Pizza is vital to any vibrant college town’s food scene, and Providence is no exception.
It is likely that you, reader, are no stranger to Providence pizza, but if you’re still in search of a place to get a slice, look no further than Wickenden Street.
Home to student favorites like Coffee Exchange and Amy’s Place, Wickenden also has four pizza spots — Fellini Pizzeria, Antonio’s Pizza by the Slice, Pizza Pie-er and Pizza Marvin. Here’s how they stack up.
Fellini Pizzeria: 6/10
Priced at $3.75 for a slice of cheese pizza, Fellini has a colorful interior with a cozy feel.
The slice itself leans on the smaller side with a thin crust. It is fully covered in cheese with the sauce sporadically polka-dotted on top. As a fan of tomato sauce, it’s not exactly to my taste, but the crust is delicious, perfectly crispy and provides the slice with structural integrity.
Pizza Marvin: 8.5/10
At $5 for a slice of cheese pizza, Pizza Marvin knows their market power. The space is brightly lit with lots of outdoor seating.
Pizza Marvin’s slice is the only one on this list to be in the shape of a square. Thick and heavy with a homemade feel, the dough is more akin to that of a focaccia than your standard pizza dough. There is not much of a crust to hold on to, but the simultaneously fluffy and crispy dough makes up for it. The sauce is sweet and well seasoned with an excellent cheese ratio. Pizza Marvin is an exemplary piece of pizza but not necessarily what you might imagine when in the mood for a slice.
Pizza Pie-er: 5/10
Although Pizza Pie-er doesn't sell pizza by the slice, they do sell individual-sized pies. While the pizza is the most expensive out of Wickenden's offerings — $6.00 for a personal cheese pizza — the single-serving pie was a bit bigger than a typical slice. With its dark interior full of tables, Pizza Pie-er is more of a place to sit down for a meal than it is somewhere to grab a quick bite.
The pizza has poor structural integrity, falling apart as I ate it. The sauce could be more flavorful, but it features a good amount of cheese. Unfortunately, the sauce proved to be a weak binder, and the cheese slid off the dough almost instantly after picking the slice up. The dough isn’t doing anything special flavor-wise but is solid in terms of texture — not too soft but not too hard.
Antonio’s Pizza by the Slice: 6.5/10
For just $3.75, you can get a large slice of cheese pizza at Antonio’s Pizza by the Slice. The pizzas sit pre-made in a glass container by the register, and after ordering, they are quickly warmed up in an oven. In contrast to its Thayer Street location, the Wickenden venue is larger but without the homey feel of the Thayer storefront.
Antonio’s is your classic slice of pizza. Its large, wide slices have a late-night snack feel. It is appropriately greasy, and the cheese and sauce are well integrated, allowing for a cohesive bite. The thin crust is crunchy but not hard, and the dough has a good flop without being too weak or falling apart. Overall, a very satisfying slice.
What About Andrews and the Ratty?
Andrews (4/10) provides students with a hearty, freshly warmed slice of pizza. Slices tend to be rather greasy, with a crust that is wide and crunchy and the dough is thick and heaped with cheese. Priced at two slices for a meal swipe, the portions are on the larger side.
The pizza at the Sharpe Refectory (5.5/10) is a stark contrast to Andrews. Ratty pizza has a thin, soft crust and the sauce, which is sweeter than the sauce on Andrews pizza, does most of the talking. The Ratty’s all-you-can-eat format may contribute to the size difference between Ratty and Andrews pizza, with slices from the Ratty being much smaller with a lighter feel.
The critics rave
In this reviewer’s opinion, Ratty pizza is far superior to Andrews, but what do others think?
Tyler Kocienda ’27 falls in the Ratty camp “because of its consistency. It never fails to satisfy, and I can always be confident of what I’m getting. The flop level of the Ratty pizza is also second to none. I have a very classic pizza taste, so the Ratty pizza is perfect. Last thought: the Ratty pizza is cooked crispier than Andrew’s pizza, mimicking the New York style that I love the most.”
Zach Rogers ’24 came to bat for the Andrews team saying, “Andrews will forever be better and the fact that you can ‘buy’ a whole pie to-go by pooling a few swipes is incredible.”
Elsa Block ’24 also cast her vote for Andrews but with a bit of a twist. She prefers “cold Andrews pizza, straight from the pie to the plate, no oven to get in the way of the pure enjoyment of ripping off a piece of chilled, cheesy deliciousness.”
The 134th Editorial Board voted (almost) unanimously on Andrews pizza for the win.
Kate Butts is a senior staff writer covering University Hall. Outside of The Herald, she loves running, board games and Trader Joe's snacks.
