I stopped by Sammy’s Pizza earlier this month for an all-around pleasant pizza experience. If you’re on the prowl for some pizza, here’s my review of the Eau Claire shop.
I want to preface this review with some background on what brought me to Sammy’s. I play in the Blugold Marching Band and had performed all day at a UW-Eau Claire football game. My family had come to town to watch the game and see the halftime show, so we all decided to go out to dinner after.
Our party of nine — me, my girlfriend, my parents, three brothers and two sisters-in-law — landed at Sammy’s without a reservation or a call ahead.
My first impression of Sammy’s was the seating. Along the sides of the dining room there are booths and smaller tables, and then in the center of the room are large tables for family-style seating.
This made it very easier for our large group to get seating without being a big inconvenience. It also creates a welcoming atmosphere. I am a big fan of family-style seating in restaurants, so I really like how Sammy’s combined the two styles together in the dining room.
The dining room walls are covered in a mural of an Italian village. The paintings are detailed and peaceful. It really adds to the homely atmosphere and gives the restaurant more character than the average dining room.
Our service was very good, especially considering the size of our group. I don’t remember the name of our server, but she was very nice and helpful and got our order in fast.
Now let’s talk pizza.
We ordered three kinds of pizza: a pepperoni pizza, a barbeque chicken pizza and Sammy’s Special, which has sausage, onion and peppers.
Pepperoni pizza, a truly classic pizza flavor, is a pretty simple concoction. It’s pizza crust, sauce, pepperoni and cheese, but I have tasted a wide range of pepperoni pizza quality.
Sammy’s keeps their pepperoni pizza simple, but it’s executed very well. They make it with the pepperoni underneath the cheese, which I think keeps the pizza together and gives it a more uniform taste for each piece.
I hate eating pizza where the toppings fall off and you’re left with a bite of just sauce, so I was happy with that style.
The pepperoni pizza’s best quality in my mind was the crust. It was thin and had a nice crunch, but it wasn’t overpowering. It worked really well with the softness of the cheese and the layer of sauce.
The barbeque chicken pizza was also done very well. It had large chunks of chicken with mozzarella cheese and a BBQ sauce. The sauce was the highlight of this pizza, a sweet BBQ that worked really well with the chicken. If you’re a fan of chicken pizza, this is a great option.
My favorite pizza was Sammy’s Special. Here, the sausage is the star. The pizza is cut into rectangles, with a big chunk of sausage on each piece, sitting on top of the cheese in all its glory. Juicy, flavorful and the perfect texture with enough to get a taste of sausage in each bite.
Onion and green pepper was sprinkled throughout the pizza, adding a complimenting taste to the sausage to keep things interesting. This is a very good sausage pizza and has clearly earned the title of Sammy’s Special.
Overall I would rate Sammy’s Pizza an A. The atmosphere, service and, most importantly, the pizza were all very good. I also thought the prices were reasonable, around $15-$20, depending on the type and size of the pizza.
They also serve chicken, wings and other appetizers that I didn’t get the chance to try, but would be interested in trying them out.
My trip to Sammy’s Pizza opened my eyes to a new option for good quality pizza and a great atmosphere, and I’m sure I’ll be back to dine in again soon.
Mohr can be reached at [email protected].
