Ordered a medium with pepperoni and mushrooms to pick up. They're nestled right in a residential neighbourhood. Came into what felt like a family kitchen with 6 or 7 people milling about behind the counter (very friendly and polite), while the oldest woman of the bunch took care of the actual pizza making for the time being. I forget now how long they said they've been around .. maybe 14 years? .. but some of those came at their previous location at Holland/Wellington before it burned down (where condos and the Table currently sit, I think).
Anyway, the pizza-- it was enough for the 2 of us and then some, with the cheese thick and greasy. The pepperoni was solid, it was that beefy/bolognese type that dominates Ottawa (take that for what you will). The mushrooms were too thinly sliced to really be noticed, unfortunately. It was pretty good.. just about what you'd expect from a place like this.
One thing I think I can attest to is that they make it homemade and fresh -- and order came in as I waited, at which point they pulled some homemade dough out of a plastic storage bin and started kneading/tossing on the spot.
Just had a Pizza from them. Awesome! Tasted really home-made. Not greasy but nice and crunchy with lots of fresh toppings. Will definitely order there more often. And the owners are so nice - proper family business.
Tried it a couple of weeks ago. Hard to get to with the road work in the area.
Average pizza, at best. Usual Ottawa-style brownish sauce, and the mushrooms seemed pickled or something. Very strong taste and they looked mushy. Still not a big fan of toppings under the cheese, I like the mushrooms to dry up a bit and crisp above the cheese.
Anyway, the pie was pretty forgettable. Would not go back.
We ordered from here a few weeks ago and asked them to put the toppings on top of the cheese and cook the pizza a little longer. They obliged quite happily and we ate an entire pizza...four pieces each. It was delicious but I'm not sure if I can ever order from here again for fear of eating another half-pizza....
We decided to eat in instead of going to a resto since #1 son is pretty tired and said explicitly that he didn't want to go anywhere in case he wanted to nap. So we weren't going to argue :-)
Just called and ordered a Large (15") "combo" which is the same as Pizza Pizza "Classic Super" of Pepperoni, Green Pepper and Mushroom, and for a buck you can add Olives which I did.
Will report shortly on how it tasted. They said delivery is 30 to 40 minutes so I'll know by this post if they are on time or not :-) [EDIT : I had to delete the original post to add the photo, but it's timestamp was exactly 5:30pm and they arrived at 5:55]
I used to order from Carlo's a long time ago, when I was in high school I think. My sister still lives in the hood, and she still orders her pizza from them.
We once got a call from them at 2:00 am, we'd ordered pizza and were starving and wondering when our damn pizza was going to get here. It turned out the guy had already come by, and returned to the shop to call and ask that we "bring the three large salivating dogs" inside. We'd forgotten that the dogs were on the porch!
Carlo's is a tiny place that sells pizzas and subs, on the corner of a residential street away from a main thoroughfare. I'm sure a lot of what keeps it going is word of mouth and reputation -- and I can understand how. The pizza is delicious! Delivery is prompt, too, and while the decor is worn and purely utilitarian, I've found the people to be friendly when I've gone in person. It's definitely not pretentious -- for proof, look no farther than the RC Cola in the drink cooler and their plain white pizza boxes.
2 really great pies last night - pepperoni and the Carlos Special which is basically "the works". Had a friend over who really liked them as well. Sorry, no photos, was too hungry
Got another pie last night for supper, and it was superb! Not as greasy as it sometimes is, which suits me just fine because I don't like my pizza too greasy/cheesy. Hmmmm, speaking of which, there are some leftovers in the fridge. Better get to that before the wife remembers :-)
Got another large (15") "combo" : Pepperoni, Green Pepper and Mushroom, and for a buck more added Olives. It was absolutely fantastic!!! Man, these guys make great pie!
The thing nearly weighed 4.5 pounds. A full meal deal for sure.
Delivery to my place, near the Mosque on Scott St., has a mean time of 24.32 minutes with a standard deviation of +/- 2.12 muinutes. In other words , Highy reliable and predictable.
Left overs, (being consumed as I type) are good cold or warmed up.
The pic is a pizza oven, just like Carlo's.
Sorry no Pizza picture.... by the time I remembered to get my camera, There was nothing left but the receipt. It reads, M Special and RC means the 'free' pop is Royal Crown Cola.
We got another one last night - same one as last time the 15" (Large) Combo with olives added. Another great pie. This time not slightly overcooked thank goodness - just right. Still just a bit too much cheese for my liking but I figure most folks probably prefer it that way. Definitely will order here again.
Delivery was fast at about 25 minutes. On first opening the box my thought was "it's slightly overcooked", and it actually was which proved to only negatively affect a few small pieces of the crust so it was no big deal. But any more well done would have been.
It was an excellent pizza. We had their 15" Combo, which comes with Pepperoni, Green Pepper and Mushroom, and for a buck we added green olives. The olives themselves were extremely flavourful and really stood out well.
All-round yummy pie on the slightly greasy side. But not too far on that side because I still really enjoyed it and I don't like greasy pies very much. My standard to judge by recently has unfortunately only been Pizza Pizza. A bit less cheese would probably solve the grease issue - I don't like too much cheese on a pie.
The crust was a thinner one - not "thin crust" but not by a long shot too crusty either, which I really dislike in a pizza. The only thing I'd like to see is a whole wheat crust which would really make this pie!
I stumbled upon this place on my walk home down a deserted street from the Herb&Spice on Wellington. It is a little hole in the wall - no neon lights, no razzle-dazz on the sign - just big black block letters saying "Carlo's Pizza". Since my thinking goes: "If they can survive on this middle-of-nowhere street with no bells and whistles, they MUST be good." I went in and grabbed a take-out menu and ordered from them that night.
I was very pleased with the pizza I recieved. Delivery time was VERY good (of course we live just down the street, so this may have had something to do with it) We ordered the "Canadian" which had bacon, pepperoni and mushrooms. LOTS of cheese (yay!) and though the topings were underneath the cheese (which sometimes leads to soggy crust), thier crust was surprisingly crispy. Sauce had a nice rich flavour. Toppings were ample and of good quality.
This is my new pizzaria of choice. My only gripe is that they don't have a list of overall toppings on thier flyer - you have to figure out what they've got available based on thier specialty pizzas, or by asking them over the phone.
Great pizza -- lots of toppings (especially cheese), and a very satisfying flavour in the sauce. It's a bit heavier, but I prefer it to pizza from Colonnade Pizza.
butwhoami
Anyway, the pizza-- it was enough for the 2 of us and then some, with the cheese thick and greasy. The pepperoni was solid, it was that beefy/bolognese type that dominates Ottawa (take that for what you will). The mushrooms were too thinly sliced to really be noticed, unfortunately. It was pretty good.. just about what you'd expect from a place like this.
One thing I think I can attest to is that they make it homemade and fresh -- and order came in as I waited, at which point they pulled some homemade dough out of a plastic storage bin and started kneading/tossing on the spot.