Like geologists, Papa Johns has been into crusts recently. More specifically, turning the plain toasted bread-flavored end crust of a pizza into something worthy of consumption. Earlier this year, it dug up the Cheddar Crust Pizza, which I loved. And now that cheesy crust is passing its mantle to the new Garlic 5-Cheese Crust Pizza, which features the chain’s core original crust seasoned with garlic parmesan sauce and a cheese blend of parmesan, romano, asiago, fontina, and provolone.

Much like my attempt to fit geology references into the paragraph above, I wondered if it was necessary to include five cheeses. Would eaters even be able to detect all five? Is this another situation like the number of blades in a disposable razor cartridge? Do we need five cheese crusts and seven blade razors? Well, unlike disposable razor blade cartridges with seven blades, the five cheeses here do make a tasty difference, even though I can’t detect all of them.

My order’s crust looked a tad overcooked. Although I assumed that was because of the catalog of toasted cheeses on it. When I took a bite of the crust, that browned layer gave my teeth delightful tremors with a crisp texture, and the soft dough below it had a pleasant chewiness. Then, the avalanche (oops, slipping back into geology references) of cheesiness came sliding over my taste buds. I can’t say one cheese stood out more than the other. Instead, it was a mingling of them. Also, some crust bites had a stronger flavor than others. But it’s almost as tasty as the Cheddar Crust Pizza.

However, the one flavor that seemed lacking, which I wish there were more of, was the garlic from the sauce. As someone who likes the pungent ingredient, I wanted garlic bread levels of the stuff, but it gets lost a bit among the cheeses. Which is not surprising since the chain’s Garlic Parmesan crust lacked a lot of garlic flavor. However, dipping the crust into Papa Johns’ obligatory Garlic Sauce can easily resolve this.

Much like the previously mentioned cheddar crust pizza, the crust on this menu item kind of reminds me of a cracker I’ve had. But it’s not instantly recognizable as the cheddar one, which I thought tasted like a Cheez-It.

As for the rest of the pizza, it’s what you’d expect from a Papa Johns’ pepperoni pizza. Mild mozzarella cheese, sweet pizza sauce, and salty and meaty pepperoni.

While Papa Johns’ limited time Garlic 5-Cheese Crust Pizza isn’t as earth-shattering as its cheddar predecessor, I think it’s worth a try while it’s still around.

Purchased Price: $15.99*
Size: Large
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 slice) 320 calories, 11 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 790 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 13 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.

Pizza chains have attempted to make the pizza’s end crust as delightful as the rest of the pizza. However, while they have done things like stuffing it with cheese and meats, brushing it with garlic butter, and dusting it with seasonings, it usually never ends up being as satisfying as the rest of the pizza. However, Papa Johns Cheddar Crust Pizza might be the best tasting end crust I’ve ever stuffed into my pie hole, and I hope it never goes away.

The crust features a blend of aged cheddar cheese with a garlic and herb seasoning baked onto the edge of Papa Johns’ Original Crust. All that aged cheesiness and seasonings helped create an orangey crust that made my taste buds think they were eating elongated, doughy Cheez-It Crackers, but saltier. With the first slice, I ended up finishing the rounded end before I even took a bite of the sauce, cheese, and pepperoni side. I can’t say I’ve ever done that with any stuffed crust.

While enjoying that first slice, I wondered if the cheese extended to the bottom crust because I believe Papa Johns did that with another cheese. It doesn’t; it’s just the ends. But after taking bites from both ends of my second slice to get the whole pizza experience, I think having the cheddar on the bottom would be a waste of cheese because the toppings, especially the sweet marinara sauce, overwhelm any cheddar flavor.

However, not only do the cheddar and seasonings give the end crust a Cheez-It-like flavor, but they also provide a pleasant toasted cheese crispiness, along with the crust’s usual chewiness. The one-two punch of taste and texture makes this one unlike any other crust I’ve had. Also, you know how sometimes a pizza has a large bubble in the end crust that’s all dough and no show? Well, there was one with this pizza, and I didn’t mind it at all because I knew the cheddar baked into it would provide a good amount of cheesiness.

I loved the ends of Papa Johns’ Cheddar Crust Pizza enough that I may or may not have cut off the crust from a third slice and then put the rest of the slice back into the box so that I could eat that cheddar-y pizza butt on its own. SHHHH! Don’t tell anyone in the house that it was me. But I’m going to tell you that you should give this cheddar-encrusted crust a try.

Purchased Price: $16.99*
Size: Large
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Not available on Papa Johns website at the time of publication.

*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. It’s being advertised for $11.99 in other areas.

With the introduction of its Bacon Cheesy Burger Papa Bites, popular pizza purveyor Papa Johns now offers three ways to get the taste of a burger. The other two options are the returning Cheesy Burger Pizza and Cheesy Burger Papadia (which had different names in the past). With their small size, I kind of liken these Papa Bites to be the sliders of the three.

These limited-time-only savory noms feature beef, bacon bits, dill pickles, burger sauce, and cheese rolled up with the chain’s fresh, never-frozen original dough to create eight bites. They’re also served with a side of burger sauce for dipping. Besides presentation, another significant difference between these Papa Bites and the other two burger-flavored offerings is that these are the only ones that come with bacon bits by default. They’re paid add-ons for the others.

Beef was the dominant meat, but there was an underlying smokiness from the bacon. The only ingredient that was more potent was the pickle. Most pieces had one slice, and its tangy taste did a lot to convince me this was burger-flavored. The cheese, which looks like a combination of cheddar and mozzarella, added a mild cheesiness, but not one that I’d associate with burgers. I guess I’ve eaten too many processed cheese product slices on my fast food sandwiches. But for the most part its flavors did remind me of a burger.

The orange sauce added a pleasant tanginess to everything. But I wouldn’t say it’s necessary to dip the bites in it because a little bit of the sauce was added when they were being made. So, if you happen to not get a container or someone accidentally spills yours, all is not lost. However, having a copious amount of it on each piece makes everything a bit tastier.

If there’s one issue I had with my order, it is that the end pieces ended up being almost all dough, but thankfully, I still had some sauce left to make those a little more tolerable.

I don’t recall eating the pizza or the Papadia versions (although others here have reviewed them), but after eating these Papa Bites, I think Papa Johns does a better job of nailing down the flavors of a cheeseburger better than Pizza Hut’s Cheeseburger Melt I sampled several weeks ago. If you’re a fan of Papa Johns’ Cheesy Burger Pizza or Papadia, I’m certain you’ll find these Papa Bites as enjoyable.

Purchased Price: $8.99
Size: 8 pieces
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 Papa Bites) 100 calories, 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 290 milligrams of sodium, 10 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

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.

While I’ve eaten less lasagna than Garfield the Cat over my lifetime, thanks to the layered Italian dish, I’m familiar with what ricotta cheese tastes and feels like. So I find it a bit odd that Papa Johns’ Cheesy Calzone Epic Stuffed Crust Pizza, which has a blend of mozzarella and garlic herb ricotta packed into the crust, lacks any indication that the latter cheese is there.

Even when I pulled open the end crust, it only looked like a sea of mozzarella, and there were no herbs. Sure, the person who made mine might’ve not included it, or Garfield the Cat used Odie to distract the Papa Johns employees to suck out the ricotta while the pizza was sitting to be picked up. But I do taste something garlicky in the crust, so I assume the ricotta must be there. That flavor definitely does not come from the crust’s exterior because it looks and tastes as plain as plain can be. Heck, if you look at the whole pizza, it looks as if it’s seen a ghost.

Of course, the amount of ricotta you get in your crust may vary, and the lack of a strong flavor with the end crust can easily be remedied by dipping it into the dependable special garlic sauce that comes with the pizza. But without the sauce, it’s pretty much just a regular stuffed crust pizza.

The end crust of a Papa Johns Cheesy Calzone Epic Stuffed Crust Pizza is supposed to have the flavors of a calzone, but mine didn’t scream CALZONE, nor did it say it at a normal talking volume. I don’t hate it as much as Garfield the Cat hates Mondays, but if the amount of ricotta I got in my pizza is what I’m supposed to get, then it’s very disappointing.

Purchased Price: $18.99*
Size: Large
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 slice) 350 calories, 14 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 mc 910 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 5 grams of sugar, and 14 grams of protein.