n Best Overall Restaurant – Not to denigrate Pizza House, but the only explanation for this award is that the majority of people voting have not ventured past the Diag on their extensive quest for fine dining. Pizza House does have some damn good food, but there are many other places west of State Street that are more qualified for this award.
n Best Restaurant for Large Groups – If it’s a weekend night around pre or post-bar time, Pizza House will be packed with hoards of unruly and famished students. Luckily, the restaurant is equipped to handle massive groups at any time of the night. The fast and friendly wait-staff is always ready to handle the larger orders (just don’t order more than a couple milkshakes for one party; they hate that).
The recent renovation of the outdoor terrace, which is now the enclosed smoking section, is an added bonus for larger groups.
n Best Late Night Munchies –
When it comes to sit-down restaurants that are close to campus and open until the crack of dawn, Pizza House is the only game in town. Some may say that the Fleetwood Diner deserves this award, and it does have many advantages, but the Fleetwood’s severely limited seating and its proximity to campus give Pizza House the edge. Late night is the time to hit the appetizer menu. Their three cheese quesadillas are possibly nature’s perfect food, but the steak fries and pepperoni sticks put up a good show.
n Best Take-out – The biggest fear of anyone ordering pizza is that their order will be last in the driver’s run and will arrive cold and slightly congealed. With Pizza House, the food is almost always piping hot, and the delivery guys are seldom surly. As for punctuality, they usually stick pretty close to their predicted time, but even they commit the heinous sin of hour-long delivery times occasionally.
n Best Pizza – While not exactly the most economical choice, pizza at the House is a solid bet. They have a wide array of ingredients ranging from standard pepperoni and onions to more exotic choices like shrimp, but the crowning achievement of Pizza House (and maybe modern science) is the Southwestern Barbeque pizza. It must be tried by all. The cost-to-size ratio of their pizza is not impressive, and you will occasionally order the large and ask yourself, “that’s it?”, but quality makes up for lack of quantity.
n Best Dinner – Pizza House has quickly come to be known as the place where a student can spend a week’s wages in approximately 17 seconds. Many a pitiable student has gasped upon seeing his bill at Pizza House, which can add up deceivingly fast. Warning: If you order a sub, and they ask you whether you want fries or onion rings with that, think carefully, because those are not free. They are extra, and you will find out the hard way when they gouge you for that extra dollar on the bill. It may not seem like that much, but that’s how they get ya.
n Best Salads – Ok, I’m sure that their salads are really spectacular, but if you’re going to Pizza House for salad, you should be ashamed of yourself.
n Best Chipatis – Considering that this is basically bread and salad, the only possible explanation for the popularity of the chipati is the accompanying mysterious concoction that is Pizza House’s chipati sauce. This light orange brew is a distant cousin of a fast food place’s secret sauce, and it’s damn tasty.