Papa Johns Pizza

I went to the Papa Johns Pizza in Long Beach with someone, and the whole visit turned out to be way more disappointing than I expected. I hoped the pizza would taste better than I remembered, but the moment I tried it, I realized again how much I really hate the taste of their pizza in general. The flavor felt flat and artificial, and nothing about it made me want another bite. It stuck with me in the worst way, and not in a fun or memorable way like some places manage to do. The atmosphere didn’t help either. It didn’t feel lively or comfortable at all, and the whole place felt rushed and dull. I didn’t enjoy waiting for my order, and nothing about the environment made the experience any better. When the pizza came out, I hoped maybe the look of it would make up for the taste, but it didn’t look appealing or fresh, and the texture didn’t feel right. Eating it honestly felt like a waste of time and money. I’ve only been to this Papa Johns location once in my life, and after this visit, I don’t think I’ll ever want to go back. It didn’t give me anything enjoyable, and it definitely didn’t make me feel excited or creative the way other places do. I’m giving this place a 1‑star review because the taste of the pizza was the biggest problem for me, and that’s the whole point of going to a pizza place. If the main thing they serve doesn’t taste good, then nothing else matters. This was one of the most disappointing food experiences I’ve had in a long time, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who cares about enjoying their meal.

Overall: We ordered early, and then ordered early, and they were still late. We wanted the pizza at 6:30 on Halloween for our kids and their friends to eat before heading out, so we sent an order in on the 30th for delivery time of 6, thinking it would be here by 6:30 at the latest, nope! I drove down there at 6:45 and the order had left and didn’t arrive until 7:05. Granted, I understand it was Halloween and there was a ball game on, but if I was managing the situation I would have padded for that making sure there was 1 crew member for every position plus 3 or 4 extras in case anyone called out.