Waves of chatter and excitement filled Anderson 304 as staff of the Oracle gathered around awaiting the delivery of more pizza boxes to add to a growing pile. The goal was to find the best pizza in the Hamline-Midway area. Two pizzas from four locations each were chosen. Along with our staff’s opinions came the approval of the child-in-residence. 

 The pizza restaurants  in the competition were Mario’s, Doge Pizza, Pizza Lucé and Tono Pizzaria + Cheesesteaks. 

Mario’s Pizza had its 4 Cheese and Supreme pizzas at the event. The 4 Cheese pizza features fresh mozzarella, pecorino, ricotta and parmesan. Many of the people who had it noted that they really liked the combination of mozzarella and ricotta cheeses on the same pizza. 

“Ricotta and mozzarella combo!! Amazing! Minus a point for cooking the basil,” Reagan Clark Life Reporter said of Mario’s 4 Cheese pizza. 

The cooking of the basil made a few rate this particular pizza lower because cooking the basil has a less potent flavor than if they had put fresh basil on top of it. 

The Supreme pizza from Mario’s seemed to be of low quality to multiple people who ate it, as they expected more from a restaurant. 

“Sauce tastes like tomato soap. On God. Like Campbell’s,” LaNiesha Bisek, life reporter, said. 

Multimedia Content Creator Justice Vue thought that Mario’s Supreme was similar to the shape and taste of packaged  meals that he has had in the past. 

“I would totally eat this out of a microwavable meal,” Vue said. 

Doge Pizza had their Heavenly Hawaiian Pizza and Buffalo Chicken Pizza, which  brought with it the debate on whether pineapple belongs on pizza or not. 

“It is simply the best pineapple and Canadian bacon, and yes it belongs on pizza,” Isaac Roy Sports Reporter said of the Doge Heavenly Hawaiian Pizza.

The child-in-residence apparently loves pineapple on pizza but hated the Canadian bacon addition. 

“I give this pizza a 0/0,” the child-in-residence said pointing at the Doge Heavenly Hawaiian Pizza. 

Pizza Lucé’s Fire Breathing Dragon’s name caught the attention of many, noting that it was intriguing and lured people to want to grab it. 

“Looks cool. It’s a cool name, I like dragons,” Sports Reporter Aidan Lewald said of the Fire Breathing Dragon Pizza. 

The balance of the sweet chili sauce and the jerk chicken on it gave it a nice kick, but not too much heat to  ruin the flavors. 

“From something called the ‘Fire Breathing Dragon,’ I expected my mouth to be on fire from the spice so I was a little disappointed with the spice amount but the taste was very good regardless,” Communications Liaison Eliza Hagstrom said.  

Pizza Lucé’s Garden Veggie Pizza came with a mix of raw and charred veggies. With the name ‘Garden’ people expected there to be more fresh veggies overall.  

“It is not my favorite. Does not hit,” Editor-In-Chief Anika Besst said of the Garden Veggie Pizza. 

Tono Pizzaria + Cheesesteaks brought three pizzas, one of which sparked quite the controversy in the group. 

The No.15 Sicilia was a Sicilian pizza with alfredo sauce that many people were looking forward to tasting. The sauce was very good, but many wished that there was more of it. 

“I could really go for some more sauce. It’s a little dry,” Besst said. “Appearance-wise, I think she is pretty. Very aesthetically pleasing pizza.” 

The toppings and sauce together were a great combination, a balance of flavors that was really enjoyable. 

“Boy, this stuff is good,” Sports Editor Cathryn Salis said of Tono’s No.15 Sicillia pizza.

The Tono. 12 has red sauce, sausage, pepperoni, caramelized tomato, caramelized onion and Tono red chili oil. This pizza was a hit for those that like thin-crusted pizza. 

“It is good. I like the variety in flavor, and all the toppings add to the look. I am a fan of thin crust and this one’s kind of thin,” Besst said. 

The toppings added to the appeal of this pizza as well, many rated this pizza high for topping quality. 

Tono’s pizza had “the best’ toppings according to Copy Chief Sabine Benda. 

Now for the most controversial pizza of the night: The Chocolate Hazelnut Pizza. 

This dessert was a Nutella-like chocolate hazelnut spread on a flatbread crust topped with powdered sugar, 

“Gives Jewish energy. Reminds me of when my grandparents would make chocolate matzah. Love you grandma Jo and papa!” Aiden Lewald said of the Chocolate Hazelnut Pizza.

It seemed that you either loved or hated this particular Pizza. The child-in-residence did devour this pizza and took the biggest slice they found. 

“I found the dessert pizza to be a most unpleasant experience, almost Kafkaesque in its inception. Whoever created it…why? What have you wrought upon this world?” Managing Editor Robin Doyscher said.

Those who were against it seemed to despise the invention.

“Powdered sugar? MORE sugar?! But it’s also just bad because it breaks up the silky sheen of Nutella, appears dimpled and grainy,” Advisor Trevor Maine said of the Chocolate Hazelnut Pizza. 

Overall, Mario’s pizza had the highest rating for crust and Tono Pizzaria + Cheesesteaks got the highest rating for sauce and appearance overall. For the quality of toppings Pizza Lucé and Tono Pizzaria + Cheesesteaks had the same average rating. 

Overall the highest-rated local pizzeria that takes the cake, or in this case, pie, was Tono Pizzaria + Cheesesteaks.