Doesn’t it seem like all the pizza chains have been releasing products with crispy cupped pepperoni? As someone who follows this stuff more than any normal person should, it’s hard to ignore it. Little Caesars, Pizza Hut, Domino’s. Oh wait, Domino’s doesn’t have cupped pepperoni…yet. But beating Domino’s to the punch is Papa Johns with its Crispy Cuppy’ Roni line of products: XL New York Pizza, Papadia, and Papa Bites.
Because it’s been windy here, and I didn’t want an extra large pizza box to become a sail in that wind, but I wanted to feel like I ate a pizza, I ended up getting the Papadia version that features crispy, cuppy pepperoni, creamy tomato sauce, and a three cheese blend folded in the chain’s fresh, never frozen original dough to create a handheld flatbread-style sandwich. Mine also came with a side of pizza sauce for plunging, but you can get it with any sauce Papa offers.
Having cupped pepperoni from other chains, I knew what to expect with these curled slices of meat, crispy edges, and a slightly different taste than the regular pepperoni. And that’s what I got here. Well, at least with the ones peeking out from the edges of the crust. Those that were compressed between cheese and dough weren’t as crispy, and I wish I had taken the chance of being blown away by gusts of wind and got the pizza instead. But I did get some crispiness back with the edges of the dough. Also, the promotional photos appear to have a plentiful amount of pepperoni, but my Papadia was poorly packed with meat. Perhaps four or five per half.
I’ve read that the creamy tomato sauce is a new addition to this Papadia, but Papa’s usual pizza sauce is still available. The only taste difference I noticed is that the new sauce is not as sweet as Papa’s regular pizza sauce, making it not too prominent among the cheese, meat, and bread. But if you want to wash over your taste buds with that sweet, red sauce, you can always get it in a dipping cup.
Papa Johns Crispy Cuppy’ Roni Papadia is pleasant, and I’d order it again. But if you want a better experience with the new cupped pepperoni, getting the XL New York Pizza might be the way to go.
Purchased Price: $9.99
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 870 calories, 42 grams of fat, 21 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 105 milligrams of cholesterol, 2120 milligrams of sodium, 81 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 39 grams of protein.
*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.
Had the XL NY pizza version and it was pretty good! It wasn’t ultra-loaded or anything, but it had a perfectly reasonable amount. Pro tip: add jalapenos.