By Shereen Siewert
Ask anyone who knows me: if I had to eat one thing and only one thing for the rest of my life, it would be pizza.
Thin crust or thick crust, light cheese or smothered, red sauce or olive oil; stone fired, grilled, baked, or whatever. As long as it’s pizza, pretty much anything goes, as far as I’m concerned. (Well, except for pineapple or barbecue sauce, which I will forever argue does not constitute a proper pizza topping.)
That said, I do have my favorites in town, one of them being Sam’s Pizza, that Wausau staple that’s been serving up pies since 1958. If you don’t know how to look for it, you might drive by the tiny storefront on Elm Street. (They do have a highly visible location in Schofield, too.) But once you find it, you’ll want to go back again and again.
This weekend, with the cold weather and several of our family members struggling with influenza, not a single one of us wanted to venture out. So we were ecstatic to discover that Sam’s Pizza, which for years did not deliver their pizzas, is now offering delivery through 715Delivery.com. To us, it felt like a Wausau miracle. Seriously.
Placing an order was seamless and simple, and we had regular text and email updates as to the status of our order. This is especially helpful if you have dogs who don’t like delivery people, as we do (just ask our UPS driver.) Thanks to our updates, we knew exactly when to barricade the pups in my office with a treat and gather the family for our feast. And our pizzas, carefully wrapped in foil before being boxed, were piping hot on arrival.
Now, this family has eaten at Sam’s Pizza a time or two, to put it mildly. But we had no idea that their menu now includes pizza fries (another pleasant surprise!) so we absolutely had to try them.
And the pizza fries, like their traditional pizzas, did not disappoint. The crust was just the right thickness, had plenty of flavor, and came with a marinara dipping sauce that wasn’t too sweet and wasn’t too tart.
Next, the pizza. Sam’s pizzas are made from scratch, from the delightful round sausage balls to the dough, and it shows. There are a variety of specialty pizzas on the menu, from the “very vegetarian” to the “meat galore,” or you can build your own with toppings that range from the traditional to the unusual (shrimp and tuna, for example.) Gluten free options are also available for diners with dietary restrictions.
For our meal, we chose the Sam’s Special: sausage with finely minced green pepper and onion, a perennial favorite. Slices are cut into squares, and call me quirky, but I like the fact that there’s a single, perfect piece of sausage on every piece.
We also paid 80 cents extra for a packet of their incredible freshly grated Parmesan cheese, which adds a touch of salty tang to the flavor of each bite. Trust me: It’s worth the 80 cents.
Now, truth be told, if you’re a thick crust kind of person, Sam’s Pizza is probably not for you. The crust is cracker thin, which makes it far less filling. But that means you could probably polish off an entire pizza by yourself without feeling TOO guilty about it.
Dining in at Sam’s is always a treat, with their retro design in the Wausau location and their game room in Schofield. But for the work-weary pizza lover, it’s nice to know that delivery options do, in fact, exist (and the pizza won’t be cold when you get it.) You can also buy a partially baked pizza at either of their two locations to take home and bake when you’re ready to eat.
Our verdict: There’s a reason why Sam’s Pizza has been a winner for nearly 60 years in the Wausau area. Great pizza, period.
Locations and hours:
Schofield
5811 Business Hwy 51 South
Schofield, WI 54476
715-355-5800
MONDAY 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
TUESDAY 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
WEDNESDAY 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
THURSDAY 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
FRIDAY 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM
SATURDAY 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM
SUNDAY 3:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Wausau
111 Elm St.
Wausau, WI 54401
715-842-3165
MONDAY 3:00 PM – 10:00 PM
TUESDAY 3:00 PM – 10:00 PM
WEDNESDAY 3:00 PM – 10:00 PM
THURSDAY 3:00 PM – 10:00 PM
FRIDAY 3:00 PM – 11:00 PM
SATURDAY 3:00 PM – 11:00 PM
SUNDAY 3:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Delivery is available through 715Delivery.
Editor’s Note: This unbiased review is sponsored by 715Delivery, which offers delivery from Wasabi and a variety of other Wausau-area restaurants.
