The Best American Pizza Chain Is Known For Its Pepperoni

While pizza might not have originated in the U.S., as the world's oldest pizzeria will attest, the States have certainly made it our own, putting a distinctly American stamp on it in a variety of ways. For example, stuffed crust, which has been the life of parties since the 1990s, was actually invented by a man named Anthony Mongiello, who hailed from Brooklyn. And pepperoni, that most ubiquitous topping, would have seemed entirely foreign to the Italians who enjoyed early iterations of the pie in their homeland because those little round discs of meat weren't added until the 1950s, in Connecticut. But it is, in fact, the pepperoni that makes the best U.S.-based chain stand a head above the rest, as Food Republic found when it ranked 15 American pizza chains from worst to best. And that pizza joint, surprising to some, is Marco's Pizza.

The reviewer called Marco's "arguably the best option at the intersection of quality and price," and emphasized how customers love the pepperoni, which comes in three iterations: Old World, also known as "cup and char," a regular variety, and a shredded type, which is just the regular pepperoni cut into thin strips. These superior options certainly give Marco's an edge, especially when the top two pizza chains by sales, Pizza Hut and Domino's, only offer one type of pepperoni, and Little Caesars only offers shredded on a limited-time basis as part of a movie tie-in, for example.

The variety of pepperoni to choose from isn't the only thing that makes Marco's Pizza a standout among fast food pizza chains. It has an expansive menu, including what's known as Magnifico Pizzas, which take a page from pies you might find in an old-school pizzeria. This line began as the Pepperoni Magnifico and the Sausage Magnifico, but has since expanded to include the Ultimate Magnifico, the Hot Honey Magnifico, and the ultra-meaty Triple Pepperoni Magnifico. The Pepperoni Magnifico has been described as "perfection" by one Redditor on the message board site, while another commenter highly recommended the Hot Honey version, describing it as having a duo of pepperonis and a drizzle of hot honey, which adds both heat and sweetness to the savory pie.

Additionally, the pizza chain offers the choice of a "light bake" or a "well done" bake, which both have their appeal if, say, you wanted to finish baking your two-topping at home, so it's hot and fresh out of the oven, or conversely, you like a crispier, more charred crust. It also sells different items such as the Pizzoli (a kind of pizza wrap), pizza bowls, calzones, subs, breads, wings, salads, and even dessert options. And if you're on a budget but have a craving, Marco's is one of 10 chains that still sell whole pizzas for less than $10, with a small cheese pizza costing just $8.99, and the pizza shop often runs good deals.