I’ve tried several pizza places in Oswego. Here’s my take
By Stefan Yablonski
One of the easiest answers when a college student (or anyone else, actually) wonders what to order for dinner — is pizza.
The answer to where? is a lot more complicated, however.
With the number of choices in the Port City it can be a tough decision.
The bulk of Oswego’s pizzerias are downtown.
A quick survey of some friends and a relative (with a familiar name) showed who was favored.
Tim Nekritz said his “kid kinda likes Bridge Street Pizza; but there’s no such thing as bad pizza in the Port City.”
Some friends — Jerry Hollister, Jim Walker, Erin Foley Price and Lisa Stevens all picked Pizza Villa. Steve W. Yablonski said Pies Guys.
The Pies Guys, 6 Baylis St., is just minutes away from the SUNY Oswego campus.
I tried a couple slices and a Pepsi — for just $10. It was a great deal. The slices were a good size and tasty. The crust was well-done and firm. The toppings were very flavorful. The service was quick and friendly. I’m just not a fan of thin crust pizzas.
Pizza Villa, 101 1/2 W. Bridge St., is a tradition in Oswego. It’s been open since 1966. Their motto is “keeping it basic.”
They don’t add any secret ingredients to their pizza. It’s just the same pie that has become an Oswego favorite. It is kinda heavy on the cheese — but that doesn’t hide the zesty pepperoni. It doesn’t have individual slices unless ordered ahead. I always order a large pepperoni for delivery. Once I made the “mistake” of asking for extra cheese.
The slices are large, but for me it tends to be a bit greasy. Still, it’s been my go-to pizza for years.
Another Oswego tradition is Cam’s Pizzeria. For more than 40 years, Cam’s has been located on the corner of West Bridge and Second streets.
The New York style pizzeria offers a thin crust style of pizza.
I sampled a couple different slices. Most people have a cheese or pepperoni slice. But Cam’s has others available as well. These slices were $4.49 each.
I got the traditional pepperoni slice and tried a buffalo chicken as well.
Both were very good. The pizza was tasty and the service was fast and friendly. But I am not a big fan of thin crust pizzas, though. But if it’s your style — this is the place for you.
Riverwalk Pizza on West First Street doesn’t do slices. So I got a small pepperoni. It was done in a matter of minutes and had two kinds of pepperoni on it. The service was fast and friendly — in fact two workers kept on eye on my pie while it was in the oven. The total came to $12.79 … for a good sized ‘small’ pizza. It was very well done — hot and cheesy. And I had enough for two meals.
Little Caesar’s has a hot-n-ready pizza option at Price Chopper plaza on the east side of Oswego. Like Riverwalk, they don’t do slices. Little Caesar’s makes fresh pepperoni and cheese pizzas all day long in order to have them ready to order for customers.
Customers can stop in and receive a pizza pie ready on the spot. However, when I went there were no pizzas ready on the spot. I had to wait more than 15 minutes. I got a small pepperoni; may have been hurried because of how busy they were at the time.
Crust was rather soft. The sauce was thin. had a distinct tomato taste. There was plenty of pepperoni. It was enough to feed two — maybe more.
A good deal for about $11 (including a 20-ounce lemonade).
Wasn’t as good as the crispy four-piece square cheese pizza I got previously.
They were on East Third Street. They moved for the higher customer traffic in the Price Chopper plaza.
NOTE: This is but a taste of Oswego’s pizza menu. To find your favorite go out and sample the businesses above …. And places like Bridge Street Pizza, Domino’s, GJP Italian Eatery and if you like garlic pizzas restaurants like Canale’s and Vona’s have excellent selections. You have an entire semester to treat your palate.
