Since I tend to divulge a lot of “secrets” on this blog, I’m going to share with you our shameful secret food indulgence: Josh and I absolutely love Papa John’s. Not because we think it’s great pizza, but because it’s just delicious and addictive in a junk food kind of way. Whenever one of us gets a craving, all we have to say is “Papa John’s!” and the other person will immediately crave it as well. It doesn’t matter if I’ve just gone to the supermarket to pick up ingredients for dinner, or if we’ve already planned to order in something else, as soon as Papa John’s is mentioned, everything else is forgotten.
We usually get the same order every time – cheesesticks and a large pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms, and black olives. The cheesesticks are really just a pizza without tomato sauce that they slice into strips, but it’s a bit thinner and crispier, and the cheese gets more browned and bubbly. We love the garlic dipping sauce, which is really just some sort of butter product mixed with garlic powder and is extremely bad for you but oh so tasty. They also provide pizza sauce so you can dip just the right amount of tomato sauce and garlic sauce together.
Cheesesticks with pizza sauce and garlic sauce
The pizza itself is thicker than standard NYC pizza, but thinner than pan pizzas (although they do have a pan pizza option).
Large pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms, and black olives
The crust is a bit sweet, as is the pizza sauce, which is why we get pepperoni to counteract the sweetness. The mushrooms go really well with the pepperoni, and the olives provide a bit of a sour tang. This is my favorite combination of toppings. The crust isn’t really crispy but it has a nice dense chew to it.
Underside shot
Papa John’s in the city is more expensive than in the suburbs, but a quick search on the internet will usually turn up coupon codes that drastically reduce their prices. We always order online and delivery is quick. Anytime a craving hits, we know we can get a piping hot pizza and chewy cheesesticks in less than an hour. Now please don’t make fun of us for our shameful secret indulgence. We don’t usually eat fast food unless we don’t have many options available, but this is our one exception. C’mon, everyone has a shameful secret food indulgence – what’s yours?
Papa John’s (multiple locations)
594 Amsterdam Ave. between 88th and 89th St.
New York, NY
Tags: Delivery, Pizza, Upper West Side