Overall Rating: Very Good (***)
Pizza type: New York style
Pizza ordered: Italian sausage
Crust: The Marco's crust is very good, particularly when you request it to be made extra thin. Although not a nicely charred crust, it is a very nice example of the chewy and crispy texture, with a bit of toughness, that I look for in a good New York style, slice joint, crust. The thin version is just a very good, basic crust that doesn't detract from the pie in any way. Now, if you don't specify the crust be extra thin you might see a bit more breadiness, typical of some pizza chains. Although their crust does not achieve the consistent quality of say, Papa's, in Daphne, it is significantly above average.Sauce: No real issues with the Marco's sauce. The tomato sauce was delicate and evenly spiced. No bitter or acidic overtones at all, although it was a bit light on oregano. It was applied to the pie sparingly enough to remain in great balance with the other ingredients.
Cheese: The cheese was not a natural mozzarella,; however, it was very good quality. It had an ever so slight, sharp edge, but not enough to upset the flavor balance of the pizza. The cheese was applied a bit more generously than I prefer, but certainly not to the point of weighting the pie down or drowning out the other flavors.
Other Topping(s): The Italian sausage on the Marco's pie was some of the best I have ever encountered in a franchise pizza place. It was very well spiced, tender and fragrant. It really added character to the pie, without dominating the flavors. The sausage had no fatty after-taste that can often ruin an Italian sausage pie.
Atmosphere: Very traditional, suburban slice joint atmosphere. The space is not too crowded but very cozy and has wifi.
Service:
Excellent service! It is friendly with attention to detail. The staff does not
interrupt often, but does ask the right questions so you are
accommodated. The tables are often a bit dirty, but slice joints can be that way.
Utensils: Adequate plastic-ware, and adequate napkins.
Overall: Marco's is a stand-out among franchise pizza restaurants. It is convenient, well-suited for its suburban setting and reasonably priced. The restaurant doesn't serve by the slice all day and never on the weekends, which I believe narrows its market a bit by driving away the quick slice crowd at certain times; however, bottom-line, they're serving a very good pizza and can count themselves among the best New York style pizzerias in the area.
Reservations: N/A
Payment: Cash or credit cards
