I tried Marco's Pizza, which was named the 'best pizza chain in America,' and found that it mostly lived up to the hype. (2024)

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I visited the Marco's on Lake Washington Boulevard, which sits on the far corner of a strip mall in West Sacramento, California.

This is the only location within a 25-mile radius of me and it is located in West Sacramento, California.

That said, there are more than 800 Marco's Pizza locations throughout over 30 US states, Puerto Rico, India, and the Bahamas. The franchise expects to open its 1,000th location sometime this year.

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I thought the exterior of the building was very simple and minimal.

To me, it didn't look like a stereotypical pizzeria franchise — there were no flashy neon signs, checkered tablecloths, or arcade games in sight.

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Inside, the decor had a modern, minimalist look to it.

From the moment I walked in, I was greeted by several team members who were willing to answer any questions I had. This was off to a great start — excellent customer service always deserves high marks in my book.

The space was fairly small and very clean. The color scheme was simple and featured red, white, and green accents — which probably represent the colors of Italy's flag. This would make sense since Marco's Pizza was founded in 1978 by Italy native Pasquale "Pat" Giammarco.

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The menu was posted above the cashier on a glowing, LED display, complete with changing photographs showcasing its food and specials.

The menu was easy to read and I appreciated the tasty-looking photos of food. Behind the cashier, you could see into the kitchen. I admired this open-kitchen layout because I liked being able to see my pizzas being made.

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There were plenty of places to sit and the chain wasn't too crowded.

I noticed six wooden tables with four seats each filled the majority of the restaurant. Two larger six-seater tables were perched against the wall under a single flatscreen TV.

Even though I visited during weekend lunch hours, the restaurant wasn't busy at all. My friend and I were one of only three other customers. Of course, this is a fairly new Marco's location (it opened about two months ago), so it seems fair to assume many people haven't heard about it yet.

Gigantic glass windows lined the right side of the room and allowed natural light to illuminate the dining area.

I was impressed with how bright the eatery was. The windows overlooked Marco's outdoor eating area and part of the parking lot.

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There were plenty of places to sit on the patio, plus large umbrellas to provide shade on a sunny day.

If it was a little nicer out, I might've opted to enjoy my food in the patio area, though the views of the parking lot and the rest of the strip mall weren't too appealing.

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The eatery's wine and beer options were also on display.

This location had a few beers (some on tap) and a variety of canned wines available for purchase. It's worth noting that not all of Marco's Pizza's locations serve alcohol.

Although I'm a huge fan of pairing pizza and beer, I stuck to water during my visit.

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The location also had a self-serve beverage station for customers to enjoy unlimited drink refills.

The fountain-beverage machine was clean and placed in front of a sign about Marco's Pizza's ingredients.It says the dough is "made fresh every day" and the sauce is made from "vine-ripened Roma tomatoes."

Next to the drinks there were also napkins and shakers filled with grated Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.

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The menu was well-organized and easy to read.

After I walked in, the cashier gave me a hand-held, laminated menu to review from the comfort of my table.

The menu provided a decent range of options, including six specialty pizzas, two local-delights pizzas, sandwiches, salads, desserts, and sides. The prices, calories, and descriptions of each item were clearly listed.

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I ordered a small Pepperoni Magnífico pizza, a small cheese pizza, a Cheezybread, and the Cinnasquares dessert for a total of about $34.

With tax, all of the food came to $34.28 — and this is with a $2 discount that the cashier added to my order due to some current promotion on specialty pizzas.I was pleasantly surprised by this discount since I didn't have a coupon or know the deal existed.

Even though we were dining in, our food came in to-go boxes by default. We also got plates, utensils, and napkins. I was excited about the small boxes because I anticipated having some leftovers to bring home.

My small cheese pizza cost $8.99 and came with six slices.

The cheese was piping hot when I opened the box and the pizza was cut fairly evenly.

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Per Marco's Pizza's website, its dough is "made fresh in store every day" — and I could taste it.

Marco's boasts using freshly made dough and I could tell, especially when comparing this crust to other ones I've eaten over the years. Each slice had the perfect bite to it without being too dense or chewy

The crust had a fluffy, buttery flavor, but still held up to the gooeyness of the cheese mixture. Even though cheese hung off the sides of pizza slice, nothing fell off while I was eating.

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Marco's "Italian family recipe" pizza sauce also tasted very fresh and homemade to me.

Marco's uses an original pizza sauce that's recipe was crafted by its founder, Giammarco. According to Marco's, the sauce is made in-store every day and consists of Roma tomatoes and "imported herbs and spices," though they aren't specific about which ones.

To me, the signature sauce tasted like someone had smashed tomatoes by hand and seasoned them very well. I felt like I could taste tomato, oregano, thyme, garlic, and other herbs with every bite.

The verdict? I loved it.

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After getting my fill of the classic cheese pizza, I tried a slice of Marco's pepperoni pie.

It turns out Marco's Pizza doesn't do your run-of-the-mill pepperoni pie. Instead, the chain has its signature "Pepperoni Magnífico" pizza, which is topped with a mix of both old-world pepperoni and classic pepperoni. And yes, there's a difference between the two.

Classic pepperoni is sometimes called "American-style" pepperoni. It's one of America's favorite toppings and the one that most people are used to seeing on pizzas around the US. It's usually red-colored and has a medium spiciness.

On the other hand, old-world pepperoni is smaller than American-style pepperoni. It is also said to contain residue from the natural casings that it is cured in, which cooks quickly under the high heat of an oven. This causes the pepperoni edges to curl inward and form crispy cups that provide an extra level of flavor with every bite.

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I found the old-world pepperoni had a spicy, bacon-like flavor that worked well with the pizza.

Between the crunchiness and smokiness of the pepperonis, the meltiness of the cheese, and the garlicky flavor coursing through every bite, Magnífico pizza quickly won me over.

The pizza was definitely a little bit on the greasier side, which I'm sure can be attributed to the fat from the meat and cheese. But this is pizza we're talking about — greasiness is a given.

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Marco's Cheezybread was one of the better cheesy breads I've eaten.

I'll be honest: I'm not usually one to order cheesy breads at a pizzeria, but I know it is a menu staple for a lot of American pizza chains, so I gave it a try.

It was served with pizza sauce and ranch dressing for dipping, though I replaced the ranch with extra sauce.

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Upon opening the box of Cheezybread, I was hit with the intoxicating aroma of garlic.

I later learned that the eatery's Cheezybread is baked with the same three-cheese blend used on its pizzas. This bread is also topped with garlic sauce and what appears to be sprinkles of pepper, Parmesan, and other seasonings.

The texture of the bread itself was similar to the pizza crust, though it appeared to be a bit airier. I can envision this being the perfect complement to a salad if someone wanted to order something slightly less greasy than a pizza.

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The bread was cut into convenient dipping-sized slices.

Once again, Marco's signature sauce was a highlight for me. I seriously considered using the cheese bread as a spoon for the sauce. I was very grateful I'd asked for a second cup of sauce to take home with me — it was that good.

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I was already pretty full by the time we got to dessert.

It was now time for Marco's signature cinnamon-loaded dessert — the Cinnasquares. Fortunately, they were still warm even after I took my time to eat my pizza.

Marco's Pizza's menu describes its Cinnasquares as "fresh-baked, buttery pastry topped with cinnamon and sugar, served with a side of vanilla icing." They reminded me of a more elegant version of cinnamon-sugar toast I used to eat for breakfast when I was a kid.

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Sadly, the packet of icing was messy to use and didn't distribute evenly on my squares.

The plastic packaging was messy to work with and the icing didn't spread evenly over each cinnamon square. I would have preferred if the icing came in a small cup for easy pouring or dipping.

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It was tasty, but I could have done without it — I felt it was too basic of a dessert for the $5.99 price tag.

I felt a little disappointed that this dessert didn't have much of a "wow factor" to it. I expected there to be pockets of cinnamon distributed throughout the bread like a cinnamon roll, but the flavor was only really present on the top of the dessert.

The Cinnasquares were tasty and made me feel nostalgic, but I probably wouldn't order them again, especially since for a few bucks more, I could get another small cheese pizza.

Still, I think people who are a fan of treats like churros might enjoy this dessert. I would also say this is a great option for a family or group of friends to share since it was pre-cut and easy to pull apart.

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Overall, I understand why so many people love Marco's Pizza so much.

I was highly satisfied with the taste and price of this chain's mainstay — pizza. One six-slice Pepperoni Magnífico pie was $12.99, which rounds out to about $2.17 per piece. Some may feel that's on the pricey side for a pizza chain, but I'd argue it's so worth it when you consider the quality and impressive flavors of Marco's ingredients.

Between the superb customer service, quality ingredients, great-tasting food, and reasonable prices, Marco's Pizza really won me over. I'll definitely consider venturing to this West-Sacramento location again and eating at Marco's Pizza in the future.

In the meantime, I'm thankful that the chain delivers.