Blaze Pizza — Restaurant in Winter Park

First time eating at Blaze, surprised at the quality here.

Atmosphere is great! This location is very large and was packed at the time of my visit (~1PM Friday).

Love the modern/industrial feel of the location. Very clean and well maintained. Loud, bustling environment from all the people at my time of visit.

First time customers — ORDER ONLINE! Trust me when I say this and don’t repeat my mistakes. Yes, part of the experience of it is going in and watching your pizza get made from scratch, however not only is the process of building your own pizza/salad very quick, but the loud environment of this place only makes it more difficult. Unless you’re up for the load of pressure this environment provides, or you already know what to build, take your time and order online!

As for the food itself — 6/10. I built my own basic buffalo chicken pizza and a basic greek salad. Something simple to try out, I figured.

Not worth it. The pizza was okay, but it was bland - it is a simple combination of flavors, but not done well. As for the salad, the regular amount of green goddess dressing wasn’t very potent (compared to the original Panera-based inspiration of course).

Another issue I experienced was skimpy ingredient amounts between both the salad and the pizza. The salad bowl as seen in pictures was rather lackluster even in comparison to the orders of my other relatives I dined here with. Of course with the other orders where closer to 6 or 7 ingredients were used there was plenty of toppings and this issue did not persist, however I still feel strongly that if ordering something basic with only a few toppings, it should be a comparable amount to that of a pizza or salad with a lot more different toppings.

Another unexpected thing - The blood orange lemonade here is amazing! The citrusy flavor is great but not overwhelming, and the tartness is subtle enough to compliment its sweetness while not overpowering it (until you’ve had a ton of course). Definitely try it if you go here!

Overall the food was okay, but the freshness of the ingredients is undoubtedly great. You get to see everything made and the pizza thrown into their oven for a few minutes before your eyes - That is quality you can’t find everywhere, let alone at a large branch restaurant like this.

There is still plenty of room for improvement from this company but don’t hesitate to give it a go. I think it has...

Incredibly rude staff. I have been excited to try Blaze Pizza for some time. I decided to order online so it would be faster to pick up but I’d eat in store. I came in and others that had multiple pizzas got their pizzas first and mine were still being made. Regardless, I let that be. I ended up telling Alex to place mines in a to-stay plate IF it’d be easier for everyone given that I saw everyone running around to get orders out. She was rude and dismissive when I was very courteous to her. When I did the same in other places, other businesses were the opposite for not having to close an order, stick a label, etc. Then, she switched with a gentleman as she switched to prep. Minutes later, the gentleman tried to give me an order that wasn’t mine and I said that I ordered a caprese salad instead. He insisted and I told him I’d check the app to see if I made the mistake (when I ended up not doing so). He also gave me an attitude initially. He left to give that order to the right person eventually and I turned around to the man that was finishing the pizzas (given that he turned to me), who appears to be a manager. I told him there wasn’t a reason for anyone to be rude with me when I was trying to be nice and my responses were given based on how I was initially treated. Once my order was finished and I grabbed them to my table, the same man ended up making jokes about me when I returned to get drink cups, with other people around him as if I wouldn’t notice. It’s unfortunate. I wanted to like this place but my experience was ruined. My mother, who was with me, was also initially excited. Now, it’s the joint memory that we have of Blaze Pizza. I hate to complain and to drag anyone in unfavorable experiences but this was very unnecessary. From initial excitement to the hopes that they will close. If I had been a rude customer, it’d have been understandable. I would have also said sorry as I try to reflect on my reactions immediately. This wasn’t the issue. I tried being nice, to the point of thinking of them conserving time and materials with my order when I don’t have to and initially approached the front person...

Pretty decent... and fast... need to know what you are doing! Subway, but make it pizza..

What? DISCLAIMER-I am not a fan of pizza but overall the pizza was good.

I got a the BYO vegan version. I added the vegan cheese, chorizo and just about all the veggies (Onion, spinach, pepper, garlic, tomatoes, jalapeños). Clearly I don't know how to treat this pizza BYO... (maybe like subway...). I ordered and did take out, drove about 30 mins to get home, dove into the pizza... and... It was surprisingly not cold as yet. I like the crust, it is thin enough and not dry or oily. For the sauce I did red and spicy red.. where I hoped the person would do it on half of the pizza, but she mixed it together.. (sorry Its my first time). The pizza was pretty spicy... not sure what it really was... (beginners' mistakes)

Vegan Experience: I am not as strict with my diet when it comes to vegan... But it gets concerning when they are handling regular cheese and vegan cheese... in the same gloves..? Just a thought for consideration. You are warned. They could be a little more conscious about this... would be nice to have vegan labels on the sauces...

Environment Right on the corner of the strip plaza. When I went around noon, the roads were quite busy. Turning into the plaza can be a little hassle. There are plenty of parking I would say. There is designated parking for curbside which is good! The interior, like a lot of fast casual places. It is a line to order, see what you line and add it on and then pay. There are a number of seating outside and inside.

Niceness of the staff As a first timer going to Blaze during their busy time may not be the best to get top of the class patience and niceness from the staff... I was just moving along the line and trying to place all my toppings and orders... There was little to no time for questions or thinking. Order, move along and out.

Dollar It was quite decent for a lunch, the 11" was about $10.

Yes I would return if I am craving pizza... and am more prepared... But I am not...