Goodfellas – Scranton

Although I never set out to review chain restaurant pizzas, I have discovered that people do want to hear about these places based on emails, tweets, and personal discussions I have had. I knew I was going to take some heat for reviewing Domino’s in my last post, but I was surprised at the negative response I received. People have really strong opinions about pizza, and that is fantastic. My goal is not only write about the entire NEPA pizza scene, but to also draw opinions from others and inspire a little debate to find out more about what they think. I am certainly not the definitive voice on pizza, I express my opnions and very much enjoy when people express theirs. With that being said, I was in downtown Scranton in a hurry yet again, so I called the quickest, closest place I could find, which was Goodfellas Pizza – another delivery chain (although not nearly as big as Domino’s).

I called ahead and ordered a plain large pie which the lady on the phone said would be ready in 10 minutes. Low and behold, when I arrived, it was ready right on time. Although I was in a rush, I really wanted to stay, because this Goodfellas location just happens to be an amazing sports bar, with flat screen TVs everywhere, and at least 2 giant projection screens broadcasting all things sports. Alas, I had places to be, so I retired to my vehicle and started another mobile review.

First look tempered my expectations a bit. My pet peeve of the cheese not being spread out to the edge of the crust was evident here, and the cheese had the speckled-burned effect to it, which I’m not a big fan of. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out the pics and you’ll see what I mean. The pizza was piping hot, as steam bellowed from the crevices in the box even before opening it. When I picked up the first slice, it slumped down in my fingertips so there was no chance of crispiness here, but this is typical of delivery pizza, so I wasn’t surprised. I’ll keep the rest of the review short, because everything was about in line with what you would expect in a delivery pizza – nothing that sticks out, and consistent, unoffensive flavors and textures. The cheese was similar to Domino’s preserved, low moisture, and low flavor which really begs for some toppings to help it out. The sauce was not prevalent, and the crust was chewy and flat. Overall, the pizza wasn’t bad, especially for a consistent delivery pizza. It kind of reminded me of soft breadsticks with cheese, which I think a lot of people would like. I know next time I’m staying in a Scranton Hotel, I will continue to order Goodfellas!

One tip with ordering from Goodfellas, they have a ton of specials, so always ask on the phone or visit their website before you order. For example, although I didn’t perceive $10.50 as a good value for this large pizza, they run a special for 2 large pizzas for $15.99, which is a great deal. They have many other combinations also available no matter what the size of your group is, so definitely take advantage the next time you order, and also check out the sports bar here – it’s really cool!