Restaurant Review: Royal Pizza
ROYAL PIZZA 10433 80th Avenue ~ royalpizza.ca Instagram: @royalpizzayeg ~ Twitter: @RoyalPizza Co-Diner: Tim Golem
For some reason (I'm not entirely sure why) Edmonton has a bit of a legacy when it comes to pizza. Major Canadian pizza chain Boston Pizza began here in 1965 (they also have locations in USA and Mexico) and Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria (now a country-wide chain) began in this city in 2007. However, if there's one thing that the locals know... It's that Royal Pizza is the place to go for a classic, cheesy, North American-style pizza. VUE Weekly named them #1 Best Classic Pizza 2018 and I'd have to say that I agree. Opening in Old Strathcona (technically Queen Alexandra) in 1969, there were only a small number of pizza joints in the city at the time. Today, there are 16 Royal Pizza locations in Alberta, including many that offer a dine-in experience. I visited the original location on a Monday evening, which is very easy to locate in a popular shopping plaza area just south of Whyte Avenue. You'll recognize their blue lettering with a crown on top of the 'R' right away. The dining room is quite large and is pretty simple and straight forward when it comes to decor. It looks like what you would expect from a family-friendly pizza place. However, one really nice touch are the mural-sized black and white photographs on the walls of old-timey Old Strathcona. This neighbourhood takes a lot of pride in its history and the restaurant captures a bit of that, which is nice. Our server was very friendly and prompt which made it easy to place our order quickly. (As long-standing customers of Royal Pizza, we know exactly what we like.) The menu offers more than just pizza. They have starters that include several types of poutine, and entrees like pasta, calzones, burgers, and donairs (c'mon, it's Edmonton). I'm pretty intrigued by something called a Royal Italian Loaf (which I've never tried) that somehow involves a "loaf" loaded with ham, salami, pepperoni, onion, pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese. I don't understand it but I definitely want to try it. However, on this particular visit we stuck to our tried and true favourites. To start (and to include some vegetables in the meal) we ordered the Caesar Salad ($14.25 for meal size).
This salad was fine but certainly nothing to write home about. The lettuce was crisp and fresh and the croutons were plentiful. Unfortunately, the overall flavour wasn't all that exciting. The salad didn't seem to be dressed enough and the dressing was pretty thin and not housemade. The garlic toast seemed to be a little bit burnt but was very buttery. All in all, I was glad to have some greens in the meal but not very impressed by this salad. Let's face it - you come to Royal Pizza for the pizza. There are 23 classic pizzas on the menu and 11 gourmet ones. And of course you can build your own as well. Each pizza comes in three sizes; small, medium and large. Over the years there have been two classic pizzas that we have sort of combined into one pizza: the #19 Pepperoni & Mushroom and the #20 Salami & Mushroom. We order Pepperoni, Salami & Mushroom ($20.50 for 10" medium) and have affectionately named this pizza the "Tim's Special" after my husband, who we claim invented it. This is our favourite pizza.
Always reliable and consistent, the pizza arrived hot and covered in obscene amounts of gooey cheese. I love their crispy crust and the way that the toppings go right to the very edge. Loaded with pepperoni and salami, this pie is meaty and they don't skimp out. I find that the two different types of meat add an extra level of flavour and deliciousness. I like their zesty pizza sauce a lot and the cheese is the biggest star of all because it is absolutely heaping and glorious. This is one of my favourite pizzas of all-time and it never disappoints. Note: If you order a large size they do cut their pizzas into squares. This is important. Our other favourite pizza that we always order is from the gourmet section. We love it because it's a little bit wacky and that's what makes it unique and fun. #29 The Boss Has Gone Mad ($18.25 for 10" medium).
Yes, this pizza is covered in spaghetti. It's like eating two meals in one! You should definitely try it before assuming that it's weird - because it is weird - and in the best possible way. Super saucy spaghetti, covered in loads of melty cheese... This pizza just works! If spaghetti on pizza is wrong, then I don't want to be right. I should probably get around to trying the Royal Special one day, because it sounds like it's their signature pie. Royal Pizza is a perfect comfort food and their pizza is delicious. This is exactly what you want from a North American-style pizza experience and they always deliver. And on that note: They deliver! They'll bring it straight to your house if you don't feel like going out to get it yourself. It's true that Detroit-style is the en vogue 'za of the moment. And no one can dispute the merits of Regina-style and Windsor-style pizzas. However, Edmonton is certainly on the map as one of the major pizza cities in Canada and Royal Pizza plays into a large part of that success.
Comments