Pizzawala's — Restaurant in Maine Township

I normally don't write negative reviews, but I felt compelled to share my experience due to significant concerns regarding food handling and subsequent unprofessional customer service.

I placed an order over the phone and when I arrived at the store, the lady who had prepared my order was elsewhere. The person at the register called her over, and she ran over immediately after the bell was pressed by the other store employee. I knew she did not wash her hands and was probably taking a break, sitting down somewhere. She then took my pizza out of the oven. What followed was concerning: she proceeded to slice the pizza and add seasoning and cilantro with her bare hands. Again, I did not observe her washing her hands at this critical juncture.

Compounding the issue, she then approached the register to ring me up without washing her hands. Her fingers still had visible cilantro on them, indicating a lapse in proper hygiene practices.

After paying, I calmly and respectfully approached her. I advised her that using bare hands to handle pizza after it has come out of the oven is generally not acceptable here in the U.S., citing that it's different from practices in places like India (street vendor style - where they don't use gloves). I clearly stated that other customers might be upset by this practice and she should be careful, as I want them to be successful.

I didn't think much more of it until she later called me back. She rudely told me to "mind my own business," claimed that other places like Domino's don't wear gloves (which, as a point of clarification, they generally do for cooked food), and instructed me not to return to the store and hung up the phone on me!

I called her back and expressed my disbelief at such unprofessional behavior, especially after simply trying to provide constructive feedback. I felt her call back was unacceptable, and I am now writing this review to detail my experience.

P.S. Regarding Food Safety Regulations: For clarity, it's important to note that per U.S. food safety regulations (specifically guidance from the FDA Food Code, which Illinois adopts), it is generally prohibited for food employees to use their bare hands when contacting exposed, ready-to-eat food. While bare hand contact may be permissible before a pizza goes into the oven (as the oven acts as a "kill step" to eliminate pathogens), any handling, seasoning, or addition of toppings after the pizza has been cooked and is ready for consumption requires the use of suitable utensils, gloves, or other barriers. This regulation is in place to prevent the transfer of pathogens and ensure public...

This was our third visit as we really liked the paneer tikka pizza the first 2 times. So we revisited with our friends to try some more of their options. As we'd only tried the paneer tikka pizza earlier, we asked for another recommendation and the lady stated their 'achari veg' is popular. She also suggested we try the veggie puff, so we added that in addition. Veggie puff turned out to be OK. Wouldn't try again though. But the achari veg was a disaster. The taste was extremely bland and the toppings were absolutely raw with no flavor of any sauce being added as claimed on the menu. We immediately let them know upon tasting that it was disappointing. The LEAST they could do was apologize for spoiling our experience, if not anything else. But instead she goes "wo toh aise hi banta hai" (meaning that's how it's made) and turned away to avoid any further conversation. It wasn't edible at all after the wonderful taste of the paneer tikka, so we were forced to throw the entire Large pizza & just walked out. What a waste!! There was NO APOLOGY. And the audacity she had to further ask as we were walking away, about how we found the veggie puff. We said that was just fine but achari veg was horrible. She still had a disinterested expression and just wasn't ready to take a negative feedback. She goes 'ok' & turns away. That right there is the WORST customer service one can provide. We will never return. If you think you're the best in whatever you make and customer feedback means nothing or you can't even TRY to make something right to make the visit worth it, it doesn't matter if one/some of your offerings taste great. Pathetic Service and ZERO etiquettes to...

The food here was phenomenal! My partner and I each got a small pizza, and got a free small cheese pizza as part of a deal. I got the butter chicken pizza and they got the chicken tikka pizza. For my part, I loved the butter chicken pizza -- the heat was just right, the sauce had the creaminess that's classic to butter chicken, and I felt like the toppings were generous! It may be like nothing you've ever seen before with pizza, but that's definitely a good thing! We each tried the cheese pizza as well, and both loved it! This was a properly saucy pizza, with a good amount of cheese as well, and both still in balance. The marinara wasn't like what I've had from most Italian restaurants either -- the sauce had a decent thickness to it without being overbearing, and was cooked just enough so that you still had the tart taste of freshly cooked tomato sauce, both without being undercooked, or cooked to the point of being acidic or sweet as is common with most pizzas. To top all of this off, the crust was soft and fluffy on the inside, while having a bit of a crisp to the outside, and I'm not normally one that's a fan of crust! It was also garlicky and lighty dusted with cornmeal while also not being oily on each of the pizzas. Overall, this was probably the best pizza experience I've had in quite a while! I hope we might eventually see a location...