Reviewed
11/04

Papa John's is a new contender on the scene. And if you are a student, what a contender he is, offering 'two-for-the-price-of-one' pizzas and 20% discounts on drinks and side orders.  However, you probably will need to pick up a 'Student Privilege Card' to claim these reductions.  If you aren't a student, you are still eligible for money off and can receive a discount voucher for answering a short questionnaire on the website ( www.papajohns.co.uk ). The company was named 2004 'Delivery Operator of the Year' and it isn't hard to see why.

The menu itself is pretty adequate, currently offering 15 different main pizzas (4 of which are vegetarian), although there is the option to create your own.  Side orders include garlic bread, breadsticks, potato wedges and chicken wings as well as a range of dips.  There are soft drinks and bottled water to drink and chocolate pie as well as Ben & Jerry's ice cream available for dessert.

For some reason, the sizing leaps from medium to extra large - the large pizza clearly didn't sound large enough!  Small is 10", medium 12" and large 14".  The prices are fairly reasonable, with a small cheese and tomato pizza starting at £5.89 and most of the extra large pizzas costing £12.55.  One extra large pizza is plenty for two people in my limited experience of using Papa John's.

"But never mind all that, how good is the pizza?" you might ask.  While this isn't the most gourmet pizza in the world, it certainly satisfies and tastes great.  The pizzas are well cooked and the toppings are usually well selected, although they clearly aren't bona fide Italian with such toppings as barbeque sauce and sweetcorn included.  The 'All The Meats' pizza is particularly recommended and 'The Mexican' is an thrill for the tastebuds.

Delivery is free on all orders over £7.99 and the buy-one-get-one-free offer for students (with 20% off drinks and side orders) means that four of you can easily get a meal for under £20 -  you might call it a bargain.

Dunstan Barnes, 23.11.04

Order online and see the menu here