Papa Johns is officially in its sandwich era. The chain recently launched three Oven-Toasted Sandwiches (Philly Cheesesteak, Chicken Bacon Ranch, and Steak & Mushroom), billing them as a bold step in “raising the bar on sandwich flavor” and a “pizza-approved sandwich.” Big claims, so naturally I had to investigate.

I went with the Chicken Bacon Ranch because, honestly, it sounds the best of the three. And yes, before you ask, I’m also still processing the loss of the Papadias. Apparently, not enough people ordered them (or maybe just Canadians, since it’s only available to our northern neighbors right now), and now we’re here. Moving on.

My first impression is the pepperoncini smell. On the car ride home, the new custom green sandwich box fills the car with nothing but banana pepper fumes. If you’re a fellow pickle-y, tangy girlie, you won’t mind because it’s basically a free car air freshener. Consider yourself warned either way.

Opening the box, the sandwich is golden and a little oily, which makes sense since Papa Johns brushes it with its Garlic Sauce before oven-toasting. It looks good, though the fillings spill out a bit, something I’m choosing to call “generous” rather than “structurally unsound.”

The ciabatta holds up well for a national pizza chain, offering a good chew while staying soft with zero razor-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth incidents, hooray! The sandwich does arrive warm and holds up well, which you’d hope for from something named “oven-toasted,” but honestly, a cold version probably wouldn’t have tasted wildly different given how mild the overall flavors are.

The chicken leans more chicken-salad in texture than actual strips of grilled chicken, so don’t go in expecting Subway sweet onion teriyaki vibes. It blends softly into the overall bite rather than bringing the texture and bolder flavor that actual grilled chicken strips would.

The “pizza ranch” sauce, which Papa Johns describes only as “tangy” with no further elaboration, doesn’t bring much flavor on its own, but it keeps the whole thing from drying out, so it earns its place.

So, do I actually taste chicken bacon ranch in what’s billed as a Chicken Bacon Ranch sandwich? Not really. It’s…food. Decent, edible food. The most distinctive flavor I get comes from eating the bacon and tomatoes that spill out onto the wrapper, which says something. The whole sandwich is fairly hearty but mild, and it could use a little help getting there.

Would I order it again? Probably not, but under duress — I’d be asking for an extra garlic sauce cup without question. The ciabatta and garlic sauce combo is genuinely the best part, which tracks because crust and garlic sauce is what Papa Johns does well.

If you’re already placing an order and want to add a sandwich as a Papa Pairing – sure, why not? Just don’t expect it to blow your mind.

Purchased Price: $9.99
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 780 calories, 34 grams of fat, 2770 milligrams of sodium, 71 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of sugar, and 52 grams of protein.

You know the current viral trend that 2026 is the new 2016? That’s exactly what Papa Johns’ new and improved Pan Pizza is like.

Yes, because it’s a noticeable upgrade from the 2016 version TIB reviewed, not just a quiet tweak or a nostalgia cash-in.

Let’s start with the box. Papa Johns kept the fancy PANS packaging (bringing back Kelley’s pun), but swapped the shiny black for a sleek matte green. The front of the box is interestingly designed with written descriptors of “reasons to believe” in this new pan and improved version: crispy garlic parmesan crust, Italian seasoning, and six cheeses, edge-to-edge cheese and sauce. Normally, that kind of copy makes my eyes glaze over, but in this case, it got me hyped!

When I opened the box, the first thing I noticed was the cheese lace along the edges—strong Detroit-style vibes. Unlike the 2016 version, this one wasn’t burnt at all. Instead, I got a clean, crispy cheese shatter.

As I ate, I peeled off some of the pizza cheese so I could focus on the dough underneath. The crust was softer and fluffier, exactly what you want from a pan pizza.

Then came the real delightful surprise: cheese baked into the bottom of the pan. When you get a bite with crispy crust and caramelized cheese (or cheese doily, as I like to call it) underneath, it delivers a savory, umami punch that honestly reminded me of how Cheez-It crackers hit. That sharp cheese tang that makes the sides of your tongue water and immediately makes you crave the next bite.

Full disclosure: the Midwest was hovering around zero degrees, with wind chills hitting negative fifteen, when I took this home. Despite my best efforts, the bottom cheese lace softened a bit in transit. Still good, and honestly, nothing an air fryer couldn’t easily fix.

Halfway through, I realized why I hadn’t once reached for the garlic dipping sauce. Papa Johns bakes the Special Garlic Sauce directly into the pan, along with the parmesan cheese lace, underneath the crust. I could see the lace on top, but the garlic flavor was quietly doing its thing below, seasoning every bite without needing an extra dip.

Papa Johns’ New and Improved Pan Pizza was dang good, and I’m impressed by how consistently Papa Johns keeps delivering innovation. My only wish is the option to swap in its new NY-style deli pepperoni in the app. If that ever happens, this would be a no-notes pan pizza for me – but honestly, that’s just a nice-to-have. If “2026 is the new 2016,” this pan pizza gets it right this time.

Purchased Price: $11.99
Size: Only available in medium
Rating: 10 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 slice) 350 calories, 20 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 950 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 17 grams of protein.

“I love it when you call me Grand Papa…Throw your pizza (dough) in the air if you a true playa.”

Probably not what Notorious B.I.G. had in mind. But honestly? Fitting for the absolute swagger of this new pizza.

Papa Johns just launched its biggest pizza (and biggest box) ever with the new 18-inch Grand Papa. While bigger isn’t always better – Papa John’s is my Number One, so I went in optimistic.

The pizza chain also dropped a Salted Caramel Blondie the same week. However, the star here is the debut of Papa Johns’ savory deli-style pepperoni – larger slices, milder and more savory than the standard pepperoni, and very Italian-sub energy.

To compare, I ordered the Grand Papa alongside a regular mushroom pizza.

First: the box. It was massive. The kind of massive that doesn’t fit in your fridge, which felt like Papa John’s way of saying “finish this in one sitting.” (Half kidding. Mostly.)

The pizza itself was noticeably huge and thin-crusted. The first bite was a flavor bomb. The three-cheese blend and Italian seasoning hit totally differently than with a regular Papa Johns pie, and the crust was perfectly thin with zero soggy spots. The new deli pepperoni? Legit. I’m usually a cup-and-char girly, but I’d absolutely love to taste this pepperoni in other menu items, like a Papadia.

It was so flavorful I didn’t even reach for the garlic butter – even though there was basically no crust to dip anyway. After tasting my two orders side by side, the regular pizza tasted bland and much more tomato-forward to me. Hard to believe they use the same “original” dough.

At $19.99 vs. $16.99 for a regular large, it isn’t even that big of a premium.

And honestly? For the size, flavor, and the deli pepperoni glow-up, it felt completely worth it.

My only hesitation is whether this thin crust can handle my usual topping chaos (your girl likes more than just pepperoni, even if it is deli pepperoni) – but time, and a few future orders, will tell.

Purchased Price: $19.99
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 slice) 380 calories, 17 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 960 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of total carbohydrates, 4 grams of sugar, 0 grams of dietary fiber, and 17 grams of protein.

I am not great at naming things, but I think I can come up with a better name than the new Papa Johns Papa Dippa with a 4 Sauce Flight. Using “flight” is probably too fancy a word for a fast food pizza chain. So my suggestion is Papa Johns’ Papa Dippa GaGarlicfiesta.

Noppa? Gotcha.

The Papa Dippa is a three-cheese pepperoni pizza cut into 16 dippable strips and comes with four sauces, three of which are new: Roasted Garlic Parmesan, Creamy Garlic Pesto, and Garlic Hot Honey. The fourth one is the standard Special Garlic Sauce, which I’m not going to cover in this review.

Before I get to the sauces, which this review will focus on, I have to talk about the cutting of the pizza into strippas. I understand it’s necessary to make dipping easier, but it leads to four non-optimal pieces that are 60-70 percent crust. Yes, those pieces will be dipped into sauces, but, much like me when playing pickup basketball or dodgeball, they will be picked last. I feel sorry for me, I mean, them.

Now let’s get to the three new sauces.

Roasted Garlic Parmesan

With its appearance, smell, and taste, there’s a strong Caesar dressing vibe to this. The garlic doesn’t go as hard as Papa Johns’ standard garlic sauce, despite containing a good amount of minced garlic in it, and it definitely doesn’t take away the helm of this flavor train from the parmesan. Of the three new dips, it is noticeably the thickest and sticks to the pizza sticks well. It works as well as ranch dressing does with pizza, and it’s my favorite sauce of the bunch.

Creamy Garlic Pesto

This dip is similar to the Roasted Garlic Parmesan in that the garlic doesn’t stand out much, even though there’s minced garlic floating in it. It’s pretty much a pesto party, which I don’t mind since it adds another tasty level on top of the pizza’s pepperoni and cheese. However, the pesto doesn’t pop as much as the cheesiness in the Roasted Garlic Parmesan. Also, it has a surprisingly watery texture that doesn’t seem to cling to the pizza as well as the previous sauce.

Garlic Hot Honey

Finally, we have my least favorite of the bunch, and I feel like it’s going to be the least favorite for a lot of eaters. It’s sweet with a spicy kick, which is what you’d expect from hot honey, but there’s also a sour twist to it that may cause your face to grimace like it would if you had to pick me last for a pickup basketball game. With that said, yes, the sourness is weird, but at the same time, I don’t completely hate it, and kept dipping pizza sticks into it. One last thing, this is the most watery sauce of the bunch. So don’t use this dip while wearing your finest band tour t-shirt.

While the name Papa Johns’ Papa Dippa GaGarlicfiesta is not a good idea, Papa Johns Papa Dippa with its four sauces is. I really enjoyed two of them, liking them more than the standard garlic dip, which I find too rich. In fact, I liked them so much that they made me go gaga…rlic.

Sorry.

Purchased Price: $19.99*
Size: Large pizza with four sauces
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Roasted Garlic Parmesan), 7 out of 10 (Creamy Garlic Pesto), 5 out of 10 (Garlic Hot Honey)
Nutrition Facts: Creamy Garlic Pesto – 60 calories, 6 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein. Roasted Garlic Parmesan – 60 calories, 6 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 110 milligrams of sodium, 1 gram of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein. Garlic Hot Honey – 25 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 50 milligrams of sodium, 6 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 0 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.