Insider Pages Reviews for Z Pizza

5 Stars: Great surprise (by Ken Lury)

Ken Lury — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:00:00 GMT

What a surprise. The family wanted pizza, but it was Sunday evening and so our usual place was closed. Just for the heck of it we took out from Z pizza and asked for extra crispy crust as usual. We hate droopy pizza. We had yet to take out a pizza that actually had crispy crust and were not expecting much. We were just hoping for edible.
Well, it was great ! Crispy, non droopy pizza. Not boggy greasy crust and boggy greasy cheese. Light, fresh tasting and delicious. My wife does not like pizza, but she really enjoyed it. I fancy myself a pizza connoisseur and I thought it was great as well.
Looking through the menu, there are lots of specialty pizzas and salads that sound great. We will be back.

5 Stars: One of a kind (by cjhartmann)

cjhartmann — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:00:00 GMT

I was in town last month and stopped in for a quick bite at lunch and normally I am a Pepperoni or Sausage guy, but i was convinced by the owner to try the pizza called the napoli, and was amazed I never knew a "gourmet" pizza would be so tasty. I was worried that someone would confiscate my "Man card". I love pizza, so tried 2 other types, one was a mexican and the other was a sante fe I think. Unreal pizza, so I went back 2 days later and had a calzone, which was unreal, and the wife had a salad she loved. I wish they had this pizza in Chicago, because there is nothing else like it.....anywhere..........

5 Stars: Taste just like NY style pizza (by stealth4198)

stealth4198 — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 02:00:00 GMT

A friend of mine told me about zpizza months ago said It was the closest thing to the pizza from home. Both of us are from upstate New York. Finally had a chance to try for myself, and absolutely loved it. Have been there twice in a week. The staff was friendly and made you feel right at home. Will go back again and again.

5 Stars: Love this place! (by teeder)

teeder — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 02:00:00 GMT

I have found my all time favorite treat at zpizza! The pear and gorgonzola rustica is just amazing! I love the pear and gorgonzola salad, and decided to try it as a pizza the last time I was there for a meal. I had a side of the balsamic dressing since I like that so much with the salad. Oh was it amazing!!! I wanted to go back the next day for one, it was so great!

My kids love eating there too, and always ask to go. I feel great about letting my kids eat zpizza since it is healthier than other pizza chains, significantly healthier. What a great find zpizza was!

1 Stars: Not the best crust on the planet! (by studemann2536)

studemann2536 — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 02:00:00 GMT

If the LA Times gave Z pizza the title of "best crust on the planet" then somebody was getting paid to say it. I don't know what the pizza tastes like at the Z pizza in LA but if it's anything like the one I had here in Raleigh, it wouldn't take a food critic to know otherwise. Soggy, undercooked pizza to me is not the best. I'm sure this couldn't be the norm for how your pizza is served because if it was you wouldn't be in buisiness much longer. Quality control seems to be an issue you might want to check up on. I'm not trying to zing your buisiness by getting upset about my one pizza but as a buisinessman myself in an econmy like this, I would want to know when something is wrong with my buisiness. Good Luck.

5 Stars: Great Food, Good Value (by Hman7)

Hman7 — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 01:00:00 GMT

Zpizza is the best pizza in the Triangle other than that available at very expensive sit down Italian restaurants. If you want to go to a pizza place and be suprised by how delicious the food is, this is your place. It is California style, so it features high quality ingredients in sometimes unusual combinations. But there is also very tasty basic cheese, pepperoni, etc. They have slices as well.

I have been to the Cary location several times and been very pleased. This review is based on one trip up to the Raleigh location. It is kind of out there up in N. Raleigh just North of I540.

This location is quite different from the Cary location. It is much smaller. More of a corner pizzaria feel to it. There are about 25 seats, and it is comfortable but just kind of small. Very nice decour, high ceilings, and immaculately clean. The service was outstanding. I usually prefer to order a fresh pizza, but the slices looked very fresh and I was in a hury so I went with two slices and a salad (love the pear gorgonala salad). The slices were the Tuscan Mushroom and the Napoli. Both were delicious. They put the slices back in the oven, so they were piping hot.

I've only been to this location the once, but based on this visit and several to the Cary location, the food is awsome. I commented on the value in my Cary review. But this time I noticed that they have a 2 for 1 on Tuesday. Anyway, a superlarge 18" pizza loaded with ingredients is under $20 even less with a coupon. I never thought price was the main reason to go here, but it is a better value than you might first think.

Highly recommend both Zpizzas.

4 Stars: Fresh (by Amy C.)

Amy C. — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 06:42:00 GMT

We have both eaten in and ordered delivery from Zpizza and were very pleased both times. The salads are fresh and delicious; our fave is the walnut/pear salad with fresh greens. The pizza can be made in many different ways; they truly think outside the box. When we dined in, it was busy and we had to wait a bit, maybe 15 minutes, but the food was hot when we got it. The wait staff is friendly and they readily accept coupons. The location is easy to just stop in on your way up Falls when your coming home from work. Actually, its busy, so many people have this same idea!

5 Stars: Just Delcious (by LDcritic)

LDcritic — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 01:00:00 GMT

I went here after reading the review in the N&O. I have agree that this is a great find. I was not familiar with zpizza, so I brought my family in and was quite impressed. The pizza is unusual but delicious. The crust is just perfect. The staff were friendly and the service was excellent. We tried two gourmet pies and a cheese pizza. The mushroom pizza was very unique kind of savory, really blended well with the carmelized onions, and the Mexican, what an unusual pizza but delicious. We also had the pear salad with the balsalmic vinagarette, best salad I've ever had at a pizza place, ever.

The Raleigh location is kind of small, and when we went it was packed. I actually live closer to the Cary location, which apparently is much larger. I will be trying it soon to be sure. Highly recommend this place.

3 Stars: Not what I expected (by suecheff)

suecheff — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 01:00:00 GMT

I've been eating Z Pizza for years and was happy to find one here after moving from CA. The pizza here seemed much for greasy. But I did like the spicy chicken salad alot and the people were very nice.

5 Stars: Outstanding Quality Ingredients (by bouncyday)

bouncyday — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 01:00:00 GMT

We dine in or take-out fairly ofter. A better value with coupons. The ingredients are outstanding . The pizza, salad and calzones are all very tasty. Not your typical pizza joint. The dine in area is small...a few booths along a wall.

4 Stars: Love the Thai Pizza and Pear and Gargonzola salad (by raleighreview)

raleighreview — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:00:00 GMT

I crave the Thai Pizza. Yum. Different than many other places. Also got the pear and gargonzola salad which was really good with store bought raspberry walnut salad dressing - the salad dressing they provided did not do the salad justice. (The large salad could feed 4 people nicely) I like the fact that they did not use crumbled blue cheese in that salad too --- I believe it was goat cheese or feta - much better than bleu cheese in my book.

5 Stars: Z Best (by VelvetKarl)

VelvetKarl — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 02:00:00 GMT

Love this place - I'm usually a basic pepperoni eater, but everything I've gotten here has been really good, the Santa Fe is an unbelievable work of pizza. Service has been right on every time, and they have a great casual atmosphere. Keep on Rockin Z Pizza!

5 Stars: My Favorite Pizza in Town (by LeeLee632)

LeeLee632 — Mon, 19 May 2008 02:00:00 GMT

It sounds like people have had bad experiences in the past, so Z Pizza must have really turned itself around. As a former L.A. resident, I was very happy to find this in Raleigh on Falls. The pizza is consistently delicious and going there at lunch for the 2 slice special is really affordable and much better than fast food. I usually get the Napoli, but my new favorite is the Mexican- I highly recommend it. The staff has always been friendly and the manager even recognizes me now- some of the best service I've had since moving to Raleigh!

4 Stars: Getting better after problems (by amatlack)

amatlack — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 02:00:00 GMT

My fiance and I have eaten pizza from the Raleigh/Wake Forest location 4 times. The first was eat-in in late Jan/early Feb. We were thrilled to find the vegetarian/soy cheese pizza on the menu, but we wanted to exchange sauces...the young man at the counter had to be stepped through the process a number of times: "What did you want again?" "And you wanted to do what?" "Exchange what for what?" Anyway, our pizza was EXCELLENT and we were excited about eating again, very crisp and not very greasy. We were only disappointed with competency of service and poor beer selection.

The next time we ate, we had take-out. That same pizza was soggy and drenched in grease. Had it been like that the first time, we never would have returned. But since it had been so good that once, we tried delivery for a third round...but got another soggy, greasy pizza. It upset our stomachs a bit, and we decided to stop trying.

HOWEVER, all that being said, I got in touch with them through an email posted here on CitySearch and they got right back to me, saying that the crust needed to be crisped a certain way on that pizza and they were re-training staff. My fiance went in to collect our fourth pizza and met with the manager, who was really nice and explained what the problems had been. The service was good and the pizza was DELICIOUS and just as good as that first time.

My main point is that I was pleased with their responsiveness. It seems to me like they care about their customers and really want them to have a good experience. That pizza is the only one in the area with soy cheese, and I'm super excited that it's good again!

4 Stars: Best Vegan Pizza Option in the Triangle (by veggiegirl1975)

veggiegirl1975 — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 02:00:00 GMT

Z Pizza is a pizza chain that has just opened in Cary. I was happy to find out that they have a soy cheese pizza with veggie sausage on it called the Berkley Soy Cheese Veggie.

5 Stars: Loved this place! (by momoftwo196)

momoftwo196 — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 02:00:00 GMT

My family and I heard about Zpizza through friends. They told us about the location closest to our house, which is in Cary at Stone Creek shopping center. We had no trouble finding the location, and loved all that they had for the kids to keep them occupied while we were waiting for our food. Not only were there games and toys, but there was a kid sized table by our table so they felt like they were on their own. When the food arrived, we couldn't wait to eat. The pizza was delicious ( we got a large pizza, half with cheese for the kids and half with the Napoli for us adults). The kids gobbled it up! They kept playing games while we finished eating and actually got to talk to each other instead of trying to entertain the kids. I love this place! We will definately be going back and telling our friends about it!

1 Stars: Should rename it DiGiorno's pizza (by haitran100)

haitran100 — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 02:00:00 GMT

PIzza was ok, nothing special. Took forever for it to come out, seemed like they were more intereted in their take-out then eat-in patrons. Anyway, after a long wait, the pizza arrived with soggy crust and tasted like a DiGiorno's pizza. BTW, sign on the window says "Brick Oven", my wife and I were wondering where that brick oven was, as the oven they were cooking the pizza in looked like a conventional commercial pizza oven.

5 Stars: Best Pizza in Raleigh, great customer service (by pattychile)

pattychile — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 01:00:00 GMT

I am a regular customer at Z Pizza. I eat there almost everyday and the reason why I keep going back is because the service is great and the food is always fresh and tasty. if you are getting delivery it is always good that you try to order ahead the wait is about 45-60 minutes but the food is awesome and is definetly worth the wait. the service is always reliable and good. cashiers are extremely friendly and always willing to spent some extra time to talk to the customers. you definetly have to come and check this place out. the decorations and the colors are great, they also play the best 80's music ever. Pizza Hut and domino's do not come close to this awesome place. they can have a to go pizza ready in as fast as 8 minutes their brick oven is the fastest I have ever seen. come check it out! you would never regret it. if you have never been here you just dont know what you are missing.

5 Stars: The Best (by lowelld)

lowelld — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 01:00:00 GMT

Seriously good food.

I've been to ZPizza about 5 times now and had pizza delivered twice. The service has always been excellent. Deliveries take about an hour though. But the food is well worth the wait. The pizzas are all unique and tasty. The pasta delicious. The salads far above expectation.

I have now tasted 6 different pies, 3 different salads, one pasta, and one sandwich. I've been to Capital Creations and Amante's. Capital Creations is nearly as good pizza (but falls short), but not nearly as good salads, sandwhiches and pasta. Plus it is ridiculously expensive. Amante's just falls way short on everything.

ZPizza is the best.

5 Stars: Best Pizza, but the salads! Breakfast! (by aatherton)

aatherton — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 01:00:00 GMT

Best Pizza in Raleigh, yes. But I've got to mention that I love the salads. They are what you would expect the waiter to bring out at a fine dining restaurant. My personal favorite is the spinach salad, with the pear gorgonzola a very close second, both with homemade balsamic dressing. The Arugula is also a standout.
Their website has pictures of the pizza's and salads if you click on the item a picture pops up.

The other thing is that I finally got a chance to try their breakfast pizza. What a treat! I had a piece of the New Yorker: eggs, cheese, sausage, roasted red pepper, etc. Also got a taste of the awsome cinnamon rolls. I will be back to try the others.

2 Stars: Good Food, Terrible Delivery Service (by gsmbaby19)

gsmbaby19 — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 01:00:00 GMT

I had seen the z pizza delivery car in my neighborhood a few weeks ago. We are always looking for quality delivery and decided to give them a try. i attempted to order online, and their site was not firefox compatible. After spending 15 minutes to pick out our food, creating the order, filling in all the information, I had to call them, and they didn't get the order. Switched to IE and finally got the order placed. I received an email with an order timestamp of 6:12 pm. The email stated I would receive my food in 30 minutes. I waited 45 minutes and then called the restaurant. They said that they had my order and it had "just left". 10 minutes later, I received a call from them that they needed directions. I gave them directions to my house. another 20 minutes pass and they still haven't arrived. I call back and the same person who I had been speaking to all evening says that she lied to me before and that my food was still sitting in the kitchen waiting for delivery. I explained to her that it was now over 1 hour and 20 minutes past the time I placed my order and that i had a 2 year old who had yet to be fed as a result. She got all huffy and said "we got slammed". I said that I understood that, but that doesn't excuse telling me 35 minutes ago that my food had left the restaurant when it was still sitting there right now. Then she said, "I don't know what I'm supposed to do about that, I guess I'll get in my car and drive it to you myself". I calmly explained to her that it wasn't about the fact that they were running behind, it was about the poor communication as I had a 2 year old I was trying to feed and put to bed. She then said she'd give me a coupon for a discount on my next order. It took until 7:50 for my food to show. When it got here, it was cold and there was no coupon for a discount on my next order. The driver was very kind and arranged to have the charge reversed, but the way I was treated until that point was unacceptable.

5 Stars: Best Pizza Ever (by dasher5227)

dasher5227 — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 01:00:00 GMT

I've spent the last few years searching the triangle area for the perfect pizza joint. ZPizza is the solution. I have literally tried every specialty pizza they offer and would confidently declare each of them, individually, better than any other pizza from any other restaurant. The environment is relaxing and great for adults and children. It is an overall fantastic experience.

5 Stars: Just what I wanted! (by traceykd)

traceykd — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 01:00:00 GMT

Recently I ate at Zpizza, and was surprised to find such a treasure in the triangle area. Zpizza has delicious pizzas, and any of their specialty pizzas can be made into calzones! I had the most interesting calzone of my life because I chose the ZBQ calzone, and it was awesome! My whole family loved the food they ordered. My daughter had a salad, which had a great balsamic vineagrette with it. My son had a pasta, and my husband ordered a sandwich. The sandwich was a Yuppie Veggie, and was the most nutritious meal he has ordered out in a long time. For dessert, we ordered the Apple Pie pizza...who knew pizza could also be a rival of a pie. It was awesome! We loved the games that were avaliable for us to play, it was the most fun our family has had out in a long time. Thanks, Zpizza!

3 Stars: Fabulous customer service, Spectacular Pizza and Salads (by jdhoden)

jdhoden — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 01:00:00 GMT

Best Pizza that I have had in a long time. My business associates and myself loved the wide variety of delicous pizzas, toppings, salads and wine. Our group of 4 was absolutely amazed by the fact that within approx. 10 minutes of ordering a delightful young lady was delivering us our pizza. As a well seasoned business traveler that eats on the run all too often it was extremely refreshing to be treated to such a fine meal for such a reasonable price.

3 Stars: good food, dishonest employee (by debandjeff)

debandjeff — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 01:00:00 GMT

just make sure you total your credit card charge slip. if the tip amount is left blank and you do not write-in your total a certain someone will write-in their own tip amount and total it themselves. you know who you are. i am so mad at the owners, they will not call me back about this nor headquarters. who knows how much money this person is raking in.

5 Stars: True Gourmet (by remkin)

remkin — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 01:00:00 GMT

We went with a group of 5 people so we could try several different pizza's. This is truely gourmet pizza. Most "gourmet" pizzas have interesting toppings, that rarely work well together. We tried 5 pizzas, 4 gourmet cominations and 1 pepperoni, and 3 salads. The pepperoni was strong, but the gourmet pizzas are fantastic. Also, the salads were on a par with what you would expect from a high end restaurant. The gourmet pizzas we tried were the Tuscan Mushroom, the Mexican, the ZBQ, the Sante Fe, and the Napoli. And an Apple Pie Pizza for dessert.

The Tuscan Mushroom was my favorite. While there are two kinds of mushrooms, there are also carmalized onions, truffle oil, roasted garlic, fresh thyme, cheese, and other ingredients. The blended flavor is smooth and complex. Gourmet.

The Sante Fe reminded me of a Southwestern places we used to eat at in El Paso and Albequerque. A bit spicy, but again a wonderful blend of flavors.

The Mexican was milder than expected but very interesting and each slice was topped with a fresh piece of avacodo and fresh cilantra.

The Napoli was like something you might expect if touring Northern Itally. A white garlic sauce with cheese, fresh roma tomato slices and fresh basil. Simple but mouthwatering.

The pepperoni was actually amoung the best I have had, but it is not one of their gourmet selections.

The crust is perfect.

The Apple Pie Pizza, should probably have a fancier name because, again, it has a more gourmet flavor. The apple , almonds, and marscapone cheese bake into a wonderful combinaiton and I think there may have been some amareto, and carmel sauce. A fantastic finish.

The place itself is a little small, and was packed the night we were there (Friday). It is a very nice environment, just small. If you live near there you may want to get delivery or pick-up on weekends. Not sure about seating on weekdays, probably fine.

Overall loved this place! Highly recommended.

5 Stars: best pizza in town (by stephen_dvorak)

stephen_dvorak — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 01:00:00 GMT

This is the best pizza we have had in a long time. Delicious thin crust pizza with pizzaz! The Mexican and Thai pizzas are our favorites. The Balsamic vinegerette on the pear gorgonzola salad is to die for.