Imperial is absolutely a titan in the debate over what people claim to be Buffalo’s best pizza. In my first post asking for suggestions of where to go, it ranked at the top. Out of every place so far, Imperial was the busiest when I walked in by a long shot. I had to wait in a little line, actually, which was a new experience. It gave me time to kind of soak the place in. Reading the sign out front and looking at their multiple photos of hometown sports hero customers, while WGR 550 plays over the radio as the sabres/bills-clad staff prepare your pizza gives Imperial a very distinct character that only manifests itself through time. Deep stuff brothers and sisters. So…here goes. A South Buffalo icon that has remained mostly unchanged since it was founded god knows when. 2 Slices + Pop = $6.75.

Obviously, Imperial has a great looking slice. Lots of pepperoni, the perfect amount of grease glistening back at you. The appearance of the cheese is ideal. Light browning with a few flecks of seasoning that may have been from the pepperoni or shaken on before baking, all of it flowing into a crispy and bubbly caramelized crust. These are both dead on what you’re looking for in a slice of this particular style.

The pepperoni at Imperial is unique. It is cup and char pepperoni, however, the slices are so thick that only a few of the thinner ones actually manage to lift off the cheese and form. It’s crazy to think that being only that much closer to the heat source causes them to crisp up like that. I love pepperoni, and their flavor was great. Due to their thickness, they were very chewy, which I liked, but I could have gone for a few more crispy slices to balance out the chewy dough and cheese. A very minimal thing to bitch about. Overall they were great. The cheese was flavorful and there was plenty of it…but as you’ll see on the next picture, it wasn’t exactly warm enough. Now I know that if I had gotten a whole pizza fresh from the oven this problem wouldn’t exist, but I’m reviewing slices here so I have to go off what I’m given. They are a super busy place around noon and there was plenty being made, so I don’t know if they just didn’t have the time to throw mine in the oven or what, but that little step could have made a big difference. Still tasty, but it all congealed together and had no pull.

Finally, I got what I consider to be a reasonable amount of sauce for a Buffalo pizza. Although the cheese had cooled which was kind of a bummer, it made it really easy to access the sauce. It was for sure thicker than any of the sauces I’ve yet, and it had a distinct sweetness to it. I say that with the consideration that this is their “regular sauce”. I know a few pizza places that have an option for a “sweet sauce”, which tastes like tomato candy. I personally believe it to be an abomination against the lord Cheesus Crust. For a regular sauce, Imperial is the sweetest yet, but not overbearingly so. Really smooth, not watery, excellent tomato flavor, and a good distinctive marinara thing going on that blended well with the sweetness. It reminded me a bit of thick sweet pasta sauce. Great stuff! However (and I may be wrong on this), I think that the sauce may have lead to my only real gripe about Imperial…

THE BLACK CHAR. I don’t know what this stuff is, but the only other time I’ve encountered it is at a place called Pizza Oven in Lockport (which has a similar cult following). It has a VERY distinct taste. To me it tastes like burnt sugar and is a little metallic, which leads me to believe that it’s burnt sauce. Burnt cheese tastes and looks very different. As you can see, this charred area doesn’t have anything else less burnt or browned spreading out from it, which I think cheese would have. It also doesn’t taste like burnt cheese, which can be awesome as I’ll point out later. My best guess is that it’s sauce (or maybe something in the dough?). Anyhow, I’m sure some of you recognized this stuff immediately, and I know for a fact that it is coveted by many a pizza-lover as one of their favorite things about Pizza Oven, and Imperial likewise, I’m sure. This, coupled with the concentrated flavor of the slightly drier sauce that appears at the end of a slice due to its greater exposure to the heat (as you can see in the photo)…is a flavor that I can’t jive with. It is super pungent and instantly recognizable when you get some in a bite. It is a very divisive thing, and I’ve known where I stand on it ever since I’ve started eating pizza. Bring on the hate. I respect your right to love it, and obviously due to their success and notoriety A LOT do, but I really really don’t.

Imperial dough is very spongy. It is squishy and chewy with a very textured bottom (sweet jesus) that brings a lot of flavor to the slice. Personally, I think it could have been more well-done to give it some firmness. I like to have to work my teeth a little bit to cut through a bite. I know that’s something to expect more so from NY pizza, but I think a little of that can translate well to a Buffalo slice. Imperial dough, I probably could have ripped off with some pursed lips and a little enthusiasm. It had the consistency of the inside of freshly baked white bread, which was delicious, but there was no crispness along with it. Like a farmers loaf of bread v. a baguette.

Apart from those crazy blackened sections, I love imperial crust. The photo here was probably the best bite on the slice. The perfectly caramelized cheese that was crispy and savory, mixed very well with the sweetness of the sauce. Also, the crust, being crispier than the dough, was closer to what I would consider to be ideal consistency. There was a half crispy half chewy pepperoni in the mix here too. That bite was damn near perfect for Buffalo pizza. These are the moments I’m hunting for. Onward to the overall scoring.

Dough🥖: (C+) A little too soft and squishy, but good flavor.
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Cheese🧀: (B) Wish it were warmed up, but considering the temp, really excellent flavor.
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Sauce🥫: (B-) This probably could have been an A- but was penalized to a B-. Really exceptional. Ample, with a notable sweetness that didn’t cover the tomato/marinara flavor. The best performance in the category thus far, and I imagine a lot of people’s favorite part…but I had to penalize for that black stuff somewhere.
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Pepperoni🍖: (A-) Very thick, dense and chewy. Awesome flavor. Could have been a bit crispier.
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Overall🍕: (B) This one is going to sting for a lot of people, but some of the blame can be placed on not having the pizza warmed up in the oven, which would have probably boosted the cheese score. The real killer here was that black stuff. It’s strange because its not a mistake on Imperial’s part. That’s part of the pizza that people seem to like. I have a very difficult time overlooking it, though. If anyone can shed some light on why they like it (I know you’re out there) that would be awesome. It’s a bummer because I had to allocate the negativity from that stuff to their sauce, which apart from that was probably the best I’ve had so far. In a perfect world where I had a fresh pie and no black stuff, the pizza scores an A- (dough held it back a tad), which would be the best yet. You’ve really gotta pick this one apart for the true story. As for Imperial and I, although a lot of people hold it very near and dear…it just isn’t for me. Dough was a little too soft, and the black crust is a huge turn off. However, if you are in to that stuff, I could easily understand how this could be your #1.