I dropped in.

I decided to go with the Gutbuster. That turned out to be more like a expectation buster. In my glory days that wouldn't have filled me upside the name is just a name. The crust is not crisp. Very doughy. If I'm going to carb up then I need it to be delicious. The pizza wasn't horrible just not great. I have had better frozen pizza.

I found it weird the employee at the counter wore a hoodie the whole time. I get it's a casual setting and all but come on. They had a PS2 hooked up with Pac Man available to play. That was cool. I always liked the interior of that restaurant spot. Too bad it's housed by a place I probably won't visit again.

This was my first time eating at Garcia's Pizza in a Pan, and it will be my last. From uninviting employees to stale and cold pizza, the location is nothing to write home about. Next time I will just order a $5 hot n' ready. Typically, I'm a pushover when it comes to any type of pizza, which usually shows in my star rating. I have a soft spot for pizza in my heart, which also makes me have a soft tummy; however, in this case I just can't.

I ate at Garcia's (on Dale St) as often as I could as a nearby high school student at NCHS. I later ate at their Wright street location nearly every day as a college student at UIUC. So I admit to being nostaligic at this place. Sadly, Garcia's didn't quite live up to those memories. But it was still pretty good. 4 stars is probably overly generous, but I think some of the criticism I see here is a bit harsh.

The good: The sauce is still slightly sweet, they pile up the toppings pretty well, the breadsticks are largely the same. Service was also perfectly fine for a place you order at the counter (so it isn't a full service restaurant).

The so-so: There is a pre-made aspect to the slices. This means they aren't sitting out in pans under heat lamps, as they were in the past; they have half done slices and then top them and bake again (this is dinner, lunch may be different). This means it isn't as crusty as the old version as another reviewer noted, but the positive is that you can customize any slice you want and it really doesn't take any additional time. This is the same way the Mattis street location in Champaign has operated for some time, but it is obviously different than Garcias in the 90s.

The bad: On a cold Friday night in Bloomington, it was downright freezing in the lower floor. I know it is hard to heat these old buildings, but they still need to try better than they are. Also, they didn't have the baby stuffed for dinner, so I couldn't try that out. They have never had the baby stuffed other than at lunch, so I wasn't expecting it anyway.

All in all, I'm glad to see Garcia's back in town. I'm glad to see a good dine in pizza place in Downtown Bloomington. And I'll stop by when I can.

Lived in Watterson, lived close to Dale st while it was open. Worked at ISU in the late 80s-90s until Garcia's closed. Ate A LOT of Garcia's. Back in the day, it was important to ask "what's up" to avoid the custom cook times.

Today, it is all custom cook. So order ahead! OR Drifters opens at 5 and has pass-through ordering to Garcia's. I usually order at Garcas so I can talk to the cook, and then wait at Drifters.

I've been here about once a month since they opened. The sauce is inconsistent, but I've found that asking for a long cook (they really are trying to get your food delivered quickly) gets a great pizza with crispy bottom.

Remember that those shaker tables are there for a reason; I like to add oregano, parmigiana, black pepper and reds.

My favorite is a gut-baby with a long cook. Takes about 23 minutes, or 1 pint. A baby is usually only available during lunch, but they will often do it for patient diners. I'd really like a half-baby, but I eat it very time. Second favorite is gut slice (long cook).

I'd never order delivery; I don't for almost anything, adds 5-15 minutes and really, everything in Blo-No is only 10-15 minutes away

So if you've tried and wanted more, try a long cook, doctor with the shakers, and go next door to Drifters for the wait or eat-in.

I have loved Garcia's since Jr High many years ago. It took them a little while to get everything figure out for the demand here and thanks to Clay they have done it.
The memories flood back.
So glad they came back to Blm/Nrl

As an Illinois State University student in the 80's, I ate at the Garcia's across from Watterson Towers. It was a fun atmosphere and the pizza was tasty. One of the few places where you could buy it by the slice.

I was happy to hear that they were opening up in Bloomington and finally got around to trying it trying with the family tonight. Bottom line - disappointing. The place smelled musty enough to be able to smell it over the pizza. I know it's an old building, but the interior had the appearance of being open for 15 years without a remodel. The service was just average. The pizza was less than average. There's nothing that compels me to return.

I had the Gutbuster. The girls had pepperoni.

Tony is a good man. He'll treat you well. $3.99 for a giant slice is hard to beat; great value for the price. If you're looking for the no-frills, good value yet tasty pizza kind of place, this is it.

This was a pretty underwhelming experience. My drunken, 2am expectations were low to begin with but this place didn't even live up to that. I don't like to hate-I think that every restaurant probably has their own history that I may never understand that lead them to this point-but the bread tasted a quarter cooked and I won't get this moment back. Would not recommend to a friend

I was excited to try their pan pizza. Unfortunately there is a quality control issue. The pizza sauce is delicious. We got delivery and the pizza was barely warm. The crust was very dry. The garden salad was unacceptable, old lettuce and old carrots. We tried to pick out the good lettuce but gave up. Very disappointed.