If anyone has forgiven me since liquoricegate, being swedish, I have only visited major chain american pizzerias that have been established in Sweden, Pizza Hut and Domino’s, and both of those have fairly few choices (however not sure if their menus are the same here as in the US), but disregarding this type of pizzeria, and if you’d instead go to a non-chain or non-franchize pizzeria, how many pizzas would typically be on the menu?
EDIT: thank you for all your responses! They are now too numerous for me to reply to them all, but I now have a very clear idea of how it normally works! Well, except for peperoni, i still have no idea what that is beyond round discs of meat.
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Most local pizza joints in my area have an excessive amount of special pizzas you can pick from and usually you can build your own pizza. Usually though, I prefer the restaurants that have less variety but more refined options, but this isn’t a hard rule.
Considering that most pizza places allow you to “customize” what kind of individual toppings you want I’d say there are thousands of different pizzas you could order.
Example: pepperoni and sausage, pepperoni and olives, ham and jalapeños, sausage-anchovies-pinapple etc etc etc
> however not sure if their menus are the same here as in the U
I have lived in Scandinavia and I can pretty much guarantee they’re not.
Most “mom n pop”places will have anywhere between 8-12 menu pizzas, generally speaking there will also be the option to build your own pizza from a list of toppings.
In the US, most pizzerias offer five to ten options for pizzas (preselected toppings, called things like “supreme”, “veggie lovers”, or “_____’s favorite”)
But most people simply select from a long list of available toppings. This can vary greatly, but it’s not uncommon to see dozens of possible sauces, meats, and vegetables that can be combined in any way according to the customer’s preference.
The pizza place I worked at had 20 different toppings on the menu and you just picked whatever one or combo of those you wanted. I won’t do the math on that, but basically there was a high number of possibilities there.
At a one off basic pizza place, there wouldn’t necessarily be preset pizza to choose from, and instead a list of topping you could have in any combination, if they also sell pizza by then slice they may have 6 or so different premade pizzas on hand- at the very least they’re have cheese and pepperoni (a type of salami in the US). A fancier place my have 8-15 pizza on the menu, but still have a list of toppings to customize your own
[Here’s a local place’s menu] (https://mail.magazinepizza.com/menu/index.html) down the street from me, and that’s just the default delivery menu, you can call and get it customized however you want as well.
Here are menus of two “regular” pizza places near me. These are not the fancy places but also not the chain places. [https://southsidepizzacomo.com/menu/](https://southsidepizzacomo.com/menu/) [https://shakespeares.com/pizza/menu/](https://shakespeares.com/pizza/menu/)
These are pretty standard “pizza place” menus having lived all over the country. Each has a handful of specialty pizzas, but then they also have 20+ extra toppings you can mix and match.
what happened in “liquoricegate”?
Probably 10 or 12, but they also have a list of topping they have and you can mix and match them however you want. I don’t think there is a name for a spinach, anchovy, olive, and onion pizza, but they will make it for you.
Most pizza place have a dozen “preconfigured” options, and then the option to build your own pizza.
There are various major pizza styles as well, which vary from restaurant to restaurant, region to region. These include:
* Chicago style pizza – deep dish with a thick crust to hold all of the toppings.
* New York style pizza – the “index pizza” – chewy crust, foldable, thin.
* “Sicilian” pizza – this has a thick, sometimes crunchy crust (I don’t really know how it is made but good Sicilian has air in the crust and makes a sound and a crunch when you bite in.) I see this rarely outside of the northeast but it is not unheard of. I associate it with the Jersey Shore.
* Lately, especially, Detroit style pizza, which in terms of something you can get far from Detroit, is kind of a newcomer in recent years. It is rectangular.
* White pizza – no red sauce, usually has ricotta
* Margherita Pizza – America’s take on the authentic Italian pizza from Naples. The place locally uses sweeter tomatoes and fresh basil here. I’m actually kinda surprised how much I like it.
* Old Forge style pizza – Somewhat obscure. You can get it at [Victory Pig](https://www.facebook.com/groups/17744913138/) in Wyoming, Pennsylvania. And people go a long way for it. My parents were obsessed.
Some mom and pop restaurants only do one style, and some do a combination, and what is popular varies by region. These styles can cause extremist factions to form. I am, for example, a member of the New York Style Pizza Jihad, and I will ululate menacingly when certain lines are crossed. I do, however, respect the other styles of pizza, all of which can be enjoyable, but which can also be Abominations Before The Lord. The Topping We Shall Not Speak of, can cause unrest.
From here, there tend to be a limitless option of topping combinations. Most pizza places will have a few “preconfigured” pizzas with specific topping combinations. Popular ones that you can find in most places include:
* Pepperoni pizza (mozzarella, pepperoni, red sauce)
* Veggie (onions, peppers, mushrooms, sometimes fresh tomatoes)
* “Meat Lovers” variant (sausage, pepperoni, bacon)
These can usually be modified by adding or subtracting toppings. I like pepperoni best, but usually add fresh garlic as well.
Usually you willl see 4-5 “specialty pizzas” that consists of some sort of variation of Hawaiian, Meat lovers, Supreme or BBQ Chicken pizza. Of course you’ll also have your cheese and pepperoni pizzas along with the option to build your own from a list of available ingredients.
You’ll have your standard fair: at least two or three sauce choices, poorman’s style, regular toppings *(pepperoni, sausage, bacon, chicken, various peppers, olives, onions, tomato, spinach, ham, pineapple, anchovies for some reason, etc.)*, odd toppings like ranch or blue cheese, different crust types, stuffed crust or regular, cheese options like mozzarella, romano, cheddar, feta, etc., and more I’m sure I’m forgetting.
You’ll also have specialty pizzas. I looked up my local place and their current listing is taco pizza, buffalo chicken pizza, bbq chicken pizza, Philly cheesesteak pizza, a sweet & spicy chicken pizza, and a bacon club pizza.
The “standard” pizza toppings that just about any American pizzeria would have available are pepperoni, mushrooms, black olives, bell peppers, Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, onions, and pineapple (for Hawaiian pizza).
Slightly less common, but still popular, are anchovies, basil, tomato slices, jalapeños (or other hot peppers), and other types of cheese like ricotta, goat cheese, or gorgonzola.
Here’s the most common:
Cheese
Pepperoni
Meat-lovers (pepperoni/sausage/salami/etc)
Vegetarian
Combo/the works (meat & vegetables)
BBQ Chicken
Hawaiian (Canadian bacon or ham + canned pineapple)
Margherita
And build-it-yourself, any combo of the existing toppings you want.
Maybe five to eight for by-the-slice options and 16+ overall options, plus the option to mix and match toppings.
either two (cheese and pepperoni) or like … 10-15. Depends on how busy they get and how likely their customer base is to eat vegetables and non-standard sauces, like bbq, alfredo, pesto.
The places with two usually has a kid/teen customer base and the pizza will taste like cardboard. you’re not *guaranteed* great pizza from teh place with lots of different types, but it’s your better bet.
I think something missing from the other replies is a lot of places, the pizza pies are already made, you order your slice, and they put it back in the pizza oven to heat it up. When the cheese is melty again, it’s done. You usually eat it right there on site. It’s street food (or you sit at the tiny narrow counter at the window, or at the little cafe tables outside). Or it’s a snack bar at a roller skating rink (snack bar pizza is usually the 2 type cardboard pizza).
Most small places are like a taco bell where you have the same 10ish ingredients arranged in different ways.
[Here’s the menu](https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/8241ee01-6b9c-4799-b67d-d3871f8d1b22/Gs%20Pizzeria%20East%20Tawas%20Main%20Menu.pdf) for my local spot.
11 specialty pizzas, 23 toppings, 2 different crusts, and 4 cheese combinations. If you want roasted garlic and pineapple on a cauliflower crust with cheddar cheese, you’re in luck. No corn, tuna, or hot dogs though.
Here’s a pizza place I like a lot, they have 13 specialty pizzas and the option to build your own pizza from a list of toppings: https://www.starpizza.net/our-menu.html
20 to 30 toppings 4 different sauces combine them however you like.
My fav is jalapeno, pepperoni, and pineapple on barbecue sauce.
>I have only visited major chain american pizzerias that have been established in Sweden, Pizza Hut and Domino’s, and both of those have fairly few choices (however not sure if their menus are the same here as in the US),
The menu is not the same at those chains in other countries. The menu options usually will have local favorites, not just stuff in the American chain. For example, you can get a griller bulgogi pizza at Pizza Hut Korea, this is not offered in America.
[https://www.pizzahut.co.kr/menu/pizza/best/RPPZ0014](https://www.pizzahut.co.kr/menu/pizza/best/RPPZ0014)
I wouldn’t base international chains by what is offered in that stores home country, because local ingredients would take precedent in that country.
>how many pizzas would typically be on the menu?
Depends on the restaurants. I would expect 10- 15 main topping options.
At a classic NYC pizzeria there might be 6-8 options, usually things like pepperoni, sausage and peppers, Sicilian, and buffalo chicken, plus calzones, stromboli, garlic knots and maybe zeppoli. You cannot build your own pizza.
At places that sell “dollar pizza”, they typically just have regular cheese pizza (which means tomato sauce and mozzarella) and maybe pepperoni.
[Here is a good example.](https://wildgarlicpizza.com/menu/)
There is also some weirdness with this place and another nearly identical place called [The Blind Onion](https://blindonionreno.com/), which seems to be different from [The Blind Onion Portland](https://www.blindonion.com/), which also seems different from [The Blind Onion Vancouver](http://blindonionpizza.com/about/), but they all share the same logo. I wouldn’t call any of these a true chain or franchise situation.
[Here is one with less convoluted history and IP exchange.](https://mombospizza.com/)
Plain (cheese), pepperoni (similar to salami), sausage (ground pork sausage), meatball (sliced and laid flat), chopped ham slices, and anchovy are common meats. Bacon and chicken have gotten more.popular over the years and would probably be available at many places.
Common non meats would be green peppers, onions, mushrooms, black olives, sliced tomato, pineapple chunks, spinach, broccoli. Margherita style pies are pretty common these days as well as white pizza, which has no tomato sauce.
You can choose from toppings and make one yourself or generally there will be “specialty” pies that already have some pre selected toppings, like a meat lovers or Hawaiian or veggie lovers. Some places do wild stuff like BBQ or buffalo chicken, taco pizza, etc.
https://slicespizzapa.com/ that’s one of my neighborhood pizza joints (one of like 5 in a 2 square mile neighborhood haha) and you can scroll down the menu and see what specialty pies they have. If you click on the cheese pizza you can see the other toppings
We have an amazing locally owned pizza shop not too far away. ☺️
They have:
8 appetizers ( things like fried mozzarella sticks, different types of bread, wings)
6 salads
4 sandwich options
And two sizes of pizza (personal or family) with 14 menu options. You can also “build your own” using any of the toppings available.
The topping combinations would probably be numerous. Probably a dozen choices of meat, dozen choices of veggies, a few different sauces. Many pizza sizes, and several listed on the menu or you can make your own.
Most pizza places will only offer one “style” of pizza. IE thin crust, thick crust, deep dish, etc… Sometimes more artisan places will have several styles on offer.
I moonlight a few nights a week at a Neapolitan pizza place in DC, its grown to a small chain but im at the original.
Adding up our options for a build your own pie we have: 3 sauces, 9 cheeses, 10 meat options, and 17 non meat options
The pizzeria at the end of my street offers more than a dozen preset topping combos and about 30 different toppings (although some of those are halal and non-halal versions of the same topping).
Most have a handful (5 or so) designer pizzas (eg, the BBQ chicken, the Margarita) and then a variety of topics for you to choose to customize your own (5+ meats, 5-10 veggies).
Ok. I looked up the menu for the pizza place across the street. It’s locally-owned, but there’s about 10 locations. They have 16 ‘specialty pizzas’. These range from Hawaiian pizza (an abomination) to 1 all vegetable pizza to a spicy pizza (includes hot peppers) to several all meat pizzas. A couple of chicken pizzas. Lastly, 3 ‘lighter’ pizzas. They have no tomato sauce.
Then there are the ‘build your own’ pizzas. First choose your crust: traditional, thin and crispy, deep dish (Chicago style) or gluten-free/cauliflower crust. After the crust, choose your toppings. You can put as many or as few as you want. Meat: sausage, Italian sausage, hamburger, anchovy, pepperoni, chopped pepperoni, ham, or chicken. Then choose a vegetable. There’s about 16. Several types of peppers; both hot and mild. Several types of olives. Roasted garlic, feta, red onion, onion, mushrooms, roma tomatoes, mushrooms, pineapple, and fresh basil.
Lastly tell them what size pizza. Small, medium, large.
The best mom-and-pop-type place in my neighborhood (and my favorite pizza joint in my city) consistently has 8 options. Cheese, margherita, pepperoni, mushroom, hawaiian, lots of veggies, and then some kind of rotating deal. I like a weird pizza now and then but I appreciate the simplicity of this place.
This is very typical for where I’m from. A grinder is a sandwich on a long roll, also known as a sub. The menu is long, but a lot of it is repeat items, where you can have a meatball grinder a meatball pizza, and a meatball calzone.
https://www.omegapizzafoxboro.com/
Welp, one local place has three ‘classic’ options available all the time and the remaining 3 switch out weekly.
Another has about 8 pre designed plus a build your own.
places like CPK otoh have like 20 + options.
CiCis is a budget chain that has 15 or so options but each store chooses what to keep on the buffet at any given time( 6 slots).
Sbarro( not that any sane person calls what they serve pizza, or Italian food in general) has 4-5 options per day.
Haven’t been to Pizza slut since they got rid of the lunch buffet.
Dominos has like 18-20 including a few regional/ local only ones.