Every Pizza On Schlotzsky's Menu, Ranked Worst To Best

Schlotzsky's has always made its sandwiches the prime pick of the menu, but the pizzas at this deli chain are the unsung heroes here. You may not realize there are six premium pies available in personal pan sizes for your lunch and dinner enjoyment. Classics like cheese and pepperoni share the oven with novelty combos such as BBQ chicken and jalapeño, giving everyone's palate a fair shot at satisfaction. The best part? All of these pizzas feature fresh handmade crust churned out daily, with a texture that matches the chain's fresh-baked bread used for its sandwiches. And they're easier than ever to summon up, thanks to Schlotzsky's new layout that makes ordering more convenient.

Even among a six-pack of delicious blends, there are bound to be options that are more favorable than others. I hit the highway and headed to my closest Schlotzsky's to find out for myself how these tempting creations rate among one another; my trusty taste-testing team helped out with the meat-forward creations. Finding sneaky fast food pizza chains embedded in sandwich shops was a fun discovery to make, and though the pies all have their own special qualities, they were all incredibly tasty. It was a real task figuring out how they stacked up against one another, but in the end, it all came together deliciously.

Adding more cheese to the basic cheese pizza template before piling on slices of pepperoni all around creates an aptly-named pepperoni and double cheese pie that accentuates the gooey goodness with a dash of spicy flavor. The photo on the menu sets up expectations of a circular treat with evenly-distributed pepperoni slices given a shaking of grated Parmesan to finish it off. The pizza that arrived in the box might as well have been the one on the menu, for its precise recreation of the image. Anyone drooling over the picture won't be disappointed.

All in all, this one turned out to be a decent take for pepperoni, thought my tasting team wasn't as dazzled by this pie as they were by some of the others. There was absolutely nothing wrong with any of it, other than the familiarity and the fundamental commonness of what pepperoni pizza represents. My omnivores were expecting some sort of meaty twist on the standard pepperoni recipe; their hopes weren't exactly dashed when they found out it was a familiar pepperoni pie, but their taste buds also weren't overwhelmed with joy. That didn't keep them from eating an entire slice, however, which is always a good sign. Still, this one takes the bottom rung, because one of these pizzas has to place last.

The most unadorned of the Schlotzsky's pizza picks, the straightforward double cheese pie is a simple winner that serves timeless pizza vibes in a chain deli setting, with a customized twist or two to give this creation its own shining personality. With its winning flavors and no-nonsense presentation, it's a perfect example of how pizza became an American favorite and a prime pick for anyone unsure about adding too many elements to their pizza.

I loved the excellent rise on the crust here, which is chewy in the center and crispy on the edge. A scattering of fresh Parmesan shreds sprinkled like confetti over top of melted cheese perks up the texture profile, while just the right amount of sauce adds tomatoey tingle between cheese and crust. I wasn't shy about eating right through three slices of this one without thinking twice, which may not be the coolest thing to admit. But if that isn't a hallmark of a successful pizza, I don't know what is. If it seems a bit low on the list, it's only because the more creative combinations shoved it downward.

Schlotzsky's isn't serving shady pizza shop vibes or talking smack when it calls a pizza "meaty;" it's simply describing the contents of its meatiest pizza creation. This busy pie came covered in pepperoni, Italian sausage, and bacon, all wearing a snowfall of grated Parmesan. The toppings are densely packed, with each slice getting its fair share of the goods. My son in particular was impressed when he saw how much meat was stuffed into each slice. Even for a personal-size pizza, there were plenty of toppings to indulge in.

The combination of flavors turned out to be a meat lover's delight, which is certainly the intention of this pie. If there's such a thing as too much meat on a pizza, I would have said Schlotzsky's had achieved the pinnacle. But since I keep away from this type of topping, I deferred to my tasting team's opinion that this was one tasty pizza, with enough different textures and taste to keep their taste buds occupied with every bite. There's no arguing with a review like that, though there are pizzas on the list that they liked even better than this.

Schlotzsky's cooks up a stellar version of what a veggie pizza should be, with fresh tomato slices, crispy cubes of green bell pepper and red onion, and a sprinkling of mushrooms and olives to complete a pretty picture. The sauce is tangy, the cheese is smooth, and the scattering of fresh mozzarella on top of the melted cheese added interest to the texture profile. Again, the crust was a knockout, with the perfect balance of crunch and chewiness making every bite enjoyable.

If you've ever had veggie pizza where the toppings are either overcooked to the point of sliminess or undercooked to the point of rawness, you'll appreciate the steady application of heat that softens the tomatoes without burning the onions and leaves the bell peppers tender yet al dente enough to gently snap under your teeth. And the mushrooms come across as delicately sautéed rather than shriveled or left in their original foam-like fungal state. This pie is an excellent way to spruce up your lunch or dinner pizza enjoyment without resorting to meat based toppings. It may not be super original, but it's a great take on a familiar favorite.

A proper balance of veggies and meat helped the supreme Schlotzsky's pizza take a high spot in the ranking. The appearance of pepperoni and sausage mixed with peppers, onions, and mushrooms literally provides every classic topping in the catalog for a pizza that has it all. From my vantage, it blends the best of both the veggie and the meaty pies to give connoisseurs of mixed-interest elements everything they need to be happy in a single order. Though this isn't exactly a novel invention, Schlotzsky's does it in fine fashion.

My son was particularly impressed with how well-distributed the toppings were, allowing him a bit of both veggies and all meats in every bite. This is the one he devoured quicker than the others, which could only be interpreted as a green flag. Though he had both the veggie and the meaty on his plate as well, something about having it all in one place seemed to make his pizza dreams come true. Hopefully, the chain will realize that this popular pizza style should remain as part of the permanent lineup.

This artisan pie takes a sharp left turn from the traditional pizza flavorings and brings in a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce tucked under a generous blanket of mozzarella. Chunks of grilled chicken and slices of heat-bearing jalapeños, with a one-two combo of punchy fire cooled by the tender savory personality of the meat, as my omnivore tasters described it.

I couldn't let this creative blend by without giving it a taste myself, so I picked off the chicken from a smaller slice and bit into what I would call pizza with a Southwestern spirit. The sweet sauce and fiery spice make this pie a force to be reckoned with, especially for pizza fans who eschew the usual in favor of inventive ingredients incorporated into the recognizable pizza blueprint. My team was as impressed with it as I was, establishing a unanimous vote for the top spot in the Schlotzsky's pizza pile-up. If the company could somehow remove the chicken and add the veggie toppings from the other pies instead, this would be a pinnacle pizza experience for me. For now, the dream lives on, and this pizza pulls the first place prize.

I engaged my taste-testing team (my handy-dandy kids) once again to help out with the meat-based pizzas so I could maintain my mostly-plant-based dining standards as much as possible. I did bend the rules to sample the cheese, veggie, and BBQ chicken and jalapeño pizzas, though I removed the chicken. Our parameters were simple: gauge freshness, taste, texture, and overall enjoyability in comparison to our usual pizza preferences. Then, we compared notes and decided on the hierarchy that made the final cut. And though we tried to maintain a one-bite, one-assessment policy, it was impossible not to eat an entire slice — or half a pie — during the session. Pizza tasting can be a real challenge ... not that I'm complaining.

Some notes that may be helpful for anyone trying these pizzas for themselves: Flavors may vary from location to location, and some restaurants offer the pizza combinations shown on the menu as personal-size pies, calzones, and flatbreads, though you should inquire to determine which of these switcheroos is possible. There's also gluten-free crust available. A big shout-out to franchise owner Ryan Kinsley, who was more than helpful providing the sample pies, cluing me in on the pizza particulars, and accommodating photo ops at his location on 7th Ave and Bell Road in Phoenix, Arizona.