The Her Campus National Editors write about products we love and think you’ll love too. Her Campus has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase. All products are in stock and all prices are accurate as of publication.
And a huge shoutout to my mom, who sponsored this excursion for me. Love you, you’re the best.
As a pre-finals week celebration, I decided to crawl all around downtown to different pizza joints – in hopes of finding the best and hottest slice in State College. But I couldn’t take on this task alone, so I grabbed someone who I knew could eat as much as I: my cousin Tyler, a freshman at Penn State and a true New Jersey pizza snob.
How we Did it
We described our tastes accordingly, then ranked slices on a few set tangibles: freshness, size and value (each being out of three points), and included bonus points for whatever our hearts desired (making our rankings cumulative to around 10 points).
We were consistent in ordering single cheese slices from each, and altogether, were able to hit eight different joints. From the order in which we went: Giuseppe’s, Doggies, Fresh Bite, Allen Street, Margaritas, Bennys, Monte’s, Canyon and included West Dining Hall – because that’s where we get lunch together every Tuesday. We tried to go for local and single slices only, so we opted to uninclude Snap – Sorry!
So now, everybody knows the rules, let’s get into it, starting with our least favored.
Allen Street Pizza
Our slice was pulled right from the case; there was ample seating and an almost instant turnaround from placing our order to getting our food. I’d like to note that Allen Street has a plethora of other food options and lots of other affordable menu items.
Sarah: Looks like a leftover oven-made pizza, rubbery cheese, no sauce. If I were in the mood to eat cheese bread, I’d come here.
Tyler: It looks like Domino’s, tastes kind of bland and is very bready. The cheese wasn’t melted – like if you’d bit into the cheese, it would all come off at once. There was only a hint of sauce, and the crust was nonexistent.
Score: 3/10
- Freshness: 0/3
- Size: 1.5/3
- Value at $3.18: 1.5/3
- Bonus: N/A
While they advertise their pizza, it’s definitely not the place to go if you’re in the mood. Tyler would, however, recommend their cinnamon twists.
Canyon Pizza
A walk-in, walk-out kind of joint and classic late-night spot that’s been a State College staple for years now.
Sarah: The cheese tasted artificial and rubbery, and the slice itself was definitely not hot enough. It was somewhat flavorful but not in a way I’d want to focus on.
Tyler: It’s flavorful enough, nothing special. The cheese isn’t quality, and the end crust is more similar to, yeah, an oven-made pizza.
Score: 4/10
- Freshness: .5/3
- Size: 2/3
- Value at $3: 1.5/3
- Bonus: N/A
I was presented with a full Canyon pie later in the night at The Brewery; it was steaming hot out of the oven, and I was still faced with the same poor taste. In my friend’s words: “They just might not know how to make pizza, bro.”
Still, a good drunk slice – enjoyment immediately comparable to how drunk you are.
Fresh Bite – Featuring Detroit Style
Fresh Bite feels like a new-age pizza place. It used to be College Pizza until Deli Junction took over and Fresh Bite opened – the owner opted to keep the College Pizza single slice of cheese but incorporated his own specialty: Detroit-Style Pizza. It opened up about 10 months ago, and the atmosphere is immediately welcoming, yet with limited seating.
Sarah: Super hot, crunchy, but super thin crust, a little bit of spice – I wanted to keep taking bites, the flavor is really good, like the perfect combo of sweet, savory and pepper. The end crust, though, was a bit cakey.
Tyler: Smells good! Very cheesy, peppery and definitely its own individual taste. The spice in it leaves you wanting more. The middle was a little soggy, but only because the cheese was so melty.
Score: 5/10
- Freshness: 1.5/3
- Size: 1.5/3
- Value at $3.50: 1/3
- Bonus: +1
Tyler nailed the taste profile, and honestly, I was more than happily surprised at this slice. I was not expecting to like it as much as I did. It came out fast, and if I were offered it again, I wouldn’t refuse. Bonus points for this being the only slice I couldn’t put down (until the crust…)
The owner wanted to make sure we included a review of their Detroit-style pizza, as it’s the first serving of its kind in State College. He insisted we try the Hot Honey Pie, their best and most popular option, and even gave it to us made fresh and for free!
We were served a deep dish-like cheese pizza topped with cupping pepperoni, dollops of ricotta, red sauce, a drizzle of hot honey and a sprinkle of parm.
The pepperoni was super fresh – like I didn’t know pepperoni could be that fresh. The presentation was amazing, and the drizzle of hot honey added a lot. There was a crunchy and chewy crust topped with a tomatoey topping. We took the rest to go, and Tyler ate two more slices after our crawl.
Doggie’s Pizza
Another hot and stuffy, no seating, walk-in, walk-out type of place. Doggies is definitely more meant to be a night spot. There are two windows to order it, accessible from outside or inside the bar and they offer great late-night deals – two slices for $3 after 1 a.m. Thursday-Saturday.
Sarah: The sauce is very savory and has a lot of flavor. The crust is thin and chewy, and leaves you with a kind of charred taste.
Tyler: You can’t taste the cheese very much, and it’s not a melty mozzarella; the end crust is pretty dry, and it’s very bready with no crunch. It’s a very light slice.
Score: 5.4/10
- Freshness: 1.9/3
- Size: 1/3
- Value at $3: .5/3
- Bonus: +2
The score may be low, but to clarify, I love Doggie’s Pizza, and I get it every week. It’s the best drunk pizza. I could easily crush three slices of it at once. Getting Doggie’s is always a treat, especially when it’s cheap, and for that, the bonus was added.
Benny Leone’s
A Penn State cult favorite. The workers are always super friendly, interactive and notoriously attractive. The classic choice is to sit on their provided benches outside, but if you’re lucky or it’s not packed, there are a few bar seats and one booth inside.
Sarah: Burning hot, super distinct parm taste and super super thin. It’s not too saucy, and there’s no melty cheese pull, yet somehow it still boasts an amazing taste. Despite its thinness, it’s a good creamy pizza – with a disappointingly huge crust.
Tyler: Very thin, not a super overbearing sauce. The cheese is a good type of chewy; it’s similar to boardwalk pizza with a bit of a charred taste. The end crust is big and crunchy but nice and soft.
Score: 6.5/10
- Freshness: 2/3
- Size: 3/3
- Value at $5: 1.5/3
- Bonus: N/A
You go to Benny’s, and you know what you’re getting. It’s super unique tasting and not really a classic pizza at all, yet it’s become a classic at Penn State.
I would’ve automatically added a bonus point for the novelty of its sheer size, but its price and value rankings already reflect that. Benny’s pizza is unironically appealing, and what can I say, it lives up to the hype!
Monte Pizza and Wings
A bit out of the way, but still in a student residential area, sits Monte Carlo’s Pizza and Wings. A somewhat thrown-together feeling joint with seating outside, large windows and some vintage accents.
Sarah: Thin, crispy, little to no flop – a surprisingly big slice and wow, I love the extra cheese on top. It tasted sweet and saucy with a bit of basil, but no outstanding flavor. It was good and extra doughy towards the middle.
Tyler: Saucy, a hint of a fresh basil taste and it was served with extra stringy mozzarella on top (awesome). Could have more flavor, though.
Score: 7/10
- Freshness: 2.5/3
- Size: 2.5/3
- Value at $2.50: 3/3
- Bonus: -1
It’s a great size, a fresh slice and an amazing price, a perfect comforting pick me up.
But unfortunately, despite high stats, we had to add negative bonus points for the negative flavor. Don’t get me wrong – I’ve been thinking about the doughy center ever since I had it, but the flavor profile simply wasn’t there.
Giuseppe’s Pizzeria
Giuseppe’s smells great and feels like a true Italian pizza joint with ample booth seating and a bar overlooking the best and busiest parts of College Ave.
Sarah: “Holy hot,” crispy crust with a flop, very cheesy, very thick and on the sweeter side with a super fresh end crust.
Tyler: Nice and sweet sauce, a cheesy pull with every bite, crust is crisp and crunchy without being hard – it tastes like home.
Score: 7.5/10
- Freshness: 2.7/3
- Size: 2.5/3
- Value at $3.55: 2.3/3
- Bonus: N/A
No outstanding flavor, but a thick, solid slice of classic pizza. It’s a clearly very established and clean joint, Giuseppe’s is the real deal – it’s a classic pizza you can trust.
Margarita’s
Another true-feeling Italian joint, there were ample booths and a great atmosphere; as if you went here consistently, the owners would call you by name and learn your order.
Sarah: Super crunchy crust, virtually no flop and an inspiringly equal sauce-to-cheese ratio. The pizza tasted like a dish of Italian pasta in the best way possible.
Tyler: The sauce and cheese were blended together nicely. There was a good crunch, sweet dough, with the end crust being chewy. There could be a little bit more parm – (but they offer a shaker in-house).
Score: 8/10
- Freshness: 2.5/3
- Size: 2/3
- Value at $3.18: 2.5/3
- Bonus: +1
Tyler and I both can’t stop thinking about this slice. Bonus points for that and for the fact that it was honestly just as good cold, if not better. It tasted astonishingly fresh after an hour of sitting, and was finished quickly after our crawl was over. Maybe that was a fluke, but my taste buds don’t lie – can somebody try this and let me know?
A fellow customer, new friend and Penn State Psychology professor, Terri Vescio, took note of our boxes and raved about Margarita’s superiority. She made sure to note their pesto basil pizza and meatball parm dishes are ‘amazing,’ and that the owners are always feeding people who can’t feed themselves.
Final thoughts
To wrap things up, there are very few specialized pizza joints in State College that you can go wrong with. Between similar style slices like Doggie’s Pizza and Benny’s in comically different sizes, or true feeling joints like Giuseppe’s and Margaritas. My suggestion? Stay local, and aim your tastes accordingly, keeping in mind which spots are best for late-night drunk bites and which serve better for a family visit or quick lunch pick-me-up.
What would make a cheese slice a 10/10 or beyond? Your guess is as good as mine. I hope you enjoyed my food blogger debut, and if you haven’t tried Montes, Margaritas or Fresh Bite yet, I suggest you get on it.