I'm an airline pilot, and I'm stuck here in the Holiday Inn Express at the airport on New Year's Eve. I'm often stuck in little hotels with nothing around during holidays, and I often find myself eating somewhat poorly because of that. Tonight, I decided to somewhat mopily order a pizza, and I looked around Doordash, settling on Smug's in McKinleyville. I ordered a pizza with tomato, pepperoni, black olives and fresh garlic. This is the single best pizza that I've ever had in my life. I've had new york pizza in new york, chicago pizza in chicago, and I love a good detroit pie. But I have never in my life had a pizza that it provoked me to do nothing but rave about it for over an hour. The crust had this perfect crispy crunchiness--not like a pan pie, where oil soaks in, or a thin new york pie with a corn-meal bed, but just this light 'snap' when I bit through it. The cheese was perfectly sweet and salty, the sauce was amazingly balanced, with the perfect tang, the ingredients were fresh and had so much life . . . I literally almost ate an entire 16" pizza in one sitting. It was so good that I legit called the pizza place to thank them. I don't know if this was a one off or if this place is always that good, but I am honestly blown away. That's it. That's the review. read more

Smug's Pizza - The single best pizza I've ever had in decades of eating pizza. - Pizza Near Me - McKinleyville, California

The last two times I have been into snugs were not great experiences. Tonight I paid $26 for a pizza that was complexly wrong with the staff less than helpful to fix it. Not a great experience, which is sad. read more

I grew up on this pizza and claim it to be the best I've ever had. I live out of town and was so excited to pick up a pie today and I am completely disappointed. I'm not sure if McKinleyville just messed this up with new staff or if smugs has changed how they do things. But this pizza sucked so bad I just got more pissed with every bite. The cheese was sparingly sprinkled over the top of the toppings and we found a piece of foil paper as a topping as well. The crust was about as thick as a saltine cracker. I hope the owners read these posts. Bring back our delicious Smugs!! read more

Smug's Pizza - A huge let down - Pizza Near Me - McKinleyville, California

Cool local by the slice pizza joint. Small walk up counter service with a rotisserie display with various combinations of toppings slowly spinning around in front of you. Always changing selection with fresh hot options coming out regularly through out the day. There's a cold drink box with pretty decent selection of soft drinks, no alcohol. A small waiting area to take it and go, this place is not really designed for you to sit and dine. The staff on our last visit were both friendly and kind, we talked about 3-4 minutes waiting for fresh pizza, as soon as it came out quickly helped us with our fresh outta the oven bacon grilled chicken slices wrapped and plated - two to go. Reasonable to cheap by most standards, two slices (a quarter of a large pie) out the door $5 bucks and some change. The crust was golden brown, crisp outside and light soft chewy inside - it was really very good, the toppings ratio to sauce and cheeses across the pizza was solid and plentiful and a winner of a combination. Decent food at a fair price, friendly staff and good service, and yeah you may have to wait a few minutes if you want fresh outta the oven... 3.5 Stars - rounded up for the cool staff 00542 read more

Smug's Pizza - Canadian bacon and mushrooms - Pizza Near Me - McKinleyville, California

I lived in New York City for 4 years before moving here and I have to say this is the best pizza I have had. Easily beats New York pizza. And you can buy by the slice which I like. read more

Smug's Pizza - Pizza by the slice! $5 - Pizza Near Me - McKinleyville, California

My first time using this store , I had no reason really,just felt Arcata was my closest .The pizza I got was just as excellent as any other pizza I've gotten at Smugs ! I'm a believer in the quality and tastes of Smugs Pizzas ,and now I've added a new store to my list ! read more

We ordered two large pizzas, pepperoni and meat combo. Both were delicious, the boys rate the pepperoni pizza 7/10. They may not have fallen in love at first site but my husband and I loved the meat combo, was so good!!! read more

I used to get pizza here when I was in high school, and it's still as good as it ever was. The employees are nice, and the prices are reasonable, especially considering the other pizza places in the area. (After doing a quick check, it's like $40 dollars for a two topping 16" pizza at Round Table, and it's only $27.50 for something similar at Smug's at the moment.) The shop itself is a little rough around the edges, but it has big hole in the wall and small local business vibes. I think it's part of it's charm, though. read more

Excellent pizza from the crust to the toppings. Everything tasted super fresh, and this was our experience the first three times we've ordered. They are now our go to pizza place! read more

I guess now that they are the only pizza joint in town $22 is an acceptable charge per pizza. The pizza is pretty good but the Eureka location is better. They do have a good lunch deal of a slice, doda and chips or cookie for 3.50 or 2 slices with the same sides for 5.50! I like the doughy crust and sauce is awesome! read more

Smug's Pizza - Hawaiian and a ham, bacon, pepperoni! Yum but 41.55$ - Pizza Near Me - McKinleyville, California

These guys keep everything clean! I see them wiping down everything even the door jams . the pizza is great and fresh I would recommend them my go to pizza in Mckinleyville read more

Smug's in McKinleyville is small. You can eat-in at a counter, but most pick up pies or by the slice. They can make you a pizza in a lightening fast five minutes. The crust and ingredients are wonderful - very tasty. The staff, especially Molly, is terrific. A great McKinleyville treasure. Avoid the long line during the Mac High lunch rush. This place is a student favorite. They also bake delicious cookies and carry a full selection of soft drinks. read more

Smug's Pizza - a pepperoni pizza - Pizza Near Me - McKinleyville, California

Never have I ever had a better pizza and such a wonderful staff. Thank you for always being awesome and making the best pizza on the north coast . read more

My Fam & I, tried out Smug's pizza for the 1st time yesterday. 16" half Carnivore, half Omnivore pie. We all agree that it was delicious! It was a thick pizza pie full of fresh ingredients & LVE!! Crust was great too. The only downside was that on their online menu, price read $21, & when I picked up, it was $29. I still left a tip, cause the ladies on staff were sweet & friendly. Got home, and we really enjoyed our dinner. Totally worth $29! Please just update your menu pricing. As a retail business owner, I know this will help your business, and it's crucial to have an updated menu. Especially the price$. We support you! & thanks for the great eats! read more

Always reasonably priced, large pieces, consistent, delicious, and in my opinion the perfect pizza. My fiance and I come here regularly. You won't be disappointed. read more

I have loved Smug's for a long time, and it's been a quite a few years since I have dined there. We were visiting in McKinleyville and soooo stoked to find Smug's there now. And the pizza just as delicious and unique as ever Parking was easy and fast service. read more

Was just not impressed by the pizza here. We spent $42 on 2 pizzas. Decent toppings on one, not much on the other. The crust was doughy and could've been cooked a bit longer. Obviously canned toppings. For $22 per pizza the toppings should be fresh. Seriously. Not going back. read more

Got a couple of slices to go and the staff was great! I truly appreciate having a place locally that serves pizza by the slice.

Always delicious! They create experimental pizzas sometimes that occasionally come out to be masterpieces. My favorite pizza joint around. They blow Round Table out of the water 100%. I'll always come back to Smug's. read more

I like the pizza here and I like the grab a slice and go concept .. but of course it never hurts to wait it out for an even fresher slice read more

Smug's Pizza - Olive, artichoke, and pesto and tomato with green onion - Pizza Near Me - McKinleyville, California

The cookies are awesome! The pizza by the slice is very good - a little greasy which I don't mind, but too much garlic on the crust. Overall a tasty slice - not too thin, not too thick. Not intended for dine-in - just a few stools around a counter. read more

I was pretty disappointed with our pizza. We ordered a pepperoni pizza and it was so salty I could hardly get through one piece, and the crust was incredibly tough. The garlic they supposedly put on tastes like garlic powder. I would have to say it was one of the worst pizzas I have ever had. I wouldn't recommend going here. read more

I love their pizza, but will no longer risk buying a whole pie because they routinely get my orders wrong. This problem spans years and different employees. Case in point, my most last night was: 1/2 cheese, 1/2 combo 1 whole luau pizza, minus onions I ordered in person and was told to wait 35 minutes. At 35 minutes I was told to wait 10 more minutes. At the 10 minute mark, I was told to wait 15 more minutes. They were late in making my initial pie, and had forgotten to make the second one, hence the 15 minute wait. The place was not especially busy. The only order ahead of mine (in the beginning) was a pizza being made for the countertop pizza warmer, unfortunately not to my group's liking. The warmer was empty, hence my fateful decision to buy whole pies. I waited an hour for two pizzas. Guess what? There were finely chopped onions on the supposed-to-be-onionless luau pie and no onions on the combo pie. This turned the luau pie into a messy eating experience for the people who didn't like onions because the onions were impossible to remove without picking apart every element of the pie and discarding most of the cheese. (The toppings are placed under the cheese, and get embedded in the cheese. I thought they used to use large onion slices, but apparently no more.) I will not buy from Smug's again unless it's by-the-slice from the on-counter pizza warmer. When the warmer is empty, I won't tempt fate again. I'll go somewhere else. read more

Awesome spot to stop for a slice of pizza after the kiddo gets out of school. Quick, easy, and relatively cheap.

This place was a great find! They had the pizza ready when stated, it tasted great and the service was super! There was someone being trained and it was probably her first day, but that didn't hurt anything! The prices were great too!!! We are not from around here and so happy to have found it! The lobby was not great but that's ok we had take out so it's ok! read more

Best pizza in Mckinleyville! This place is great, maybe not the biggest but definitely worth a stop if you enjoy a good slice or order a pie. read more

The pizza is delicious. The staff very friendly and helpful and got my pizza in the quoted time. BBW the prices on "their website" are not accurate. Online, the large whole pizzas are listed as $21.00, but when I picked up was charged $26.00. I paused for a moment thinking possibly tax, and did the math but recognized was still too much. When I asked about the price difference was told that the website is not actually owned by the owner, but by a previous owning partner. Supposedly there was a falling out and the previous owner still owns the website and refuses to give access to current owner and current owner "just doesn't feel like dealing with it". I asked if there was a current official website and was told no, so here we the public assume this is the official site, especially since it still has the same phone number and address listed. The pizza is good, but I would not have knowingly paid $26.00 regardless of how good. read more

My son and I decided to try this place one night for dinner and went in to look at the slices that were already ready. They were tiny, dried up, and almost all had meat or huge raw onions or other obscure ingredients on them. My pretty easy 6 year old took one look at the pizza and said no way am I eating here. I asked the young woman behind the counter whether they planned to make any cheese and she just kind of shrugged. So no kid-friendly pizza and no interest in remedying the situation. Plus the place is pricey. Made me miss Pizza My Heart (Santa Cruz) and Back Road Pizza (Taos). Very disappointing. read more

Use to be reasonably priced and is now over priced for the same mediocre pizza. It is under poor ownership and the manager well she leaves a lot to be desired. Don't need pizza that bad!!! read more

I just went here with a buy 1 get one free coupon and the kid behind the register wouldn't honor the deal. This is the last place an east coaster would want to come for pizza and then these double crusting people want to challenge my coupon.....I walked out the door read more

Bread is good, pizza is not! Topping's under cheese, not my favorite and they pile on way to much sausage for a combination pizza.

Cold pizza is cool for the middle of the night not coming home from a busy day. I ordered ahead and told them I had some plans so wait. Not only didn't they wait, they didn't keep the pizza somewhere warm. That pizza was as cold as if it com from the fridge read more

Meh. Boring bland pizza. The stuffed crust gimmick is just that, a gimmick. Plus it makes for too much crust. Doesnt seem like anything is made in house, generic canned flavors all around. I wouldnt waste my time here. read more

We tried this place out because it is the closest pizza place to us in McK. We like Paul's, Papa Murphy's is fine (but you've obviously got to bake it) and we haven't tried the Round Table. This place is a little cheaper than Paul's but not much. T I think the pizza is solid. The place and pizza is definitely more basic than Paul's (no Italian spices on the pizza, no special's with clever names, very little seating). The major plus for us was that our pie was done in 15 min on a Friday night, compared to the 45 it took Paul's the other day (not to mention the 10 min wait in line to pay). They do slices all day and all night, so that is probably the fastest pizza you can get in town. We'll be hitting them up again when we're too lazy to cook. read more

5 stars because if you beat the highschool crowd to the cookies you find a piece of heaven. And yes, their pizza is definitely better by the slice, under the warmer. read more

I go here a couple times a month. Normally pretty good, but tonight stopped in after a ball game for a few slices on the way home. I made it 8 min. before 9pm and they were all cleaned up and ready to go home. No pizza for me. Didn't even offer me a cookie. read more

I love Smug's by the slice! I've been going (to the one in Arcata and now in McK) since I was a kid. I love the crust and how it's folded over the cheese a bit. Every other slice is cheaper, and you can get a meal deal (a drink and cookies or chips) for a really good price. read more

Great pizza, expect the pizza to be ready 10 minutes after they tell you it will be and up to 30 if it's a holiday or major sporting event. Service varies from abysmal to good. read more

Their pizza tastes like Elio's frozen pizza. It's way overpriced. They run out all the time. And to top it off they take advantage of young employees that don't know all the labor laws. Would never support this establishment again. read more

This place is very small, but DO NOT let that turn away your interest. It has the one of the best set of quality pizzas in Humboldt County. The crust is excellent, the cheese is pure chewy tastiness, and the sauce can satisfy any pizza fanatic. I recommend this place to anyone. read more