Derek W.
Yelp
O Canada, our home and native land...
As much as I admire the Canadian National Anthem, I wish I could say the same about their pizza. Well, maybe I could if I actually went up to Canada and tried a slice there, but I was really referring to Canadian Pizza in Long Beach.
"What makes pizza Canadian?" I thought to myself. I had no idea, and the only reason I got to try Canadian Pizza was because they were on Fivestars. I had a reward for a slice, and I stopped by this pizza shop on the northwest corner of Almond and 4th Street.
Since it's 4th Street, you can only imagine how much of a pain parking would be. I parked on Almond and walked south to Canadian Pizza, but as soon as I arrived, I noticed a sign for parking in rear. Did I miss it completely the first time?! However, it was a good thing because the alley leading to the lot in the back is real narrow, and it's the only means to access that lot. The lot is also pretty small, holding about a half a dozen vehicles, so I definitely wouldn't recommend parking there for fear of a head on collision. You'd have better luck finding a spot at Hole Mole just on the other side of Almond, but I'm not actually sure you can do that, even if it's a quick stop like mine.
There were a couple of front doors, and I went through the wrong one first. The one on the right leads to their dining area, but I didn't see a counter to place my order. I walked out and back into the other front door, where the space inside was so minimal, but there was a counter to place your order. I also saw the SumUp tablet for Fivestars, but it was off! I wasn't sure why, and from my communication with a couple of their employees, it sounded like they weren't participating in Fivestars anymore? But after I showed the female staffer my Fivestars reward, she decided to honor it anyways.
Since there was barely any room inside for customers, I was asked to wait outside, and she'd call me when my pizza slice was ready. I had to stay close to the door so I could hear or at least see her motion to me when it was ready. It was only a couple of minutes before I came back in to pick up my slice of pizza in a triangular takeout box that offers no indication that it came from Canadian Pizza, except possibly the two colors that are the only colors on their national flag.
I do appreciate one of the employees offering me a menu when he could tell I wanted to see what other pizzas were offered at Canadian Pizza. I used those couple of minutes to look over the menu and see what would pique my interest on a possible return visit.
It was a pretty large slice at $3.40 + tax with the slice being about 1/6 of a large pizza. The taste of the pizza was decent, but the crust looked on the verge of burnt. I still ate it anyways, and it tasted more burnt than it looked. It was only a pepperoni pizza, so I'm not sure how the pizza would have tasted had there been more toppings on there.
They also offer cheese pizza by the slice, but I was offered pepperoni without being asked. Luckily, I'm not vegetarian or pescatarian, but if I were either, that would have been a problem, even if the pepperoni could be plucked off the slice.
Since I live kind of far from Canadian Pizza, and it's in an area where parking comes at a premium, I doubt I'd return. I did notice that this pizza shop named after our neighbors to the north offers a pizza named after our neighbors to the south. But no American Pizza?? for shame lol