Peter Piper Pizza

FOOD

Pizza made with scratch-prepared dough is the main event at Peter Piper’s lunch buffet. The chain’s regular cheese pizza uses mozzarella, while pepperoni adds the familiar cured-meat topping to the same foundation. They’re useful starting points before exploring more elaborate combinations. Since the buffet offers several varieties, two people at the same table can have quite different lunches without negotiating the toppings on a shared pie.

The regular specialty menu shows how far those combinations can go. Buffet selections vary, and Peter Piper invites requests for favorites. The Werx includes pepperoni, ham and beef with mushroom, green pepper, black olive and red onion. Its appeal is the mixture: meat, vegetables and cheese in one slice rather than a choice between the two camps.

For a meat-focused option, 5-Meat Supreme brings together pepperoni, beef, ham, sausage and bacon. Chicago Classic pairs pepperoni and sausage with mushrooms, green peppers and a seasoning blend. A little variety is the pleasure of this format, particularly when the next pizza gives the table something different to compare.

Vegetable combinations have their own place in that wider choice. California Veggie uses mushrooms, green peppers, red onion, black olives, tomatoes, garlic and spices. NY 3 Cheese With Pepperoni takes another approach, combining mozzarella, cheddar and provolone beneath the pepperoni. One emphasizes a mixture of vegetables; the other makes the cheeses part of the reason to choose it.

The garlic breads are substantial accompaniments in their own right. Handmade breadsticks are brushed with garlic butter, finished with parmesan and herbs, and served with marinara. Garlic Cheese Bread adds mozzarella and cheddar to the dough with a garlic-butter finish. Both are included in the chain’s description of its lunch-buffet spread. They suit anyone who considers bread and cheese a perfectly reasonable addition to a plate already containing pizza.

Salad gives a lunch party more variety than just pizza and something to eat between the warmer, richer choices. The buffet includes a modest salad selection. It’s a useful part of lunch whether you want a small accompaniment or prefer to divide your attention more evenly between the greens and the slices.

Cinnamon Crunch provides the characteristic sweet finish. Peter Piper makes it with pan dough, a cinnamon-and-brown-sugar topping and an icing drizzle. Leave a little room if cinnamon is your thing. The arcade may be optional, but dessert deserves at least a moment’s consideration.