What is the Top National Pizza Chain?

Round Table

The most expensive pizza on this list comes from Round Table, but it is also the best. With a medium crust and fresh ingredients, Round Table's pizza feels healthy and robustly flavored compared to the competition.

What is special about Round Table Pizza's menu?

The toppings list is much more expansive at Round Table than at the other pizza chains. This could have something to do with the presence of a salad bar at Round Table stores.

Zucchini and spinach are really good on pizza and I am always gratified to see it on the toppings list at a pizza shop. Regrettably, there are not very many green toppings available beyond bell peppers at most pizza chains.

Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut has been at the top of my pizza list since the chain offered its "Book It" program in the late 1980's to promote children's literacy.

Since then, Pizza Hut has gone through many changes (logo), offered numerous promotions (Pizza Members Club), innovative products (stuffed crust pizza) and finally - recently - has even changed its crust.

That characteristic fried buttery crust has been replaced by a drier, baked crust. Trying the new crust, I was surprised, honestly, by how good it was.

I was first surprised to see that the crust had been changed at all. No one told me. I missed the memo.

Opening the box, I didn't notice at first. I only realized the crust was not the same old buttery bread when I took a bite of it.

Another change at Pizza Hut has been its prices, which are actually lower than they were a year ago.

I am, as it must be clear, a proponent for Pizza Hut. And though I point to all the changes they have made over the years, it is the consistent pizza they deliver that keeps them at the top of my pizza list.

What is special about Pizza Hut?

Pizza Hut is just as cheap as the other pizza chains, but they offer a better pizza with more consistent quality.

The topping list at Pizza Hut is rather short, though I find it sufficient. I'd like to see an option of sweet or white onions instead of the red onions currently offered.

Papa John's

Losing the battle for machine-like consistency, Papa John's comes next on the list of best national pizza chains. I have eaten some really great Papa John's pizzas I have had some disappointing pizzas from them too.

I say the chain is inconsistent, but while taking a very unofficial poll for this article, one responder said that Papa John's was a very consistent pizza chain. Go figure.

What is special about Papa John's?

With a distinctive, sweet sauce, Papa John's does put out a distinctive product. To accompany the pizza Papa John's places a garlic dipping sauce in every pizza box.

It's quite an indulgence and, as everyone knows, the garlic sauce is very good.

Domino's

Domino's pizza offers more options than the other pizza shops in terms of pizza styles and menu items. Now making sandwiches, pasta bread-bowls and bread sticks, Domino's can boast a varied menu.

The regrettable drawback to this menu is that the food from Domino's is often disappointing.

The price is right, but the flavor, in my opinion, is not.

Little Caesars

The bottom pizza chain list features Little Caesars. Though I would opt to eat a Little Caesars pizza before choosing to dine on Domino's, Little Caesars simply does not offer much.

They have some cheap goods - just not very many of them.

These are just my opinions. What do you think?