Wawa Pizza?

 It's no secret that I LOVE Wawa.  I think their diet peach and raspberry iced teas are better than any name brands that you see in the markets.  (You know who I mean).  (Which is why I am still distressed that they were nearly impossible to find at my local Wawa this summer.  I could sometime find the odd diet peach, but diet raspberry was nowhere to be found.  Didn't make my upsetting summer any better.) 

Their soft pretzels are perfectly salted and filling.  (I've learned that a half can fill me up and that I should resist from buying a whole...although they are a better deal.)  

it comes to "Thanksgiving" food, Wawa is my savior.  Due to my allergies (is there anyone else out there who is allergic to turkey/poultry?), I can't have/make the traditional meal.  But I can treat my husband and son (and most recently my cousin) to gobbler.  What is a gobbler?  It's hot turkey smothered in a savory gravy, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.  Mashed potatoes can also be added.  You can get this has a sandwich (which seems like a little much) or as a bowl.  I do have to keep the windows rolled down when they are in my car (yes, even the odor can set me off...what can I say I'm a sensitive woman) and in the kitchen while the guys are eating, but at least they can enjoy turkey.  (Although I do have to say Gardein's turk'y roast is pretty darned awesome and with sides, it feels like a real Thanksgiving meal.)

And their coffee...forget the other brands.  I wish there was one near my office because I'd like it better than running to a better known name coffee place.  (And their prices are better.)  When autumn comes, I buy the bags of their pumpkin spice.  It is the BEST pumpkin spice out there.  And I'd like to think that I am a pumpkin spice authority.  It isn't fall until I've had my Wawa pumpkin spice coffee; ideally in a mug while I am sitting out on the deck at the shore.  (It's even better if I'm wearing my Wawa socks, sweat pants and sweatshirt or pjs and slippers...Yes I LOVE my Wawa swag too)

As much as I love Wawa, I was a little suspicious when I heard that they would be offering pizza.  I love pizza just about as much as I love pumpkin spice.  I'm not as picky...in my opinion it's hard to find "bad" pizza.  Excellent pizza is rare, but not to hard to find in the NYC metro area.  (In my hometown there are at least half a dozen place where you can find good pizza.)  I'm not adverse to Dominos  or Papa John's.   It's not my "ideal" pizza, but it hits the spot and sometimes it's what I want.

Wawa  pizza is only available after 4 pm, if we wanted to try it would have to be for dinner.  So that's what my husband and I decided to do the other day.  They offer "signature" (cheese, pepperoni, sausage & pepperoni, mushroom, and supreme [pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, green peppers and onions]), create your own (where you can mix and match any of the previously mentioned choices) and personal.  So, unlike at a traditional pizzeria, your options are limited.   (I'm a onion, pepper and black olives kind of gal, while my husband usually likes meatball or ground beef and ham.)  We went for a "cheese" (or what I would call plain) pizza in the 16" size (14" is your other choice).  The only other options we had were extra cheese (for an additional cost) or seasoned garlic crust (no additional cost).  As garlic lovers, we went for that.  I placed the order on line, asking for an ASAP time (which was about 10 minutes) although you can also schedule your time.

When we arrived at "my" Wawa the pizza was not yet out on the pick up rack, and my husband wanted to  wander around a bit. However, in only a few minutes (maybe even less than a minute), an employee came out from behind the counter with my pizza.  As he headed for the rack, I asked him if it was my order number and it was.  I said this was my first time trying their pizza and he replied that he hoped I would enjoy it.  I asked him HIS opinion and he said he felt that it was better than he had expected.

And that is my opinion too.  It is NOT high quality pizza, but it is decent pizza.  It made for a good meal for the two of us.  If I had to change anything about it, I would have liked to have been able to adjust the cheese/sauce ratio.  (More cheese is NOT an option I would have selected.)  I also felt that the garlic seasoning was a bit overpowering.  My husband felt that the sauce was a little weak (and why there was so much cheese.)  We ate it and we enjoyed it.  And I WOULD order it again.  I would probably order to over the closest pizza place to us on the barrier island (where I have waited way too long for my order to be ready; despite being given a pick up time).  For me, Wawa pizza is convenient, filling and good.  It will never top my favorite pizza place in North Jersey, but when I want pizza at the shore, this just might be it.

Good job Wawa.  (If you take my advice and work on the sauce, the sauce to cheese ratio and tone down the garlic seasoning just a notch, you just might work your way up the pizza ladder.)