Pizza Corral — Restaurant in Elgin

So today's Taste Tour was to Elgin, OK to visit Pizza Corral- Elgin and try out their handmade specialty pizzas. With many positive reviews and comments (except from that one guy from Texas) I figured it was worth the drive--especially for their lunch buffet.

First of all, it is a hole in the wall place. A small stand alone building with a gravel parking lot near a car garage just down from the BBQ place right before the fourway stop, with a light up billboard sign out front. So yes, it already checks ALL the boxes for legit pizza place. Even had a couple old tires for a parking bumper. Oh. My. Goodness. I had to circle the lot a couple of times to wait for someone to leave, since I arrived at peak pizza buffetness--high noon.

Sure enough, it was packed, but I found a table quickly. The decor was simple, with a few small tables. Good--they aren't trying to fool people with fancy schmancy decor and then serve sub par pizza with canned sauce and cheese with goo additives.

And even though it was noon, and there was a birthday party, and lots of folks devouring pizza, the buffet was constantly well stocked. The lunch buffet was generous, with about a dozen different pizzas out at any given time, along with a nice salad bar. (You know, for those who don't eat their weight in pizza at an all you can eat buffet.)

The choices were varied: from jalepeño pepperoni, to the meat lovers (pepperoni, sausage, Italian sauce, and bacon), cheese lovers, an Alfredo chicken, BBQ ranch chicken, sausage, and a couple combo pizzas. Basically All. The. Meats. (I should have brought in a bottle of honey--a sauce trick I learned on a pizza expedition in Alaska a few years back. Try it will a loaded meat lovers pizza next time--amd thank me later.)

It was definitely freshly made pizza dough, thick but not heavy. The crust was thick AND crisp, and while well done, it was not crunchy or burnt. No gooey pizza dough here--another great sign!

The final kicker was that there was just the right amount of sauce -- it's wasn't so much that it overpowered the meats and cheeses, but enough to know it was there. Not sure if that's the usual (y'all saucy folks might be able to order extra sauce?) but it was definitely a well balanced pizza. The Alfredo pizzas were similarly slathered with Alfredo sauce--and I'm not a big Alfredo pizza fan, but these were legit.

They offer specialty pizzas, like the Native Smoke BBQ pizza, a five cheese pizza, and others which weren't on the buffet but warrant another visit to try them. A couple of folks had calzones which looked fantastic as well. And rumor has it there are even a couple of super secret pizza combos that require code words and secret handshakes...or maybe just asking nicely...

Oh--don't forget dessert. That's right, they have a gelato counter by the register to taunt you as you order. So I made room after 47 pieces of pizza for a couple of scoops of gelato. I should have left more room. The gelato was thick and creamy, and there were about a dozen flavors to choose from. I jokingly suggested they need an all you can eat gelato buffet. Ok, maybe I wasn't joking.

All in all, it was definitely worth the drive. Their prices are fair and portion size for made to order it great, and the buffet was definitely worth the money. If I lived closer I would be a regular--well, I'd at least be there daily. If you are looking for handcrafted pizza with great flavor, great crust, and unique offerings, Pizza Corral should be on your list. If you are planning a drive to Texas, or a day trip to Medicine Park, add Pizza Corral to your list.

A definite 9, possibly 9.2 on the Tastometer. Highly...

Oh My Goodness!!! - Delicious Ooey Gooey Deep Dish is available in SW Oklahoma. In Elgin, OK, to be exact. Definitely worth the drive. We ordered a deep dish with pepperoni, sausage and beef and it was yummy! If you see the pictures you may think "That does not look like deep dish, it has cheese on top!" And you are correct, but it was delicious and I actually enjoyed the additional caramelized cheese on top. The owner said the sauce on top was just not pretty enough and did not look like pizza to him so he put his own twist on it, and it works! The crust was thick and held up to the 6 lbs of toppings but was cooked all the way through and still tender and flaky. The toppings were flavorful and moist, the sauce rich and tomatoey and the cheese was gooey and crusty at the same time. We also ordered the traditional Buffalo chicken wings and they were big, meaty and delicious too. The chicken was tender and moist and had great flavor. Service was small town friendly and attentive. Building is plain and unassuming but clean. They also had several flavors of ghellatto available that looked creamy and very tempting. To top it all off the price was unbelievable. For the gigantic deep dish (over 6 lbs of pizza), 6 chicken wings and two drinks the cost was only around $25. They are only charging $15.99 for that huge pizza! I did tell the owner that was ridiculous! So if the deep dish is a little more expensive next time, blame me. It is definitely worth $25 for the deep dish pizza alone. Will say if you are looking to dine in, heads up that the staff was not wearing masks. So if that makes you uncomfortable during these Covid times you may prefer to choose take out and pick-up at drive through window. Everything looked clean, tables were spread apart and they had hand sanitizer available so believe they are following all other recommendations for...

what in the world is going on in Elgin Oklahoma? huh? i live in okc by lake hefner. i took an electrical job close to here just so i could try this pizza joint. if this lil mom and pop pizza place was in my neighborhood i promise you they would know my name and regular order. i went in 11ish on a weekday. i read on the reviews they had a lunch buffet. i am older and can't eat like i used to so i stopped doing the buffet a few years ago. i came out of buffet retirenment on this day, at the right place. the buffet is a quantity over quality situation at most eateries. this pizza was banging. the crust ain't all under cooked gross like a fluffy biscuit. it is thickish yet crispy and tasty af. i got 3 pieces my 1st go. the local highschool kids came in droves after i sat to eat. they ate up all the pizza. hallelujah. fresh pizza on the buffet. i tried this chicken, spinach, bacon pizza, that i would never have tried if it wasn't for the local kids asking for it. it was all that. mmmm. i am going back to try the stromboli and the deep dish pizza. this ain't ultraprocessed filth like dominos. pizza hut, mcdonalds. if you think that trash is food. don't go here. you will complain. if you are in the area get in here. your tastebuds can...