Review of Marco's Pizza, 2004 U.S. Hwy 98, Daphne, AL 36526 (251) 625-6550

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