Raf’s Waterloo pizza adventure

This should help first-years and upper-years alike know what to expect from the local pizzerias


To usher in the start of the fall semester, I thought I’d help simplify a common decision students at Wilfrid Laurier University make all the time: which local restaurant to order pizza. This should help first-years and upper-years alike know what to expect from the local pizzerias and hopefully stir some debate for the returning crowd who are familiar with the spots I visited. 

Tito’s

Located two blocks away from campus at the intersection of University and Weber, Tito’s delivers a well-crafted pizza. It’s light on sauce, which highlights the softness of the base. The crust is slightly crispier than its counterparts, which I would consider a plus. The pizza’s major shortcoming is the amount of grease you’ll find glazing the cheese. This could be a turn-off for anyone on a health kick, or if it drowns out the appeal of your toppings. What I found is the grease doesn’t take much away from the experience overall. If anything, it meshes well with the soft base, leaving us with another good pizza available close to campus.

Bianca’s

Bianca’s makes a great impression with its seasoning. I’m no connoisseur, but I know a great dish is all in the details. The slight herbs sprinkled on top of a Bianca’s pizza make it stand out from what’s available to students right now. The pizza also has a few standard touches that make it a good choice. These would include a generous amount of cheese, a soft crust and a slightly salty sauce. The result is a great pizza, which you’ll find at the King and Columbia intersection for a reasonable price.

Pizza Maniac

This little pizza place needs no introduction for students in the area. Why you ask? Because you’ll go here regardless of what I tell you. Situated at a prime location across from campus and sandwiched between King Street Residence and Phil’s, you’re bound to end up at Pizza Maniac a number of times during your university career. It enjoys cult-status among students looking for a cheap meal on a late night walk home from campus or nearby bars. You can expect a pizza that comes off chewy, which doesn’t suit its thick crust dough. Any potential in the cheese and sauce are lost in the crust’s tough feel. Maniac’s redeeming feature, aside from its proximity to campus, is its incredibly low prices. You’d be hard pressed to find a $7.99 extra large pizza anywhere on the planet. If you’re a student looking to eat out on a small budget, get used to the cardboard texture of the pizza at Maniac’s because you’ll likely be going back time and time again.

Campus Pizza

You can expect a rush of savory flavour from your first bite of a slice at Campus Pizza. This is quickly overpowered by the pizza’s extremely salty sauce. I can imagine students who leave bars after hours of dancing will appreciate the electrolytes, but it otherwise comes off as overwhelming. My pizza-eating sidekick actually tossed out one of his slices because he couldn’t handle the saltiness. This is the same reason the cheese, seasoning and other sources of flavour are muted. In my opinion Campus’ saving grace is its crust, which seems sweet in comparison to the sauce and balances out the pizza for a decently clean finish.

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