Pagliai's Pizza — Restaurant in Kirksville

TLDR: This spot has my vote for the worst restaurant in Kirksville. For sandwiches, go to Bellacino's instead.

MENU: Pizza, salads, calzones, and sandwiches.

FOOD QUALITY: Bottom-of-the-barrel ingredients. Incompetent preparation. Sad.

MENU FAVORITES: N/A.

MENU FAILS: The tagline on the logo is "sandwiches and palonzas", suggesting that these are the items the restaurant is known for. I've tried both of them. And they were atrocious. Let's talk about it.

First, their "homestyle" sandwiches... If this is the stuff your mama made for you when you were a kid, you need to call her up and get your money back. Dense, stale, white bread submarine rolls; and the world's cheapest lunch meat. With a crushed bag of Lays. Lame. I got the turkey club and a reuben for lunch one day - it was the most disappointing meal I've had since the time I tried to make a grilled cheese in the microwave, back when I was too young to use the stove.

Second, the polonza, which is their version of a calzone. Maybe the quality varies depending on who makes it - some of the online photos I've seen look great, like the crust would be crispy - but the time I had it was a huge disappointment. I chose the supreme, which, according to the menu, comes with both pizza sauce and special sauce. The "special" sauce must be water, because mine was so runny, it was borderline inedible; each time I picked it up to take a bite, a rivulet of liquid would stream out of the corner. When it comes to pizza and calzones, the crust is the most important element. Here, the crust is totally bland and flavorless. The top was covered in a powdery layer of burned flour. The bottom, as well as the seam where the dough was pressed together, was stodgy and under-baked. As for the filling, the vegetables were raw, and there was so little meat it seemed like the baker forgot to include it. Tip: add some salt to your pizza dough, and try fermenting it for a few days. People have been baking bread for thousands of years; it isn't that hard. Watch a YouTube tutorial. Something.

In the interest of full disclosure, I've never had the pizza here, and I suppose I never will, because the items I have tried did not inspire enough confidence to give it a chance. The world is depressing enough without bad pizza.

FRONT OF HOUSE SERVICE: Here they do it quick-service style. You pick up your order at the counter. The dining area is a tad small, so maybe plan on take-out on Fridays and Saturdays. I haven't interacted much with the staff, and I won't go into details, but I recall a particularly rude experience with one of the cooks on that day I got the two sandwiches.

KITCHEN SERVICE: The kitchen is open, so you can watch them make your food, if you want to. The kitchen is clean, I'll give them that.

COMPETITION: For toasted sandwiches, you can't go wrong with Bellacino's. They offer a wide variety, they don't skimp on the ingredients, and the bread is pretty good. I have yet to have any pizza in Kirksville that I genuinely thought was worthwhile, so when I'm in the mood for it, I usually get Screaming Sicilian brand frozen pizza at the Hy-Vee and bless it with a few additional ingredients; at least it won't be a bland, soggy mess.

ATMOSPHERE: Pagliai's is clearly a popular place in Kirksville, because I see the delivery guy driving around all the time, and I've never understood why... Aside from nostalgia (the restaurant has been open since the 60s), I think it must be the atmosphere. It's bright and cheerful, with music playing. They've got the iconic, friendly-looking mascot statue standing on the corner. The place has a cool vibe. I just wish the...

I do not typically write reviews for restaurants. It has to be an experience that I truly consider impactful above or below that of what is typically experienced. Today I feel I need to share to make others aware of my experiences with Pagliai's Pizza so you can form your own opinion with a wider base of experiences. In this case not once, but every time I have interacted with Pagliai's Pizza over the past few years have had at least a few negative marks with tonight's being exceptionally bad. Typically our experience would involve slow service, potentially the orders taken correctly but delivered incorrectly, or potentially cold food. My wife and daughter like their food which has kept us periodically returning every few months even though I am strongly against it. This evening was exceptional as my pregnant wife ordered a vegetarian palonza and was delivered an all meat palonza (Which took approximately 1 hour to arrive, living minutes away). I contacted them to see about a replacement and they said they would make one and have it delivered. After a little over another hour I contacted them again. It was not out for delivery and was being prepared at that time. I told them I would come pick it up to help speed up the process. When I got there I was briefly acknowledged, not given a timeline, and witnessed food being microwaved (spaghetti and meatballs). Things like this are not deal breakers but definitely makes you question the quality of the food you receive. My daughter just ate their spaghetti and meatballs, how long had it sat?

I don't ask for a lot from a food establishment. Communication, reasonably timely service, and fresh food make me and my family content. To qualify this McDonald's can be used as an example. The communication that takes place when you order your food establishes an expectation of the business to provide the ordered food in a timely manner and that the food will be as depicted within marketing or menu representations. Pagliai's Pizza after initial communication and exchange of funds has failed to follow through on this.

When a business fails to communicate well, provide timely service, or serve fresh food I feel as though it is great disrespect to the people that patronize the business. I would recommend going to...

I entered the restaurant, which is located on the corner. I wasn’t sure if I was to wait or sit. A moment later, someone asked if I was to get a slice to go or sit. I said sit. She said I can sit anywhere. I sat in the back near the soda fountain. Not sure why, just wanted to sit in a booth facing the door. I ordered the broccoli cheese soup and cheesy bread. I asked how much come with the cheesy bread so I would have enough. She seats it’s small, so I ordered the larger portion. It didn’t take long to get my soup. The presentation was nice. It looked like the soup was a bit thin. No matter, less calories for me. It tasted as expected and I was pleased. The cheesy bread and sauce came after I had finished my soup. There was a lot of sauce. The good and thick kind. There were enough pieces of bread to satisfy me. My only critique would be this: The cheesy bread didn’t have flavor. It needed garlic or something. Also, I would have toasted it a bit longer. Lastly, the bread wasn’t toasted. I felt the bread was not the best. I would have added garlic and Italian seasonings. Usually, when I enter a pizza joint: If I can smell...