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Pizza is always a good idea. So when we were deciding which fast food option to test next, we didn't have to look far beyond that glorious wheel of cheesy, doughy goodness.
I mean, surely only a "weirdough" wouldn't like pizza right?
So for this instalment of the Fast Food Five, we set out to find the best pizza Auckland has to offer.
First we took a poll to establish the top pizza joints that serve up margarita pizzas at a range of price points.
The requirements were that the pizza could be delivered and would contain the traditional margarita ingredients of tomato, basil, and cheese.
READ MORE: • Is this Hellishly hot pizza even edible?
Our panel of expert taste testers, who may have found the best job ever in this trial, gave their personal opinions based on a range of criteria to decide which pizza was the best of them all.
Prepare yourself for a whole lot of cheesy puns in this one, because when it comes to pizza jokes, it's all about the delivery.
Toto's metre-long pizza never fails to draw impressed gasps from diners. But the 14-inch version certainly didn't have the same wow factor.
Despite this, and a lack of cheesy goodness, the taste and crust still left our panel pretty happy and all the plates were licked clean - a rookie mistake that meant our panel did not have "mushroom" left for the other four slices.
Crust: 3/5
Cheese: 2/5
Flavour: 3/5
Wow factor: 3/5
Delivery time: The Toto's pizza was picked up by hand, because it's within the NZME building.
Price: $14
Although the image of this pizza on the Domino's website clearly shows a delicious-looking basil swirl - there was no swirl to be found on our serving.
The crust was wobbly and the cheese undercooked but Rebecca still went in to bat for this pizza. She said it was a reliable bite that offered all the right components and given the price point it did the job just fine.
Crust: 1/5
Cheese: 2/5
Flavour: 2/5
Wow factor: 1/5
Delivery time: 30 minutes
Price: $6.99+ Delivery
According to our Italian panellist Bree, this pizza tasted like "Jesus sliding down a rainbow". Cam and Rebecca agreed it's authentic, delicious taste stole a "pizza" their heart.
That's Amore also won points for the fastest delivery. From pushing the order button to having the pizza in their hands, this one came in hot in just 17 minutes.
Crust: 4.5/5
Cheese: 4/5
Flavour: 4.5/5
Wow factor: 4.5/5
Delivery time: 17 minutes
Price: $18 + delivery
When our taste testers opened the Pan e Vino box, they were unimpressed. In fact in all three taste categories they were a little underwhelmed.
Pan e Vino is another classic Auckland pizzeria, but our trio was left wondering if that was the best it had to offer.
Crust: 2/5
Cheese: 2/5
Flavour: 2/5
Wow factor: 2/5
Delivery time: 19 minutes
Price: $14 + delivery
It took the longest to get to us and was the most expensive but it was worth it: Sal's had the biggest wow factor and the most bang for our buck by far.
From hearty chunks of garlic to the signature sauce, everything about this pizza left our panel with cheesy grins on their faces.
Crust: 4/5
Cheese: 4.5/5
Flavour: 4/5
Wow factor: 4.5/5
Delivery time: 43 minutes
Price: $34 + delivery
That's Amore gained an honourable mention for its authentic taste, quality sauce and fresh basil topping, but was out voted by two of the taste testers who dubbed Sal's "Nonna" pizza the ultimate. They noted its unique taste, big portions and substantial toppings as the key components that set this giant pizza well above the rest.
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