I have been coming to Sam's Pizza for years! I live in Cedar Rapids but work in IC. So, if I don't want to wait to get back to CR to order a Sam's pizza there, (Not the same owner - Same delicious pizza though!). I can call ahead from work and pick it up on my way out of town and snack while I am inevitably stuck in bottleneck rush hour traffic! If you do want to take a seat, it is a very chill and laid-back atmosphere. Great place to watch a game and have a beer! My go to is the "Special", but I also love lighter pizza with good - old-fashioned pepperoni-sausage-mushroom on a thin crust! It might take some time because of staff shortages, but what can you do? I am happy to wait if it means that I can dig my teeth into that delicious mound of cheesy goodness! read more

Stopped in last night with a friend. We shared bacon cheese fries. My friend had the sausage calzone and I had the buffalo chicken salad-it was delicious. Service was excellent. Definitely need to come back for a cubs game! read more

See all

Service was great, but the place was basically empty except for a handful of college kids playing pool and drinking. The wife and I are in town to attend an event at the University of Iowa and we just needed a place to grab a quick dinner on the way back to the hotel after a long day of traveling. We sat at the bar, and as mentioned, the bartender was friendly and attentive. We ordered cheddar bacon fries as an appetizer and a small thin crust Lola Pizza - which had spinach, garlic, red onions and pepperoncini peppers. The cheddar bacon fries probably sat in the window because they were delivered with the pizza. Not a huge deal, but they weren't very flavorful. The pizza was better.. crispy crust, good sauce to toppings ratio, but sadly it really didn't stand out enough for me to recommend Sam's. There are just too many better options downtown for better food. read more

See all

Sam's Pizza rarely disappoints. From its thin crust to its (best in the area) deep dish-- there's something for everyone. Don't miss out on Happy Hour. Which is Tuesday - Friday (they're closed Monday) from 3-6pm. Snag a $3 Domestic Pints or get $1.50 off Craft Pints and a whopping 30% off most apps. This is our go-to for a large group, as there is plenty of seating. Generally service is prompt and professional-- though it can be pretty hit or miss. The food always comes out piping hot! Parking can be a pain-- there's limited meter parking behind it. read more

See all

I am not sure why I chose Sam's. Maybe it was one of the pictures they have of their stuffed pan pizza. I've been there twice in the past month and each time I was satisfied. Being from Chicago I know a lot about Pizza and there was darn good!. On my dieting site I did order a salad and it was very large for the price, no wilted lettuce it was all decent. read more

Sam's is about 3 1/2 blocks from my apartment. I called my order in, then drove my power wheelchair over to pick it up. The waitress spotted me approaching their door, and held it open for me as I navigated the doorway. My Pizza was ready when I arrived. The crust was thin and crispy, the toppings were mounded on! (Black olive, onion and mushroom.) Lots of cheese! The top was a nice, barely light brown, perfectly baked. Absolutely delicious! The sauce was well flavored. The toppings were generous and very tasty. The establishment is well appointed. The staff is friendly and helpful. I will buy pizza there again ! read more

The service is terrible. It's actually worse than terrible. It was semi busy. Waited over an hour for 2 pizzas. We finally asked the waitress what was taking so long. She actually walked away to go and check and then came back and said she forgot to put our order in. We decided to leave and she actually brought us a check for our 2 sodas. I complained to the bar waitress about this because our table waitress disappeared. The bar waitress said she was sorry but since we drank our soda we had to pay. I will say I spoke to the manager and he was attentive and said he would comp our drinks. I told him the bar waitress ran my card already - she was in a big hurry to run my card and get rid of us - so forget it. read more

We have been coming here for years before and after Hawkeye games but in the past year this establishment has fallen as a gem of Iowa City. We went on Valentines Day before the basketball game and glad we budgeted nearly 3 hours before tip off. They only had one server working and it took 90 minutes to get our food order and we waited an additional 10 for a salad because they ran out of chicken. How abyssmally can you run an organization. We won't be back again. read more

The pizza a great if you like thin crust. The trivia night is fun. Beer reasonably priced. Try the cheeseburger pizza if you are on the fence. read more

We have eaten a lot of pizza in the Iowa City/Corridor and Sam's is on the top of our list! We usually order thin crust and lots of toppings. Their sauce has a bright flavor and the crust is always perfectly cooked. We usually get pizza to go, but we have eaten in. It's a nice place with a classic parlor style feeling. The staff is friendly and laid back. Sam's pizza is a place to keep on the rotation for a great pizza you can count on! read more

Sam's Pizza - Custom pizza - Pizza Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

Sam's is a very cute hole-in-the-wall pizza joint in IC. A little off the beaten path downtown, which is nice (there is meter parking right behind the building). We got thin crust pizzas, which were really good! The poor server seemed to be the only one working that day, but she was still doing a good job. Would definitely visit again if in the mood for pizza! read more

Definitely top 5 pizza in the area. Calzones are also top notch! Don't sleep on the calzones

This downtown bar is very nicely set up with a decent dining area and long bar. Service was top notch, our waitress was very friendly and stayed on top of us. Food was good, not great. read more

Sam's Pizza - Grilled Chicken Salad 7/10 - Pizza Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

See all

Was there with my 2 kids and wasn't amused by the website said "family friendly" and the bartender (if I remember correctly) Travis was taking shots while working in front of my kids. Also heard him yell at the two servers Gracee and Taylor (if I remember correctly), cussing and just being plane out disrespectful. Food was good but not a good environment because of a the bartender. read more

Service was great. On Thursdays - $8.99 Italian beef w/freshly fried chips was fantastic! Definitely returning! read more

Sam's Pizza - Italian beef. Nice mild peppers and perfectly fried chips! - Pizza Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

Great pizza The best calzones Amazing pastas Great owner and GM, the staff is friendly too! Has a cool old school ambiance that makes you feel like you're at your hip uncles house.. read more

The pizza is amazing! I'm from Chicago and it's hard to get good pizza. I miss home but it's a pretty nice place. It's like very nice vibe in there. Good specials. read more

First time customer at Sam's pizza. Placed order over the phone for delivery. Super quick delivery and the pizza was delicious.

Really good pizza and nice service. I brought my son there since his new apartment was nearby and it was a good dinner.

I would not recommend Sam's Pizza. Not only is the bartender very rude, but this is the kind of pizza you get when you order food. Pool table is nice though! read more

Sam's Pizza - Margherita pizza. Very disappointed. - Pizza Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

Love this place. Been going here since High School. Great pizza and Calzones. Services is great and a fun place to hang out.

I realized I haven't reviewed Sam's even though it's one of my favorites! My friends love this place too, and we always have to visit when someone is in town. The calzones are so good and unique from a lot of places. You also can't miss the cheese balls (curds) with plenty of ranch! read more

Sam's Pizza - Calzone - Pizza Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

It is an absolute scam if you order food here I do not recommend coming here. I ordered the $7 burger and fries deal over the phone and the guy asked what cheese I wanted and what toppings and I said cheddar and some lettuce and ketchup. The total comes out to he way more than $7 and 30 minutes later when they say it will be ready I go there and they say it will be another 15 minutes. When i get the receipt i ask why the burger was $12 and he said everything extra you add is $1. $1 for the cheese, $1 for the lettuce, $1 for the ketchup, $1 for for the onion. That is just crazy and its no longer a deal nor did he say it would be extra just asked what kind i wanted. When i finally got the meal I came to realize I.got a very little amount of fries and no ketchup I paid $1 for. 0 stars if I could. Would never come back here again it becomes more of a hassle than an easy pickup meal. read more

Sam's Pizza - Hamburger - Pizza Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

Food was ice cold, not much flavor Sauce was cold and runny I don't think I'd eat here again read more

Best calzone in Iowa City! Highly recommend this is unbelievable. DP Dough is greasy af!

Without a doubt, the best deep dish around. I moved to IC about 4 years ago from Chicago and struggled to find good deep dish that actually tasted genuine. I tried 3 other places before trying Sam's and it doesn't even compare to the others. It's legit deep dish pizza made correctly. Thick, cheesy as hell, and has a crust that's crunchy yet soft on the inside. Nothing better! read more

I stopped here one day because I was starving. The pizza was great (especially for Iowa City, which seems to universally have bad pizza). But, I didn't write my review on the first visit because I wanted to be sure it wasn't starvation speaking. I went back with hubby a week later and it was still really good pizza. Hubs agreed! (We've been back since.) The small pizza is perfect for two. It is a think crust pizza. The sauce is good and the pizza is not so cheesy that it overwhelms the thin crust. They have beer and pizza specials on certain days making the meal a bargain, so this is now my favorite pizza place in Iowa City. read more

Sam's Pizza - Great pizza! - Pizza Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

Have always loved the Chicago stuffed pizza until last Thursday on my birthday. Bottom was very burnt Reached out to them with very poor results. Disappointing to say the least. read more

Sam's Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

Great Iowa City Staple. Went to the new location when I was home last for xmas. It's big, nice, and new. Looks like a traditional Chicago tavern. Miss the old location where I would go in HS and use my sketchy fake ID --always worked though! Pool tables and TV galore....Always hot, young college aged waitresses serving delish pizza. Make sure to try the thin crust AND the deep dish. Probably the best deep dish in town even though I'm partial to the thin. read more

Earlier this fall did a review on the pizza from Sam's in Iowa City. it was burned beyond eating. management contacted me and offered to refund my payment as long as I would take down the review. That was several weeks ago and still nothing. I have since saw several reviews with burnt pizza; so I guess if you like burnt pizza, order from here!!! read more

The pizza is delicious but make if you want delivery, call an hour early. I used the Slice where the estimated delivery time was 30 mins. When I placed the order, my confirmation email said it would be delivered in 50 minutes. An hour later, I called and they said the pizza was still in the over. It was delivered about an hour and 15 minutes after I ordered. So if you've got time to wait, get the vodka sauce pizza. read more

Good but not great. The pizza isn't bad by any means. The thin crust has a nice cracker crisp taste and feel. They also provides lots of toppings on the pie. However, there just isn't a lot to get excited about flavor wise... I guess it was like vanilla ice cream but not the vanilla bean or even the French vanilla variety, just plain ol' vanilla. There was nothing wrong with it and it'll do the job but don't get overly excited for it either. read more

Went here a bunch during undergrad and was in town recently for a football game. The calzones were always amazing and a great value. This time we were here with 8 folks and the service was fantastic. We had the buffalo chicken pizza and got it with extra buffalo and extra blue, and it was fantastic. Appetizers were pretty good, but pizza is definitely the way to go. read more

Sam's Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Iowa City, Iowa

They say 45 minutes for delivery and over 2 hrs later still no food. You call n they say they're busy but interesting enough I went to just pick it up and there was one customer at the bar. Theyre food is great but service is poor. read more

Sams pizza is the best in town in my opinion. I even love that it is cut in squares instead of wedges. It's it just the right ratio of grease,meat,sauce and cheese. In addition, their wings are awesome and their Ranch dressing is so good that I order extra just to have some around for the next day.i can't tell you about the building, but their delivery service works for me. read more

Sorry, but this place sucks. I am from Chicago and have had plenty of deep dish, so I may be a little overly critical. The deep dish is basically dough. The pizza is really think and looks great, but when you cut in, you realize the pizza is 2/3 dough. The other 1/3 is sauce and cheese, which are fine. However, the 2/3 dough sucks, the bottom is burnt and the middle isn't cooked. Turn down the heat and learn to cook real deep dish. read more

I am pretty picky when it comes to pizza. My usual routine in Chicago consists of deep dish classics like Giordanos, Gino's, Connie's and Lou Malnati's. So when I came across Sam's in Iowa City I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor. Having eaten at pretty much every pizza place in the IC area, Sam's is, hands down, the best you will find. Since I graduated the place moved (or maybe it got hit by the tornado that went through?) Anyway, it used to be in this run down brown building but has since moved to the bottom of an apartment complex that was built. Regardless, the pizza recipe remains the same. Go and enjoy the best pizza in the Iowa City area. read more

+1 for the Spicy Garlic Chicken wings. They are some of the best wings I have ever had. -1 for trying to sell "Chicago-Style Pizza". Trust me on this, you are not even close. Please change the description to something like, "This is our attempt at Chicago-Style Pizza". Then, I won't be as disappointed. You tried, you failed, no big deal. We move on. Service needs to improve. Either there is miscommunication going on between the servers and the kitchen or the servers are just inattentive when taking orders, but the group I went with ordered three things and two of them were made incorrectly. Beer prices are good, which should ALWAYS be the case in a college town. I am sure that you could find better, but I am just as sure that you could end up with something worse. read more

Burnt pizza, 1 hour wait, waitress refusing to wear mask after coughing in drinks. Management allowed this.

The Chicago style pizza here is excellent but I suggest calling and ordering ahead, because it takes longer to make the deep dish pizzas than it does to make the normal pizzas. The thin crusts here are excellent! I suggest the Lola if you like a little spice in your pizza! The wings and pasta are also excellent and consistently good. All pizza toppings are great quality and the pizza is always baked well. The kitchen can get a little backed up on a game day or during weekends but the food is so good that it's always worth the wait. The atmosphere here is very casual and friendly-- definitely a place that families can feel comfortable in. Tables are always cleaned promptly and the kitchen is good about timing an order so that all the food is fresh and comes out around the same time. Very good restaurant. read more