I was not impressed with California Pizza Kitchen at all. Gourmet pizza or not, the atmosphere is too formal for the food being served. The appetizers are mostly Asian inspired. The lettuce wraps appetizer and Carne Asada pizza cost almost $25. We finished the appetizer and pizza, with nothing left over, which was surprising given the price.

I would not recommend California Pizza Kitchen. If you really want gourmet pizza, go to Mellow Mushroom. They have bigger portions, better, pizza, lower prices, and a great selection of beer.

Pie-Fection offers a unique pizza experience. It is a food assembly line, much like many sandwich places. They have personal size pizzas, and larger ones able to be shared. You are able to pick your crust, sauce, cheese and toppings. I had a wheat pizza, with Cuban Mojo sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, Boar’s Head Italian sausage, green peppers, and onions. I got a combo which included a generous side salad and fountain drink. The salad and pizza were more than enough to fill me up, and tasted great. My only gripe would have to be the price. With a great, unique experience in building your own pizza, it would be nice to see a one price fits all, like a sandwich shop would be, rather than have to pay per topping.

Pie-Fection is a refreshing take on pizza, and worth checking out. I can see it being fun for kids as well, allowing them to watch their pizza being built as they tell someone what they want.

Cornerstone Pizza is good. Nothing outstanding, but an acceptable pizza place in the area. You won’t be wowed by the pizza, but you won’t be disappointed either.

This is a nice little pizza place in downtown Celebration. They sell pizza by the slice. It is slightly more expensive than other pizza places in town, but I’m sure that is due to its location. There’s only standing room inside, with a couple tables outside, so dining in comfortably isn’t always an option.

A Slice of NY Pizza has great pizza, and great customer service. They have a lunch special, 2 slices of cheese pizza and a can of soda for $5. I asked for a bottle of soda, and I would pay the difference, but they still only charged me $5. Rather than get a little more money out of me that day, they opted for great customer service. The only gripe I have with A Slice of NY is their crust. The crust is nice and thick, and fluffy, but doesn’t have any flavor. Some type of sauce for dipping would really complement the great pizza. Regardless of the crust, I would recommend this place.

• Food Quality:  5/10
• Food Quantity: 8/10
• Cleanliness: 5/10
• Atmosphere: 5/10
• Service: 5/10
• Price: $5-$10

You could tell the pizza by the slice had been sitting out for a while. It was dry from sitting out and having to be reheated. They weren’t busy, but the tables hadn’t been wiped clean. The cabinet for the soda machine didn’t have doors so you could see all the syrup pouches and CO2 canisters. The cashier/server wasn’t too thrilled to be working there. The pizza isn’t godawful, but it would be hard even say it was good. There are plenty of pizza places in Orlando, avoid this one.

• Food Quality:  5/10
• Food Quantity: 10/10
• Cleanliness: 5/10 Utensils at buffet are usually sticky and/or greasy
• Atmosphere: 5/10 There’s usually a few kids running around.
• Service: 7/10 It’s a buffet, so there isn’t much service other than taking your order when you first arrive.
• Price: $5 – $8

I gave the pizza a try, getting a pepperoni and onions, and pepperoni and green peppers pizzas. The sauce and cheese are a marked improvement. I could do without the newly flavored crust though. It doesn’t taste all that good, and seems like over processed and cheap garlic butter. The cheese is definitely a better quality, and the sauce has some flavor now. It is not the bland pizza it once was. It still isn’t gourmet pizza, but it’s not at a gourmet price either. I would say the improvements actually make the pizza worth the price now. Overall, the improvements are good, except for the garlic Parmesan crust.

They’re also running a special hoping you will give their new pizza try, 2 pizzas with 2 toppings each for $5.99 each. It’s a great deal, normally costing around $20, depending on location.

Gino’s offers lunch specials Monday through Friday, from 9am to 4pm. These specials offer a ton of food, at a low price. You could easily split one of these lunch specials with someone else, there’s that much food. The service is fast and pleasant. If you are downtown, I would definitely recommend you give them a try. Even if you aren’t downtown, the food is worth the trip.

Gino’s menu is available on their website.