Jake's Stadium Pizza — Restaurant in Mankato

Delivery was prompt and very thorough in getting hold of me by phone when arrival at my address proved rather more unusually complicated even than anticipated. The delivery driver's bright and sunny disposition carried over some of the glorious day's sunlight into twilight hours, arriving as he did just a few minutes after the sun had gone down though still casting its light refracting red through breaks in the cloud banks rolling in more or less from the north. The pizza — four meat — arrived hot and fresh in a pristine well folded (indeed, well designed) cardboard box printed in with the food purveyor's trademark name and informing me that they've also got a location in St Peter (which was of course supposed to be the state capitol at one point). My visitor (who chose four meat from a short list of popular options) had informed me (when this business's listing had shown up from a Google maps search for "pizza" as an alternative to other name brands with greater market share dominance and name brand recognition) that this establishment uses Wisconsin cheese which I took as a recommending the product as a dish with specifically regional roots, likely showcasing high quality agricultural products a step or two closer to source than anything any national chain could possibly have to offer. It is delicious, featuring a perfectly edgecrispy dry soda cracker crust overlaid with delicious tomato based sauce and meat based ingredients (the basic spice combination of which In the ground meat distinctly calls to memory the haggis of Robert Burns Society lore). One mightn't hope it'd not be overlooked from one who'd had it on the banks of river clyde because of how it worked. I very much look forward to trying something completely different next time and am confident in everyone whose time and focus went into making that once in a lifetime experience completely irreproducible until today an unexpected twist in a surprise turnt up a distal memory stored as taste banks going back a good four...

I'm 40 years old and my parents have been routinely going to Jake's since I can remember. I love the place. Their food is good!

There's two things I really wish they would take into consideration:

1. When ordering a pizza if you don't specify, they give you this really thin, thin, crispy crunchy crust pizza. I understand that many people probably like that pizza, but I do not. It's not common to get a really thin crust pizza like that unless you specify at most pizza restaurants. I only go there occasionally and there are times I don't specify which type of crust I prefer. If I forget to specify, I get the thin crust pizza and I'm really disappointed. I wish they would just ask, "Do you want thin or thick crust?" when a customer places an order just to ensure the customer gets what they want.

2. Their thick crust pizzas come out with crusts that are well done, almost burnt. Both my parents and I do not like the crust being so well done. My parents eat there so much they've got in the habit of asking for their pizza "light baked" pizza. I don't eat there as often and I forget about their crust being so well done. I like a doughy crust that's not so crispy. Again, I wish they would just ask instead of making all their pizzas with extra well done crusts.

I know one could say it's as simple as remember to order your pizza that way, but it's not often I go there and I usually forget. I wish they would just recognize these things and put measures in place to do the best they can to satisfy their customer. And I know I'm being particular here but I think it would raise the bar on their service if they were to ask these things. Just like when you go to a steakhouse they don't make your steak the way the restaurant wants it, they ask the customer and make the steak the way the customer likes it.

It's still a great place but I think that would elevate the...

So, we heard that Jake's was the best pizza (or restaurant, for that matter...) in Mankato... Well, I'm going to attempt to restrain myself here, and just give the facts of the matter for our out -of-the-way visit to Jake's Stadium Pizza. Ordered a medium 4-meat pizza. Sat down in the relatively empty, i guess Stadium. Once our pizza was ready, called out over the intercom, i sauntered on up to grab it, noticed it to be white in color, asked politely for additional cook time - no problem. Went up a second time to grab the pizza, looked exactly the same. No matter. Sat down to eat, and discovered nothing good, honestly... Pizza was, and i promise I'm not exaggerating or being unfair here, the most awful attempt at pizza I've yet encountered... I'm sorry, guys, sorry Jake, but it's true, unfortunately. No sauce, like at all, not much cheese, but whatever cheese was just barely melted, even after the extra cook time, i never did discover any pepperoni, and here's the clincher: so Jake must think it's a good idea to homogenously mix ground beef from the taco pizza in equal measures with sauce, because that's what was delivered, and i have to say, no. No, sir, no. The flavor was un.... ummmm, untasteworthy? Unforgivingly unfortunate? Awfully not good is about all I'm able to report at this time. Much as i am loathe to do it, i must inform whoever's reading this review that i cannot get behind Jake's Stadium Pizza. Not now and not ever, and i hope they gave the remaining 9/10 of our 4-meat pizza attempt to a nice unfortunate person in the area - i left it in the to-go box right there by the beverage station. On the plus side, however, the establishment was clean, employees relatively nice, so there's...