This was the worst pizza I've ever had! The crust was thin and crispy. That was the only redeemable quality this pizza had. The rest of it tasted like a salt lick. The pizza sauce looked and tasted like was out of a can produced in 1950. The pepperoni was easily on it's way to being burnt. I didn't pay so I didn't complain. I would never go back to this disgusting place! read more

Looking at reviews you wouldn't be sure about this place. I've eaten here at least 3 times in the last month and the food has been great. The works and barbecue pizza is good. Both Mexican style pizzas were good too. The nachos were okay, definitely stick with pizza and ask for the ranch with it. Staff was nice and quick service for to-go. Thanks for being open during Covid and being safe. read more

Ive been going there since I was a kid and grew up around Waco. It's a local landmark and favorite. I remember the original Poppa Rollo's in the Golden Triangle shopping center. My wife is from Up North and makes me take her there every time we visit Waco. We have introduced many "out of towners" to Poppa Rollo's. The pizzas are always good and the beer is cold. Funny thing is my wife doesn't drink beer except at Poppa Rollo's in an ice encrusted frosty mug! We usually have to take a few pizzas back home to friends. Some times we don't have enough slices to go around though. It's our go too place when back in Waco. read more

I woke up hungry for ur pizza so i waited til lunch time i went to the one in hewitt and i looked and it said lunch buffet wow i thought went to be seated we waited a few mins no wait staff i noticed up front at the bar there were for girls standing talking and laugh then one finally looks up at us i was already upset that we were a nobody there bad service on top of that we went to the buffet looked good salad was fresh sat down to eat pizza cold like it been there awhile so i waited to see if they going to bring more here they come thur the door with more pizzas to feel the buffet i thought that just came out got up got some fresh pizza wow cold i think they are making those pizzas ahead of time im not lying cicis is the worst pizza ever but i can say it always hot on the buffet the young ladys will kill ur businesses the way they treat customers i use to love love papa pizzas its a shame that it went down hill read more

The most expensive and most disappointing pizza delivery experience ever. This pizza was $44. It took them over an hour and a half to deliver. Eventually, I went outside to see if a delivery driver was coming, and I found a cold pizza box on my doorstep. They dropped the pizza on the front porch, did not knock or ring the doorbell. I called them, the blamed the delivery service they use (waitr), and then hung up on me. Please do not give your money to this rude incompetent business. read more

The service was prompt for our take-out order but I felt like we wasted our money on the pizza. The quality and freshness of the ingredients was lacking. Overall it was a big disappointment and miss for this long-time Waco restaurant. read more

I have been going there since the late 70's. Best in Waco. LOTS of toppings, great cheese, terrific in every way that pizza should be great. Now having said that, the place hasn't been updated in all that time. Not even kidding.....But go for the pizza. Or take it with you. It's delicious and unique among pizzas. I love it. read more

If your idea of great pizza place is something like Domino's or Pizza Hut, this is the place for you! Disgusting, bought-wholesale (and probably frozen) pre-made pizza shells, with the most abominable toppings imaginable. To make matters worse, they have this kiddy-arcade with a bunch of coin-operated machines that attract hordes of screaming kids, that you're forced to listen to while you pick up your order at the counter or dine in the restaurant. They make a fortune raking in the kids' money, so they're not inclined to get rid of it. This is honestly the worst pizza we've had in Waco, and is possibly, with NO exaggeration, one of the most obnoxious, offensive-atmosphere restaurants I've been to, ever. If you like screaming brats, you'll love this low-class, trailer-trash s-hole. read more

I had the spaghetti, and it was good, but the cannolis were life changing. I have had cannolis before and they were not very good, so I was hesitant when my husband wanted to order some. It turns out, I had just never had a good cannoli. read more

IRS been about 7 years since we moved down further south. Had to come to Waco for business and we all had to go through Poppa's. The one dish we always order is their Taco Pie. And today it didn't disappoint us. We even had a chance to talk with the owner "Poppa". Such a charming man. Taco Pie isn't one of those greasy pizzas,it's more like a salad pizza and it was so wonderful. Can't wait to plan another trip back. Love that they haven't changed anything and they still play the Three Stooges in Black and White. read more

Love this place. Don't think I can take much more of the bathrooms tho. Worse than a 300 year old truck stop. I've never seen a urinal grow hair till now. Please clean the bathrooms so I can enjoy the whole establishment. The fifth star comes with cleaning the men's bathroom! read more

The cute little curly blonde haired girl (I think her name was Trista) served me today and it was the best experience I've had here. I honestly don't think I want to dine in unless she's my waitress (no it's not bc she's just that cute) Service was 10/10 read more

I'm giving the pizza a 5 star. Best pizza I've had so far since moving to Waco. The "hut" sucks, Dominos is just that, a huge "no". Another Waco pizza staple I can't even remember the name because the pizza was horrible. Based on reading other reviews, I'll probably always get this delivered, and not try going into the restaurant. Coming from Kommifornia where there was at least a ton of pizza options, this place is great. read more

While I am not 100% surprised at all these bad reviews (more on that below), the people giving these 1 star reviews are complete and utter idiots. If you give poppa rollos one star, and Cotton Patch Cafe 4, you deserve a punch in the jejunum. I swear, the people on here sometimes... I grew up in Waco and I have always considered rollos as my favorite restaurant in town (I've had at least 5 birthday dinners there). The pizza is amazing. Best crust, best cheese, best pepperoni, the best jalapenos, and the best ranch BY FAR of any pizza place in town. My dad and I have been going here at least once a month my entire life. Same order since I was 5: Order of pizza bread #1, a medium half pepperoni/half canadian bacon pizza and two thousand island sals. mmmmmmmmmm my mouth waters just typing it out. I must admit, though, it has always been a polarizing restaurant... You either love it or hate it. My dad and I LOVE it; my mom, not so much. In high school, a group of three of my friends and I would go to rollos once a week, while the rest of our friends absolutely refused to go. The complaints always seem to be the same though. The pizza is ok, and the service is shit. The service can be pretty slow sometimes, I agree. Not as bad as it used to be, but still not great. The wait-staff tends to be a little "alt", meaning grungy-punkish highschool types, but, in the past few years, I haven't had any remarkably bad experiences with wait times or poor service. And, mind you, I go to Poppa Rollos at least twice a month. Further, if you go to a hole in the wall pizza joint expecting to get a pizza in 8 minutes from sitting down, go home and stuff your impatient gullet with digiorno. Or go back to Chuckee-Cheese, whichever you prefer. If you want pizza in Waco, you have two legitimate options: Rollos or Rosatis. My last meal on earth will hopefully consist of pizza bread number one, a pepperoni pizza, and a half-pitcher of shiner from poppa rollos. read more

I really would not recommend this place at all. Here is the short list: 1. SUPER slow service 2. Cold Food 3. Very mediocre pizza -AT BEST. 4. Owner is a bullsh*t artist that babbles on.. 5. Dirty, dark, corny atmosphere. 6. Waiters/Waitresses seem untrained, inconsiderate, inappropriate. (a group of 5 of them had a full on fight/argument in the dining room the night we were there) 7. Pricey for the poor food quality and long wait. Who voted this place "Best of Waco" I have no idea, but they should have some sort of scan run. :P read more

This place is terrible, and for the life of me I can't fathom why it gets best in Waco! Maybe it's been hyped to the point that no one will admit it's terrible for fear of looking like they missed something obvious. maybe it's just because everyone I know that likes this place either grew up eating there, or remembers it from their college days (or daze). Maybe Wacoans just have bad taste in pizza. Whatever the reason I just don't get it. The first time I went I took my sons on a weekday afternoon. It wasn't busy so I thought it would be fairly quick...wrong. We were one of only three tables and it took nearly 40 minutes for the pizza to arrive after ordering, and it wasn't worth the wait. Honestly as hungry as I was I probably would have eaten a menu if it had enough cheese on it. The second time the whole family went. We decided to give them another chance thinking since they won best pizza I must have hit them on an off day...wrong again. Not only was the pizza terrible, think the aforementioned menu for the quality of the crust and frozen Totinos for the toppings, but they were rude as well. Again it took forever for the pizza to arrive, so after nearly an hour of watching our waitress ignore us we asked the manager/owner how much longer it would be, he oh so politely said "how should I know" and walked away. In regards to the cleanliness of the place, lets just say most of the frat houses my friends lived in during college were probably cleaner. Needless to say this place will not get a third chance. I would rather have a Totinos. read more

I have yet to figure out who this place is paying off to consistently be voted 'Best in Waco', and I'm glad to see that other Yelpers agree with me. This place is FILTHY, disgusting, nasty, and overall gross--- you couldn't pay me to eat there. I have several friends who've worked there, and they have told me horror stories you would not BELIEVE about the conditions of the kitchen. Let's just say when the cricket invasion happens each year and the kitchen gets so hot the chefs prop the door open, they are consistently brushing crickets off the pizzas before putting them in the oven, etc. Their restrooms have been nasty every time I've been there, which doesn't inspire great confidence in the kitchen anyway. Nonetheless, despite my misgivings I was recently convinced to give it another try by a friend who had heard about the quirky decor. I'm sorry, but no matter how cute your place is done up, if the food sucks then the place sucks. Poppa Rollo's has cool antiques but they're so junked up, dirty and cluttered that the place looks like a filthy and dimly-lit antique store; instead of feeling retro or cool, you feel kind of like you're eating pizza in secret in someone's backyard shed or something. We were seated on a balcony and we were completely alone in the room except for one other table up there; even so it took about 15 minutes for a waitress to bring us a menu and ask for our drink orders, and she was pretty rude about it. She knew the people at the next table, and she actually SAT DOWN with them and started chatting, grabbing a piece of their pizza and nibbling on it while talking--- while we're sitting three feet away wondering when she's going to end her chatterfest and get our drinks! After she wrapped up her brief conversation, she went downstairs to get our drinks, then came back, complaining about how the stairs hurt her back, etc. (She was a teenage girl, btw, not an older lady or anything.) We placed an order for a small pizza to split and some breadsticks. We waited almost forty-five minutes for our breadsticks, and when she brought them to us they were cold and hard as bricks. My friend actually smacked one on the table to see if he could break it. The waitress was friendly and talkative to the table of her friends, but paid minimal attention to us. When she brought our pizza, over an hour after we placed the order, she slung it on the table with some plates and left without refilling our glasses or anything else. When we called off the edge of the balcony to ask if we could get a refill on our drinks, she brought up a pitcher of tea and set it on the table, saying that we could do it ourselves so that she wouldn't have to keep coming up and down the stairs. The food was gross, the crust too crunchy and the toppings completely tasteless, and we barely even ate half of it. We didn't ask for a to-go container or anything else, just left cash for our tab and left. We didn't see our waitress on the way out and no one said goodbye to us or even checked to make sure that we didn't pull a dine-and-ditch. This place is AWFUL and while I love to support local business, these people don't deserve a penny of anyone's money if this is how they run their restaurant. read more

I went to Poppa Rollo's last night for the first time to celebrate my birthday. I don't think any one that came will be going back. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE We were there for three hours. We waited an hour to be seated, an hour to order, and an hour and fifteen minutes for the food to come. Actually, 2 ordered pizzas never came. I decided to ask the waiter about their status after we waited an hour and a half. I added that if my order hadn't even been made yet, not to make it because I didn't want to wait for it to come out. My three guy friends who were sharing a large pizza concurred. The waiter came out and said those pizzas were never made. My three friends left Poppa Rollo's to get dinner after waiting patiently for 2.5 hours. I felt so bad. They waited so long and their food didn't even come! Granted, we had a group of 14, so it took a long time to get seated. But even after we were seated in the back room, it was like the waiters either completely forgot about us (which is hard because we took up 1/3 of the room) or they chose to ignore us because they were understaffed and really busy. MY ADVICE So learn from my mistakes. Don't go to Poppa Rollo's with a large group. It's simply not worth it. The wait seems to be long enough with smaller parties. [But, now that I think about it, there was a party of 16 also in the same back room that we were in, but they were well taken care of. I really don't understand why they were given preferential treatment. That actually makes me a bit more upset because the other large party wasn't treated equally badly as my group. So let me tweak my words of advice: Don't go to Poppa Rollo's with a large group UNLESS you have some sort of special status that will make the waitstaff pay attention to you.] MY FIRST ONE STAR YELP RATING Needless to say, I was felt really really bad. People were there to celebrate my birthday with me. I felt responsible for choosing to go to Poppa Rollo's and responsible for making them wait. It was supposed to be a fun and relaxed evening. That's why I chose this place. It was none of those things. I knew that Poppa Rollo's is a Waco staple, that it has quirky decor and secret doors that look like walls. But a quick cost benefit analysis says that poor service and mediocre food far outweigh the quirky cool factor. Our experience was stressful and tense. It was a test of everyone's patience. None of my friends said anything rude to the waiters, though they were all pissed when we left (even the ones who had gotten their food). They were all biting their tongues on my behalf, which I'm grateful for. Just because you get really bad service doesn't entitle you to treat waiters badly. They're still people and they still deserve to be treated with respect. The best response to getting bad service is just make the decision never to return to that establishment. I think that's a decision that we all made. That's why Poppa Rollo's get one star. read more

I stand firmly by my previous review.We got our pizza to go this time in an effort to avoid the wait and general shenanigans with the service. Still an odd hassle to get the pizza to go... Order was lost for a bit, then found, then cancelled by some random lady (?), then it was already paid for, then it wasn't.... I left money on the counter with the gentleman that was trying to figure out the system and wished him the best. Such delicious pizza! Why, oh why, can they not work out the logistics? read more

My group bought about 15 pizzas after a function . We had about 30 people including kids November 15 , the group with the 7 DPS officers. Thank you for taking care of all of us . The wait staff were great and each of the pizzas was hot, fresh, and delicious . The beer was cold, including the pitchers . I'be been a customer since this place was around the corner from Baylor on 4 th street, it was good then, it still is. Keep it up guys. read more

Well, got a large half cheese and half pepperoni. It wasn't bad, wasn't great either. Best pizza I've had so far in Waco, but that's not saying too much. Marcos and even BJs we're not better than here. I'm not sure if I would return but I would over the choices listed above. The cheese was salty, the sauce was generic, not too impressed. Ugh, someone find me a good pizza here in central Texas! read more

We went to the new Hewitt location today for lunch & must say that it was pretty good. Our waiter was very attentive & quick. My husband ordered a calzone (Italian sausage, pepperoni, cheese & sauce) & I ordered a personal pizza. I should've said light sauce so that's my fault but the sauce is very bland. Was it the best pizza ever no but it was good for the price. The wait time for our food was long which was odd seeing how there was just one other couple in the place. read more

Poppa Rollo's Pizza - Pepperoni & Italian sausage calzone with garlic bread. - Pizza Near Me - Waco, Texas

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I really want to like this place. Really, I do. Secret door and all. However, the pizza is so-so and the service leaves something to be desired. I like the dive atmosphere, and it's somewhere a true Wacoan should try at least once. But once may be enough. Have Domino's delivered instead. read more

Maybe the best pizza in the world. When I started my Waco reunion tour this weekend I made a list of everywhere I wanted to hit. Poppa Rollo's was second on my list behind George's. I had feared that my memories would be tainted and that the pizza would not be as good as it was in my mind. I was incorrect in those fears. This is the best pizza in Waco 10 fold and the building is an iconic spot that is fun to show off to out of towners. In a city with very little local food, this place is an absolute gem. read more

Fantastic pizza! These guys have been around since 1969 and their pizza is the reason. Not only do they offer whole wheat crust, but they offer the most toppings of any place I have ever seen. I dare you to try and find the sauce under their layers of pepperoni. Come hungry, but also come ready to wait a little bit. Give yourself about 45 minutes for the food, because good things come to those who wait. Often voted best pizza in Waco. read more

This review is for the new Hewitt Drive location. Pros: Locally-owned, fun decor, and my kids and I love the hamburger pizza. My sons say it is their favorite pizza in town and I think it's pretty great too. Con (a BIG one): One of the things that caused us to choose Poppa Rollos is that they serve a gluten-free crust and have taken the time to give detailed information on their menu about which toppings contain trace amounts of gluten. My husband is very gluten intolerant and so this was a big draw for us. The first time we went to Poppa Rollos my husband ordered a gluten-free cheese pizza. When the pizza arrived he confirmed that it was, in fact, gluten-free and the server assured him it was. As he was eating the pizza he raved about how good the crust was -- better than any he had ever had, just like a regular crust. We left the restaurant with him saying that he was thrilled to finally find a pizza joint with a really good gluten-free pizza. Later that day he got really sick and spent the better part of the next three days in the bathroom. Anyone with a true gluten intolerance knows what this is like -- really, really miserable. We weren't sure what the cause was and concluded that he must have a virus because he was so ill and we couldn't imagine where he might have gotten gluten contaminated. Fast forward a week and we were back at Poppa Rollos for more pizza. My husband ordered the same thing -- cheese pizza with a gluten-free crust. When it came out, the crust looked and tasted completely different from the one he had at our first visit and was much more like the mediocre gluten-free crust we have been served at other restaurants. We called the manager over and it turns out that the crust he was served at our first visit was NOT gluten-free. No wonder he was so sick! We explained the situation to the manager and he offered us half off on my husband's pizza that day and was kind of casual about the whole thing. To me this was not nearly adequate compensation -- our whole meal should have been comped with *profuse* apologies. I understand that it takes time to train kitchen and waitstaff in a new restaurant and sometimes it takes a while to get all the kinks worked out. But serving gluten-intolerant guests regular pizza crust is no small thing. Bottom line -- at least at the Hewitt location, be sure to DOUBLE and TRIPLE check your order if you are gluten intolerant. read more

Hard to go wrong with THE Waco pizza place. Lamec deserves a raise! There was some glitch in the matrix at the hostess stand, so we wandered back to the bar. From the instant we entered Lamec took exceptional care of us with fast attentive service focused on details. read more

This is another iconic, townie Waco spot. I have been eating Rollo's since I was a little kid and I will always have time to drop in for a slice and a pint. I love the whole layout of the place and the atmosphere. It may be dark and weird to some, but to me it gives the vibe that I'm about to eat some of the best pizza of my life. read more

This is the worst pizza I have ever had in my life. I had to throw the pizza away after just eating one slice. The place is a bit run down, and it has a very unique decor. It kind of wants to be a dave and buster, but not close at all. Sorry Waco, you're just not cutting it for me when it comes to pizza. read more

Well I read reviews before coming because I am in town visiting and it was a forgone conclusion that we were coming to eat here anyway. Drawback: The parking situation is effed up. If they would get rid of that p.o.s. fire truck out front there would be more spaces available. I even told the old man (presumably Pappa Rollo himself). The food was pretty good. The service was OUTSTANDING. Isaac was the best but probably because I kept making Yelp references. Either way, I enjoyed my experience. Check it out! read more

I have been going to PR since 1977 and even though I don't live here anymore, when we visit family PR is our first thought when it comes to food. Still great food. read more

To the person who complained about canned mushrooms.... yes, CANNED mushrooms. Anyone with any culinary experience or even common sense would understand that in order to survive an oven hot enough to correctly cook a pizza, fresh mushrooms would shrivel up and turn into hard crusty pellets of nastiness. It's the moisture that comes from the process of canning that allows mushrooms to still taste like a, mushroom (imagine that), on a pizza. I love this place. This was a college hangout, a college job for a few months, and a place full of memories. Follow the yellow brick road and push on the phone booth to find the bar and large screen tv. Order the foccacia bread with cheese and a pitcher of Big Red and you have a feast fit for a broke college kid's budget. Order the Works pizza if you like pizza with pizazz. read more

The loft is amazing. This place is KID FRIENDLY, a thorn in the Waco Area. The food is average, nothing to die for, but it is clean and comfortable all around. read more

I am new to the area, and this place came highly recommended by all of my coworkers. The ambiance is unique at best, resembling a labyrinth from the bar to the kids area. "cough, phone booth is a door, cough". Pizzas great, waitstaff was fun, and the old school cartoons kept me out of conversation for the entire meal. Cool cool place. read more

Poppa Rollo's Pizza - Custom Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Waco, Texas

Their gourmet vegetable pizza is very good, beers are served in mini pitchers/mugs, and walking through the restaurant have secret doors/passage ways (totally ingenious) read more

Poppa Rollo's Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Waco, Texas

Nasty pizza. Think of the worst frozen pizza you've ever had. Their pizza has this crust. Just nasty and bitter yeast freezer burnt tasting. They put alot of so so grade toppings on to try and make up for it. 2 pieces was all I could stomach. Got a Dr Pepper and it was warm and flat... I can't beleive I had to wait to get in a place this crappy. read more

We are relatively new to Waco and have been trying to find and taste food at new places routinely and have already found a few favorite places for different cuisines. We had read that this pizza was the best in Waco and decided to give it a try. The establishment was clean, we were seated quickly and our waitress was wonderful and our pizza was done and came to our table quickly. That being said, the pizza was okay but it was not great. The large amount of scattered, uniformly shaped hamburger rolling loosely on that pizza was not appealing and it had no flavor. I think, had I known that the hamburger on their pies was going to be like that, I am sure I would have omitted that topping and it would have been much better tasting and visually more appealing. I am going to try this place again and make sure hamburger is not on my next pie. Please do not let the 3 stars keep you from trying this place. It was a nice experience. read more

This pizza was pretty bad. We ordered the gluten free one, which didn't help I'm sure...but in general the ingredients seemed low quality and the taste was barely bearable. Staff was very friendly though, so that's a plus. read more

One of my all time favorite pizza places ever! It's not a super fancy place but it has an awesome old school atmosphere with the way it looks plus the tv oldies(Three Stooges, Little Rascals) playing on their big tv in their main room. I also love their secret passage ways to the restrooms(that have Far Side comics framed on the walls) and the bar. The pizza is awesome as well. They usually load it with whatever toppings you choose and the sauce is pretty unique but great. Their bean nachos are great too despite being a bit pricey. I make it a point to go to this place whenever passing by the Waco area and highly recommend it for great pizza and a memorable experience! read more

This place was the place to go for pizza in Waco when I was in college in the early 80's. I don't expect much has changed since then. Classic local Waco atmosphere. Far better than average selection on menu. read more