Brian Nagele
What started out in the renovated back-room closet of a local tavern in Jeffersonville, Indiana has now evolved into one of America’s favorite pizza chains, Papa John’s Pizza.
John Schnatter, otherwise known as Papa John, started selling his famous pizzas with used pizza equipment from a broom closet, and now the Papa John’s Pizza chain has over 5000 locations across the globe. You’re never too far away from some delicious pizza and other food at Papa John’s, but what’s the best thing to order?
Well, I wondered that question myself, so I set out to find the answer. I created a definitive guide ranking all the best menu items at Papa John’s, so that all my fellow pizza-lovers will know exactly what to order.
I cover everything from the their Cinnamon Pullaparts to the classic Pepperoni Pizza, and everything in between. Take a look right down below!
Garden Fresh Pizza
Taking the number-one spot on my list is the Garden Fresh Pizza. This pizza is one of Papa John’s meatless specialties, but it’s loved by omnivores like myself as well.
This pizza proves that you don’t need meat to have a flavorful pizza. The Garden Fresh Pizza comes with crisp green peppers, fresh-cut onions, mushrooms, ripe black olives, vine-ripened Roma tomatoes, and, of course, the tasty mozzarella cheese.
Whenever I order this pizza from Papa John’s, I make sure to add the garlic parmesan crust flavoring for even more deliciousness. Definitely check this one out the next time you order Papa John’s.
Cheese Pizza
Up next, we have an unbeatable classic, the Cheese Pizza. There’s nothing like a good, old-fashioned cheese pizza to satiate all your cravings.
I know, the Cheese Pizza from Papa John’s may seem a bit boring to some, but it’s the original pizza that everyone knows and loves all around the world. I felt it necessary to pay a bit of respect.
Papa John’s classic Cheese Pizza is absolutely perfect by itself, or you can completely customize it. There are several crust options for the Cheese Pizza, including thin crust, stuffed crust, and more.
Cinnamon Pullaparts
The next menu item from Papa John’s that I want to talk about are the Cinnamon Pullaparts. If you need a little bit of a sweet treat to finish up your delicious pizza dinner, then this is the absolute perfect thing.
The Cinnamon Pullaparts are small, bite-sized morsels of gooey, cinnamon deliciousness. They come topped with sugar, cinnamon, cinnamon crumbles, and an incredible sweet cream cheese icing drizzled all over it.
When the Cinnamon Pullaparts are hot and fresh, there’s nothing quite like them for dessert. They come big enough to share, but you really won’t want to.
Spicy Italian Pizza
This next pizza is one that may not be available to you based on your location. The Spicy Italian Pizza has been discontinued at many Papa John’s locations, but you can recreate it with the right pizza toppings.
If you happen to find a Papa John’s that still serves the Spicy Italian Pizza, be sure to order it ASAP. The Spicy Italian Pizza is the ultimate way to mix things up and bring a bit of heat to pizza night.
This unique pizza comes with Papa John’s spicy Italian sausage and their signature, premium pepperoni. Of course, the Spicy Italian Pizza also comes with melted mozzarella cheese as well.
Bacon Cheddarburger Pizza
When Papa John’s released their Bacon Cheddarburger Pizza, people had a lot of things to say about it. Some people loved it and some hated it, so, naturally, I had to try one for myself.
The Bacon Cheddarburger Pizza, like the Spicy Italian Pizza, may not be available in your area, so you’ll have to do some research there.
If you want to try something a bit different and you’ve grown bored of regular pizza, this will really shake things up for you.
The Bacon Cheddarburger comes with beef, hickory-smoked bacon, dill pickle slices, fresh cut Roma tomatoes, Wisconsin cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, and their unique burger sauce.
BBQ Chicken Bacon Pizza
Now, for something just as unique, the BBQ Chicken Bacon Pizza is the next Papa John’s menu item that I want to mention. I really think you’re going to like this one, especially if you’re a fan of barbecue.
The BBQ Chicken Bacon Pizza is a wonderful mix of flavors that you wouldn’t normally associate with pizza. They all work really well, though, especially when you put them together the way Papa John’s has.
This pizza comes with Papa John’s tangy, Smoky Southern-style BBQ sauce instead of pizza sauce, so it’s a whole different ballgame.
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Now, for another Papa John’s dessert delicacy. The Chocolate Chip Cookie may seem like a strange item to include, but it really is one of the best menu items Papa John’s has to offer.
The Chocolate Chip Cookie from Papa John’s isn’t exactly an ordinary cookie. This cookie is what they call “family-size”, so it’s basically the size of a small pizza. It even comes cut into slices like pizza.
This is another one of the unique desserts you’ll find at Papa John’s that makes it one of my favorite places to order pizza from.
Cheesesticks
The regular Cheesesticks from Papa John’s are addictingly delicious, if you ask me. I can never have just one of them. Good thing you get 14 of them per order!
The Cheesesticks here are such a great side dish to go with your pizza. Although, they’re so tasty, sometimes I’ll just get an order of them and nothing else.
Papa John’s makes their Cheesesticks with the same fresh, never-frozen dough that they make all of their pizzas with. They then top it with heaps of mozzarella cheese, bake it to golden perfection, and serve it with some tasty pizza sauce for dipping.
Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Pizza
Even if you are one of those people that thinks pineapple doesn’t belong on pizza, you’re still going to like this one. The Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Pizza is a whole new take on pizza with pineapple.
I’ll admit, I am not a fan of pineapple on a red sauce pizza, but this one is totally different. The Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Pizza is made with their signature Smoky Southern-style BBQ sauce and topped with grilled chicken, hickory-smoked bacon, cheese, onions, and fresh pineapple.
It’s a tangy, sweet, and savory blend of flavors all meshed into one beautiful pizza.
Papa Garden Salad
Next up is something that you’ll just have to hope is still available at a Papa John’s near you. The Papa Garden Salad is a refreshing and healthy-tasting side dish that you should definitely try.
I love the Papa Garden Salad because sometimes, when you’re eating something like pizza, you want a little bit of veggies to make it feel a bit healthier. The Papa Garden Salad is absolutely perfect for that.
The Papa Garden Salad comes with a traditional garden blend of fresh lettuce with delicious, seasoned croutons. Just pick your choice of dressing and you’re good to go!
Pepperoni Pizza
This next Papa John’s menu item needs no introduction. The classic Pepperoni Pizza is a must-try from any pizza joint if you want to get a basic understanding of how good the place is in general.
The Pepperoni Pizza here at Papa John’s is everything that a pepperoni pizza should be. Simplicity is key here, and Papa John’s knows that, so they don’t overdo it with the pepperoni. It’s just the right amount.
The mozzarella cheese and signature pizza sauce are the same that you’ll find on any other pizza here, aside from the BBQ pizzas, so you know exactly what to expect.
Pepperoni, Sausage And Six Cheese Pizza
This next pizza that I want to talk about is the Pepperoni, Sausage, And Six Cheese Pizza at Papa John’s.
I think this pizza was custom-made for those of us, like myself, that love all things cheesy and spicy. The Pepperoni, Sausage And Six Cheese Pizza has everything in that regard.
On top of this masterpiece of a pizza is their delicious pepperoni, sausage, and an incredible blend of mozzarella, romano, parmesan, asiago, provolone, and fontina cheeses. Honestly, I wish they’d use this cheese blend for all their pizzas. It’s absolutely phenomenal.
Finally, it gets finished with a sprinkle of Italina herb seasoning.
The Meats Pizza
Up next is The Meats Pizza. This pizza is the meat lovers pizza that you’d find at any other pizzeria, but with Papa John’s own spin on it.
The Meats Pizza is simply loaded with all the meat you could ever want, and plenty of it. This meaty masterpiece comes with pepperoni, savory sausage, real beef, hickory-smoked bacon, and julienne-cut Canadian bacon.
Underneath all that meaty goodness is the classic mozzarella cheese that we all know and love, as well as their signature pizza sauce on some never-frozen dough. I recommend going all-in and making it a stuffed crust pizza.
Tuscan Six Cheese Pizza
If the meat lovers get a pizza, then so should the cheese lovers out there. This next Papa John’s pizza is called the Tuscan Six Cheese Pizza and it is certainly not for the lactose-intolerant.
The Tuscan Six Cheese Pizza at Papa John’s uses the same six-cheese blend that comes on the Pepperoni, Sausage And Six Cheese Pizza. It includes mozzarella, romano, parmesan, asiago, provolone, and fontina cheeses.
To top things off, it comes with a sprinkle of Italina herb seasoning. It comes out golden-brown with so much gooey, melty cheese that it might make your head spin.
If you didn’t already know, Papa John’s is one of the powerhouses when it comes to pizza chains in America, and for good reason.
With such a wide variety of incredible menu items like this, it’s easy to see how Papa John’s grew so exponentially over the years. Go ahead and get started trying all of these amazing menu items so you can see why for yourself!
Which Papa John’s menu items do you like best? Let us know in the comments down below!
