Bianchi’s Italian has been open on Tucson’s West-side since 1980, and the family has been serving up food ever since.

This is also one of the only places that I know of where you can order a pizza and pick it up via drive-thru. They boast a pretty good delivery radius too. In another instance, I’ve really enjoyed this pizza via delivery. But when venturing here again for Pizza Grateful and to visit the restaurant in person, and pick up some pies, something happened. Something about it just didn’t feel right. I’ll just jump into the breakdown.

Starter: Meatballs. Meatballs have almost become a mandatory accompaniment on our pizza adventure. These meatballs were a great value, but when it came to taste, there was something really surprising. They straight up  tasted like Spaghetti-O meatballs. A brief walk down memory lane, yes, but didn’t quite have what it takes to concur my meatball craving.

Crust: Too thick and heavy. We’re talking a lot of dough, that is very dense. This place is popular, and definitely was busy the Saturday that we visited. So odds are this dough didn’t get a decent time to rest and rise. Overall it turned out to be a sub-par base. Their pies come in 3 different sizes, 11″, 13″, 16″, and 24″.

Toppings: I had my heart set on trying a Four Seasons (1/4 Cheese, 1/4 Pepperoni, 1/4 Black Olive & Green Pepper, 1/4 Mushroom & Ham), but since we opted for the smaller sizes, they don’t divide that small of pie out that way. Instead we settled for some more nontraditional toppings for one pie, and classic for the other. Bacon Cheeseburger, and Pepperoni. Adding pickles and mustard to the bacon cheeseburger pizza, really tied it together. This was an at-home addition. This was really where I had first seen Bacon Cheeseburger pizza on a menu, but after we ordered it here, all of a sudden we started seeing bacon cheeseburger pizza everywhere.

Sauce: Bianchi’s sports a much sweeter tomato sauce than many pizzas we’ve had thus far. Pies were heavy on the sauce, and even though there was a very robust crust, the sauce to crust ratio, didn’t hold up.

Overall, this trip to Bianchi’s Italian left me with the worst heartburn of my life. I wouldn’t discount it as a pizza hot spot. It’s a family owned establishment that fills a need in the area. Prices are reasonable, and boasts a lot of convenience. I’d go again, as their menu hosts a diverse line up of appetizers, starters, subs, burgers, and desserts.

Bianchi’s Italian