I go here every once in a while as a college student with a friend to grab a beer and a slice of pizza. The portion for what you pay is crazy, and it's a nice chill environment to have a conversation and get lost in the moment. Service can be slow sometimes, but mainly during rush hour when everything on Mass Street is busy. read more

I went in on July 24, 2026 to to order some food and I asked a question if their crust was plant based or they had plant bases products or vegan products or anything, and I got laughed at when I asked about anything and they told me that they didn't have vegan or plant based or anything there. I looked up they do or supposed to offer plant bases or vegan products. At least recommend them it to your customers if they ask a question like that;But it made me feel uncomfortable where I did not order anything and I just left. I don't feel like I shouldn't have been laughed at about asking a question so I went somewhere else and I will not ever be going back ever again, and this was my first time there and now my last. I hope they can improve at one point, but they had lost a first time customer if anything they need to recommend plant base or vegan products ,asked if they had plant-based foods so this is the reason why. I will not be going back ever again. Papa kenos do better with your employees and have a talk with your employees too. I do not recommend Papa Kenos to anyone who is looking for vegan or plant-based foods read more

The pizza is good but still feels slightly over priced. The service is hit or miss. The crowd is young but they have pinball. There are other places to get single large slice for half the slice. Do some homework; idk if it's fair to mention other businesses here. Still, this place isn't bad. read more

Son and I stopped in after he got to pick where to go. You order at the bar then grab a table. I had the Chicago Italian beef, he had the slice of just cheese. Sandwich was good, nice amount of meat with giardinera and jalapenos on the side. The aus jus was good with a hearty flavor, not to salty. The man child enjoyed his piece read more

Papa Keno's Pizzeria - Italian beef - Pizza Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

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I don't know how many times I've passed this place while walking on Mass, but we finally came here to celebrate a family member's birthday and I was anything but disappointed. We bought pizza by the slice. I wanted to try the Kid Keno and as I've never had pizza with anchovies, I thought why not, so I got the Bon Chovy too. Both were great, but the Kid Keno was my favorite. My wife got a slice of plain pepperoni, and my daughter got a slice of cheese. The crust on both were great. Light and crispy with a nice bite to it. My wife being from the area hasn't had Papa Keno's in a while, but she said it was as good as she remembers it. My daughter said that she could eat another slice (yeah, right) because it was so good. The staff was friendly, quick to serve, and the layout is really cool and laid back. Overall, if you like really good pizza and are willing to pay $$ for it, this place is great. I would definitely come here again. read more

Papa Keno's Pizzeria - Kid Keno on the left. Bon Chovy on the right. - Pizza Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

My husband and I took our two teenage boys for dinner the other weeknight. 2 pies and 3 sodas cost about $95 before tip. Yeesh. The pies were yummy & fresh, but it seems like the sauce was spread very thin, and the cheese was also pretty thin, compared to PK pies we've had in years past. The crust was top notch, and service was friendly, but for the price point, about anywhere else would serve our family better for pizza. I can definitely see a single person, buying a slice or two, and getting a good deal, but for hungry families- not so much. read more

Papa Keno's Pizzeria - Meat lover's - Pizza Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

I'm updating my review from 2017 from 4/5 to 1/5. They moved location, and everything is different now. Completely different vibe and different taste. Papa Kenos was legit great pizza for the Midwest. Now it's just meh Midwest pizza. They still have the bomb marinara sauce, so at least they saved one thing. The toppings are hardly cooked though. The crust isn't the thin, light crust they used to have. It's too bad. read more

This may not have been our original destination, but we are sooo glad we ended up here for our lunch before the KU vs BYU football game! We took advantage of the specials with one order being Canadian Bacon/ Pineapple slice, mozzarella bread sticks & a drink. We didn't realize how big the slices were and got the Tuskeno based on the servers recommendation. It was a tough call on which slice was better as both were amazing. We probably didn't need the breadsticks with how large the slices of pizza were (even though they were house too). We are from Overland Park and hope we can enjoy that location as much as our time at the Lawrence location. Regardless, when we are in Lawrence, this will be on our list of favorites. read more

Papa Keno's Pizzeria - Tuskeno Slice in the foreground & Canadian Bacon /Pineapple in the back. - Pizza Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

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Absolutely amazing pizzeria! They have a sign that says slices as big as your face & they are NOT lying! The menu is pretty extensive for a pizzeria - so many options to add! The seating options are plentiful - right outside on Mass Street to people watch (or watch the Old Fashioned Christmas Parade, which is what we did!) or in a table or booth inside. The service was prompt. The ingredients- including dough - are FRESH! Check out the area you can see them making pizzas, it's pretty cool! read more

College town, and kids will eat anything! Only rationale I can think of for popularity of this place. Their "Works" pizza was a higher priced, exact carbon copy of a Pizza Hut Supreme. Basic cheese pie barely had any cheese and was over-baked, burnt on bottom. Place wasn't crazy busy, so no reasonabe excuse. Leads me to believe it's their standard. read more

A great location on Mass street, with well staff. Went in around 4:30, not too busy at all, ordered something along the line of a chicken parm sandwich, tasted amazing, very fresh and well made, friend ordered the pepperoni pizza slice, also done very well according to him. Atmosphere was very nice, gives off a calm vibe, and overall a great location. read more

3.5 stars. We ordered online and had the food delivered. The pizza arrived warm-hot with a wonderful thin crust and good toppings. Mama Kenos (18" $31.99) with spinach, feta, roma tomatoes, garlic and romano cheese. One suggestion is either double/triple the red sauce or give some on the side if worries about it getting soggy. There was so little sauce we thought at first there wasn't any. The greek salad was good also with a lot of toppings but the dressing seemed like kraft italian. A good dinner. read more

Papa Keno's Pizzeria - Greek Salad to go $8.99 - Pizza Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

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An absolute Lawrence staple. We used Papa Keno's for our October 2024 wedding and it was a hit with all of our guests. They raved about it during and after the wedding! I would note that it's best to go in-person and request to speak with a manager so you can get a good point of contact if you need to do any additional communication because the "contact us" form on the website did not ever lead to a response. When we went in person we were informed that often those inquires end up in an unmonitored email. The EZ cater system was easy to navigate to place the order and make modifications. The only complaint I have with it is that it allowed us to originally place our order as delivery and we were later informed that we were outside of the delivery range despite EZ cater saying the address could be delivered to. Luckily, we were told that right after submitting the order so we had plenty of time to come up with a plan to get the pizza to our venue. I'll continue to happily support Papa Keno's and eat there as often as I can! read more

I've lived in Lawrence 4 years and never tried pizza here. My friends and I came here on a whim. I got a slice of pepperoni pizza and was pretty disappointed. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. I'd rather have Casey's pizza or if we're talking about single large slices of pizza I would recommend Buffalo State pizza in KC over this. My piece of pizza seemed slightly burnt, and lacked on sauce and cheese. I would give this place another chance and try a speciality piece, as the service was friendly but overall I won't be craving this pizza place again. read more

Papa Keno's Pizzeria - a half eaten sandwich - Pizza Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

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Our first visit to Lawrence and this place was recommended by a friend who is a KU alumni. Loved the thin crust and fresh ingredients. The Columbo was good but a bit heavy on the garlic. The works was fantastic but opted to do it without onions and green peppers. Lots of options on beers too was a nice bonus. If our niece decides to go here we'll definitely be back. I'm sure it's a longer wait on game nights and weekends. read more

Papa Keno's Pizzeria - Entrance. - Pizza Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

The first time I ordered here I wasn't a fan. What I realized is that it's best to just order slices of the options they have that sound good to you. Then go from there. If you like pepperoni, you really won't regret the industry pizza. Enjoy :) read more

Papa Keno's Pizzeria - Industry - Pizza Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

Our group (51 women) just had an event and used Papa Keno's for our fun night outing. The pizza was super delicious! We discussed in advance our coming there for the evening; however, I did not place the order in advance thinking the pizza would sit and not be fresh. I ordered upon arrival, and we received our pies in GREAT time, and they were warm and fresh. All of the staff did absolutely all they could to take care of us while maintaining regular customer flow. The ladies were very complimentary of the food and affirmed for me I made a great choice. Thanks Papa Keno's for all you did to make this part of our event a success!!!!!!! read more

Good, unique (to Lawrence) pizza and other things. Giant slices and many fresh toppings! Service is good enough, like, for a pizza place. New location is pretty nice, too. Been a fan since they opened in 199_? read more

I want to preface my review by saying I gave this restaurant my business solely because of their outward support for our LGBTQIA friends and family. Thank you for this! The pizza and cannolis were delicious. They even cut it up smaller for my kiddo without me even thinking to ask. I was given the most wonderful rundown of the food options and the person who helped me was very kind. I didn't get their name but they had the cutest nail polish and short, curly blonde hair. I will continue to support Papa Keno's and hope to return with a bigger appetite! read more

Ordered pizza for takeout which was awesome as usual. Service was great as pizza was ready within the time frame provides. While we did not eat in ambiance is great and very family friendly! read more

I've always had an axiom that there is no bad pizza except for a burned pizza. Well, Papa Keno's proved me wrong when we went their visiting family. We had two pizzas, an all meat and an all veggie. Both had the same problem and that wasn't being burned. The probelm was they had almost no sauce and almost no cheese. The toppings just fell right off when you tried to eat. The crust wasn't soft and overall, the pizzas didn't have a good flavor and to be frank, just bad. I would give maybe a 2 star if the breadsticks were good. They were just OK, but the dipping sauce was so plain; maybe one step above diced tomatos put in a bowl. read more

Renting an Airbnb upstairs from this place. We were starving, walked through the door 9:40. Were told "We're basically closed". Sign said 10:00 pm. Customer service foul. Last night in Lawrence. Thanks for leaving us with a bitter taste as our last memory here. read more

We were in town for OU softball all the way from Wisconsin. We decided to try to find something to eat after the Friday 3/29 game so we drove down near the campus. We stumbled upon Papa Keno's and wandered in cuz the pizza smell drew us in. A young girl welcomed us at the counter and was absolutely the most polite and helpful young lady I've met in a long time. She helped explain the menu and offered her help in getting us what we were looking for. The food was amazing and came out quick. The outdoor seating area was awesome! Well done PK! read more

First time ever visiting Mass Street. We had no idea what was there. We wanted to eat and we went here not knowing what to expect. First and foremost,the employees are very customer service oriented. They were very professional and kind. Next, the service was speedy and the pizza was great. The crust is very good along with yummy cheeses and toppings. It was very relaxing to sit and look out as people walked up and down the sidewalk. It was very enjoyable and we were welcomed in to this wonderful relaxing experience. read more

Julia is the most amazing worker ever. She's so attentive with costumers and always has a positive vibe. Love coming here.

Although all the food and pizza were good (pizza was delicious), we were not provided greek salad, but rather mixed greens with a few black olives and pieces of feta. It is sad, but most restaurants do this. If you are going to advertise greek salad, then provide greek salad. A greek salad has no lettuce/greens in it. it is mostly made up of cubed pieces of tomato and cucumber, with some purple onion, loaded with kalamata olives, a few stuffed grape leaves, and covered in a thin layer of feta cheese. change how you make it, or take it off the menu. read more

The time of beating up on this place, to which I rightly contributed to for good reason about five years ago, has passed. Did you miss that period? It'll all be OK. PK's has been our go to delivery pizza for awhile but I hadn't gotten the nerve to return in person. Check that box. On a recent Tuesday evening the place was packed, service was fast and courteous and everything seemed to be operating at peak. And the slice was fantastic and with the "special" they were running we got two Free State Oktoberfest beers to boot for under $20 with a bit of change left over. Those two beers down the street at the brewery will set up back close to $10 alone. The crust was exceptional, yes, crust is an important part of the slice. Slight burn (it's called flavor... please) on the bottom, seasoned properly, and unlike the place I won't name in the next block across the street that rhymes with "Minsky's," doesn't slide off the slice with the first bit. And real cheese and peak ingredients. OK, enough of beating up on that sad place. As we left around 7:00 p.m. the place was starting to free up some seats and turning left out the door we pass a totally empty Pyramid Pizza with an identical Yelp rating. Figure that out. Glad to have my Papa back. Now stay there and don't change a thing and we'll get along just fine. read more

Imagine your favorite pizza toppings. Now imagine the perfect crust and a fruity tomato marinara and imported cheeses. Now you're in for a treat! The staff is talented and super friendly We are so lucky to have such a gem here in Lawrence. read more

Size matters at this gathering place! If you are looking for a New York City pizza slice- this is your place. The crust is nothin, sauce is adequate and it's not greasy. The challenge was when I folded the slice, the cheese was supposed to be hot enough so that when you bite gently into it, the melted strings of cheese just loop. Nit going to happen here. This is a great local pizza shop with the smells of dough and pasta. Great place for a slice. read more

Papa Keno's Pizzeria - Signage - Pizza Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

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We r been waiting for almost 35 minutes now with no food and no response from staff after asking for a manager. On a time crunch? Stay away. Staff just don't care about serving up a slice in a timely fashion. Staff blamed lunch rush but we ordered after 1. read more

First visit to the new location - they did a really nice job of expanding the space without losing the character of Papa Keno's. All of the old brick adds to the warmth of the decor. We ate upstairs; the skylights really brighten up the space. Pizza is still delicious, huge slices we know and love. Mama Keno remains one of my favorites. We also got the Leeway Franks Special of Calabrian sausage, broccoli, pepperoncini, and white sauce. The chili-infused honey was sweet heat but not too much. Fantastic on the crunchy crust. Got a cannoli to go - it was a delicious surprise. Most cannolis are overly sweet or the wrap is soggy. Not the case here. The filling was sweet but not sickly so. It was crispy even after being in our fridge for a couple of hours. Definitely worth the dessert. The space is nice and open, so we felt safe eating there. You can tell the tables have been placed with extra space between them. There's enough space to move around without feeling crowded. read more

The crust is really good. You don't get a lot of meat but the pizza is tasty, because of the crust.

If ever there was a BOOM or BUST place, this is it. Having worked across the street for nearly five years, this spot was frequented often. Sometimes the perfect, gigantic slices would be by far the best pizza in town. Others, it seemed the ingredients were bought on a discount rack and it turned into subpar pizza. When it's on, this is the kind of place where one slice is as big as your face and is cross cut so that you have some deliciously portioned, cheesy, piping hot pizza. The breadsticks are meh, as are the salads, but the specialty slices like the Kid Keno (pepperoni, feta, spinach, roasted garlic) are tough to beat. Another plus to this joint is the location right on Mass St. with some limited outdoor seating to watch everyone go by. When I was in college they temporarily shut down which wasn't a surprise given all the rumors going on around this place, as well as a good friend who worked here for a month and never received payment. I don't know any other details so I'll refrain, but I'll say I believe that a new owner has stepped in since then and that it's back on the upswing, but can't be sure. So hopefully if you go in, it's not a bust because their style of pizza is tough to beat around Lawrence. read more

I'm docking it down just a bit but the quality of the pizza after they moved further down the street, at least for my order, was bad. We waited an extra 25 minutes after they initially told us it would be 10 more minutes. I called again after 25 minutes passed and they told me it would be another 15 minutes. We got home and our pizza barely had any toppings on it and the bottom of the pizza was caked in flour. It felt like it wasn't cooked through either. Overall just not a great experience, which is sad because I'm always looking forward to Papa Keno's. read more

If you like waiting 1.5 hours for Dominos, you'll love this local treasure. Don't let the poor atmosphere keep you from the epic wait!

Pizza was really good not super busy but pizza was out 15-20 min and was fresh and hot. Staff was great the new place has great atmosphere good music and TVs with sports playing always a plus. read more

Papa Keno's Pizzeria - the inside of the restaurant - Pizza Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

Wow where to begin if they say 20-30 minutes count on 45. When I walked in to order takeaway there was less 10 people in the plac so.20-30 minutes was fine. I went back in at 30 everything was still in the oven. When they finished, I made the mistake of asking for peppers and cheese. The hostess drops it on the box, rolls her eyes and just says have a nice day. After a previous visit I always check to see if the pizza is burned. It was not this time. I ordered 3 pizzas and 2 bread sticks, 2 bread and 2 pizzas show up. I ask the bartender if I can have rest if my order. She goes back to the kitchen and asked. The cook gets a deer in the headlights look and starts checking all the ovens going thru all the premade ones that they sell by the slice and luckily there was a whole carnivore. Ooops not sure how old this is, but it was obvious not the one that came with my order. We have ordered takeaway from here before and if it is fresh out of the oven it is still somewhat warm when we get it home, even with over an hour round trip. The carnivore was cold and the cheese was starting to harden. What dropped the score to less than zero was everyone in the house ended up with shall we say food borne illness, including the dog who got some of the pizza bones. The oh no we forgot large carnivore tasted like it had a cleaning product on it so after 2 bites by each there goes 18.99 in the trash. It narrows down to PK since everyone ate lunch at different places. Common Denominator for human volcanism...Popa Keno. Between service that is doing us favor by allowing people to be in their presence to food poisoning. It was a over 100.00 lesson on why driving from Shawnee is never worth it. No matter if at one time it was the family favorite. read more

Although my salad wasn't anything to write home about, my kids loved their pizza. It's just like what we're used to eating in North Jersey/NYC. Bravo! read more

I ordered 18" pepperoni and got no pepperoni and cold ... I can't offer an alternative other than shop around

I went here with my mom and sister for a quick lunch while shopping on mass street. We ordered 3 slices of pizza and waited 50 minutes for only 2 of them to come out. The 3rd slice came 20 minutes later and at that point, we just shared the other 2 and got a box for the 3rd. They had only one waitress and one person running the register while the manger/owner just sat there with his kids eating. People were constantly chasing down the waitress/cashier and asking where their food was. This place needs to seriously reevaluate their management because 3 slices of pizza should not take the same amount of time (or longer) as a sit down restaurant would!!! Absolutely ridiculous and if you plan to be in and out, go somewhere else. read more