Pizza has always been a staple in College Park. Students, faculty and visitors of the University of Maryland often pick one of the many pizza places for lunch, dinner or a late-night snack. There are more than 12 pizza places within three miles of the University’s campus, making pizza a popular and convenient choice. 

The most popular places, according to students, are Slices, Pizza Kingdom, Ratsies and the newcomer, Blaze Pizza.      

The first -- Blaze Pizza -- opened in Irvine, Calif. in August and was described by Zagat as, “one of 10 innovative restaurants in Los Angeles.” Blaze then opened in College Park in October. The first of its kind in the area, Blaze offers, “custom-built artisanal pizzas,” where costumers can select a variety of fresh ingredients. It also offers a menu of signature pizzas to choose from. 

According to students, Blaze is the most popular, especially for dinner. Students enjoy it because of the quality and variety; it even offers vegan and gluten-free options. The make-your-own “interactive assembly line” puts customers in control of their meal. 

“I like Blaze because it’s unique; it’s fast service, but doesn’t compromise on the quality of ingredients,” UMD senior, Anh Le, said. 

Second to Blaze, is Slices. Opened in August 2013, the owners, Alex Guida and Nino Scotto, are from Italy and make authentic Italian pizza.     

“It’s the only Italian [pizza place],” Guida said, which is why he believes it is so popular. Guida also says, and many students agree, that the location close to the bars downtown makes it a convenient stop for late-night eating. Students like the variety, quality and specialty pizzas. Guida says the macaroni and cheese and buffalo chicken pizzas are the most popular.    

“I like Slices because I think that it is the closest to pizza from New York,” said Nikki Fiacco, a junior at UMD. 

Students who like very large slices of pizza, eat at Ratsies or Pizza Kingdom. Ratsies, which has been around for more than 20 years, offers large slices of pizza, calzones and mozzarella sticks. Ratsies also attracts students because it is inexpensive. 

Also offering very large slices, is Pizza Kingdom. According to Pizza Kingdom, its over-sized slices of pizza are its signature, however, they also serve many other foods. Menu choices range from strombolis and pastas and to desserts.  

With so many options to choose from, students flock to these places because of location, quality and prices. However, despite being so new, and competing against the already established and well known places, Blaze has become the most popular.     

According to general manager Jon Miele, sales have been trending up since it opened in October. Miele attributes this to the atmosphere that Blaze creates. He says it is a place for millennials to come, customize their experience and hang out, stating that it is, “not like other typical pizza places.” In order to get the best possible experience, Miele suggests online ordering to avoid long lines during the lunch and dinner rush, and not piling too many toppings on the 11-inch personal pizza.      

With so many pizza places, it is hard to choose which is the best. A lot of students have tried and tested several places until they found their favorite. However, it seems that the new kid on the block, Blaze Pizza, is slowly becoming the new College Park favorite. 

“I like Blaze pizza the best because it is a fresh break from the monotony of the other six pizza places in downtown College Park,” said Connor Stapleton, a senior at UMD.