Friday Five

By: Mr. Wilson on March 2, 2007
I have pizza on my mind this morning -- why? I have no idea -- so today's Friday Five is five pizza joints I've never eaten at, but I want to try:
  1. Cici's Pizza. The best compliment I've heard is that it's cheap. I wish "it's good" came up a little more often, but it sounds like I should at least give it a shot.
  2. Piezano's. I just never think of this place, all tucked away in an unremarkable location on South Street.
  3. Ramo's Pizza (with Busters BBQ). Where else can you get pizza and brisket under the same roof? I have had Busters, but I've missed out on Ramo's so far.
  4. Nero's Pizza. I don't hear much about this place, but I know it has been around for years. Their Philly Steak pizza sounds interesting.
  5. The Isles Pub & Pizza. I've heard plenty of positive feedback on The Isles, but I just don't get to Havelock very often. Maybe I'll pick up a pie on my way home from Abbott Sports Complex sometime this spring.

Comments

See what your friends and neighbors have to say about this.

Mr. T
March 2, 2007 at 2:26PM

Neros Pizza is really good. Its definitely not an eat in place but for delivery or take out its my favorite in Lincoln.

jwiltshire
March 2, 2007 at 2:28PM

Cici’s - Cheap is accurate.  Good, not so much.  If you want to save money while taking people you don’t like out to dinner, I highly recommend it.

Ramos - I don’t know if they’re still open this late, but Ramos is the best pizza in the world at 3 am.  Granted, they’re the only pizza at 3 am.  But greasy and nasty is so good when you’re drunk.

Nero’s - There has been a Nero’s menu on my fridge for six months now.  Neither my roommate nor myself has eaten there so we don’t know where it came from (presumably from Nero’s).  But it looks yummy.

KJ
March 2, 2007 at 2:48PM

Not a big fan of Cici’s myself….  it’s a cheap lunch option but the food itself, in my opinion, is marginal at best.  On a positive note, the service is pretty good and the place has always been clean when I’ve been in there.

The Isles, again in my opinion, is the best pizza that Lincoln has to offer.  The service isn’t the greatest; I’ve always felt that if you’re not a ‘regular’ in there, you probably don’t get the best service.  The best is when calling in to order a pizza to go; a few phone skills could be upgraded.  The following is a pretty usual “to-go” order…

“Isles Pizza”

“Yes, I’d like to order a pizza to go..”

“Okay…....?”

“Give me a large pepperoni.”

“That will be $16.80”  CLICK.

I know, this is a bar but a little phone etiquette goes a long way.  Anyway, this is more amusing than anything.  Don’t let that dissuade you from eating this supreme ‘za!!!  On a non-related note, since the smoking ban, you can also eat in there AND see 6 feet in front of your face.

beerorkid
March 2, 2007 at 3:32PM

So my last name is Ramos.  Although the pizza joints mascot is a guy named Ramo so it is Ramo’s pizza.  no affiliation 😉  They have these bosco sticks which are so good.  3 will fill ya like a hungry man TV dinner.

CiCi’s is not too bad, but i never have a hankering for it.  They do have some interesting pies they make though.  Strange combinations and they just keep on making them.  Kinda neat they are maybe 12 inch pies and kinda thin crust.  They have desert pies and some pretty good garlic cheese bread.  If you just get water it is one heck of a deal.

Tried Neros a few months back.  Kinda like vals but not as sweet.  Lots of topping and cheese.  Their garlic cheese rolls are amazing.

I had high hopes for Fox’s pizza, but was not impressed.

I just cannot stand vals anymore.  my wife will eat little else.  It just gets old when it is my only option.

Worked at a Papa Johns for 4 years.  I could still eat it every day.  That garlic sauce is liquid evil but soooooo good.

Gene
March 2, 2007 at 3:37PM

The Isles and Piezano’s are both good in my opinion. Ramo’s is ok from what I remember. Cici’s on the other hand tasted like bad frozen pizza. I would rather eat Tombstone or Totino’s than that stuff.

Sarah
March 2, 2007 at 3:39PM

1. Cici’s is… ummm… cheap.  They have a mac and cheese pizza that’s kind of a guilty pleasure.

2.  Piezano’s has gone downhill.  The last time I got a pizza from there the crust was just dense and bland.

3. Not only can you get brisket and pizza under the same roof, you can get them both in the same pie.  And believe me, it’s effin’ good.

4. Nero’s is good.

5. I just peed my pants a little thinking about The Isles “Leaning Tower of Pizza.”  It’s the best pizza in Lincoln by far.

Moses
March 2, 2007 at 3:48PM

Piezano’s is very good most of the time unless it is about 6 pm on Friday night.  They are so rushed at that time they seem to speed their timer up and crust is not quite done. 

Isles isn’t bad either. 

The better choice is Papa Murphy’s from your own oven.

meatball
March 2, 2007 at 4:08PM

I’ve never had pizza at Piezano’s. The other stuff on the menu is soooooo good.

CP
March 2, 2007 at 4:36PM

I’ve only had two of them on the list.

Cici’s seems to be wildly popular with people under the age of 10. Take that comment as you will.

Piezano’s is my favorite Lincoln Pizza. I love “New York” style pizza, and this is the best I’ve had here so far. Make sure to get one with ham on it - the pieces they use are huge and have a very clear salty-ham taste. not like the rubbery see-through ham you get on the pizza at most places. My Piezano’s tip - call it in and pick it up. The adrenalyn rush from backing out of the parking lot onto South Street will last as long as the pizza!

I’ll add one to the list. Patty’s Pub. My office walks over there and eats lunch on many Fridays, when the pizzas are pretty cheap. ($10/Large I believe.) We can order 2 or 3 different pies and eat for about $5 a head with drinks and tip thrown in. A great deal. Style wise it is closer to a thick, soft crust “Chicago” than anything else. Make sure to try the Haiwiaan, or order one with extra meat, extra sauce. Probably not the best pizza in the world, but I have no trouble eating it 2-3 times a month!

Moses
March 2, 2007 at 6:01PM

My favorite Patty’s is the German style with sauerkraut….yum

foxspit
March 2, 2007 at 7:04PM

Patty’s Pub on Fridays is an incredible deal.  I also love The Isles.  Only had Piezano’s once and it was great but I had the thick crust and it was too much crust for me.  I can’t wait to go back and try the thinner crust.

I can’t find anything good to offer about CiCi’s other than the price.  Even then, I can’t recommend it.

I haven’t had Ramo’s I’ve never heard of Nero’s.

Obe
March 2, 2007 at 8:58PM

Wow, I always thought the “non-big-red-underground” Lincoln folks had Piezano

Obe
March 2, 2007 at 9:03PM

—“You’ll never be able to go back.”

To regular pizza without disappointment, was the rest of the thought.

Piezano’s is the best little unknown in Lincoln. Nero’s is a very good but distant 2nd.

CP
March 2, 2007 at 9:06PM

Cream Cheese is the secret ingredient on the Hawaiian at Fat Pat’s as well. Mmmmmm.

CP
March 2, 2007 at 9:07PM

Another interesting thing about Piezano’s is that when you walk into the dining room, you instantly return to the early 80’s. For better or worse.

Fletch
March 2, 2007 at 9:49PM

I’ll stick up for CiCi’s here - it’s got three of my favorite things when dining: Cheap. Pizza. All you can eat.

I actually like their pizza - the taco pizza is great, the stuff with spinach is fabulous, and I could eat a plate of those cinnamon rolls. I drive from the far SE corner of Lincoln to go there, so I would say that I like it.

Another location is coming soon in SE Lincoln… yay.

Neal
March 2, 2007 at 11:03PM

I too love the cheap, all-you-can eat aspect of CiCi’s, although I think it’s a lot of fun to refer to it as Feces Pizza. If someone were to tell you that you could have all the pizza you wanted at a cheap buffet, I don’t think the pizza you’d imagine would be that far from what you get.

They don’t have high standards for the dining area. One time my fiance and I went and there was a large man sitting near the buffet with his shoes off, and the whole buffet area reeked of stinky sweaty feet. The staff wouldn’t do anything about it.

Isles is really good, but I’d say eat it at the bar. That’s half the fun.

Mr. T
March 2, 2007 at 11:36PM

Feces Pizza? LOL. I’m going to have to add that one to my repertoire.

Swoof
March 3, 2007 at 7:17AM

Cece’s or Cici’s is pretty gross but it’s cheap and they have video games.  The one and only time I was there I felt like a cow in a feedlot.  The cooks were behind and there was this crush of humanity up against the counter waiting for pizza.  Not unlike the Pizza Hut buffet on Highway 2 on Fridays.

Piezano’s I like more for their all you can eat spaghetti deal on Sunday evenings.  I’ve never been too keen on their pizza.

I’m a big fan of Ramo’s and not just because it’s two blocks from my house and they’ll deliver to me at 2 am but also because of the BBQ beef brisket pizza.

Nero’s changes hands so often that you’re never going to be sure of what you’re going to get.  It’s like Baltic Avenue, the first thing someone gives up but it’s always still around for someone else.

As for the Isles, their radio commercials used to drive me crazy but I still forced myself to eat their pizza.  It’s pretty good but like most pizza places around here, the focus is on the toppings (see the Leaning Tower of Pizza) while the crust is neglected to the point where it’s just really thin white bread.

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