I consider myself a pizza connoisseur. I’ve had it all. From Papa Dels to Dominos—I know pizza. Blaze Pizza is up there. It’s good. It’s a chain oddly endorsed by Lebron James. I don’t know him, but my husband thought that was worth including.
I was pleasantly surprised when we visited the newer Blaze Pizza. You will need to make the trek to 2506 N. Prospect Ave. where new restaurants are everywhere. Many of them are fast casual. This one was moderately busy. No long lines. Plenty of seats.
This build-your-own pizza concept is simple. Choose an infinite amount of toppings ($8.25), two topping ($7.75), one topping ($6.75) or a simple cheese pizza ($5.45).
Step up to the sneeze guard, and you can pick a crust. Their typical crust is thin. It’s foldable and cut in triangle slices. Although, the slices aren’t huge like New York style—they are smaller. This is because of their personal 11-inch size. The dough is always made from scratch. I opt for their high-rise dough. It’s $2.25 extra. Gluten-free is also available. Using a press, they squash your dough. It looks like it would press tortillas. Then add your sauce. You can try traditional sauces like classic or spicy red, or you cab ne more daring with the garlic pesto sauce.
Now pick your toppings and cheeses. Applewood bacon, crumbled meatballs, grilled chicken, Italian sausage, pepperoni, salami, smoked ham, artichokes, arugula, banana peppers, basil, bell peppers, tomatoes, chopped garlic, jalapeños, mushrooms, olives, pineapple, red onions, red peppers, roasted garlic, sautéed onion, spinach and seasonal veggies. Finally add goat, gorgonzola, mozzarella, parmesan, ricotta and EVEN Vegan cheese! The possibilities are endless.
Before they fire, you can pick some seasonings. Then they add to a red-hot oven. It only takes 180 seconds! Done. Your kids will love watching the flaming pizza oven. Add the finishing touch drizzles like olive oil. When your food is ready, they call your name to pick up.
Feeling overwhelmed by all the choices? Choose from one of their signature pizzas like Veg Out has red sauce dollops with roasted seasonal veggies, mushrooms, red onion, mozzarella and gorgonzola. Meat Eater or White Top. Meat Eater has red sauce with pepperoni, crumbled meatballs, red onion and mozzarella. White Top has white cream sauce with applewood bacon, arugula, chopped garlic, oregano and mozzarella.
The crust is super flaky and light, but it’s pliable. Not crunchy and crumbly. My thicker version is just more layers of flake, and I top with traditional red sauce and mozzarella. I’m boring. My kids split the thinner version of what I get. (There’s no menu for kids.) My husband is a little more adventurous, and he is more likely to get heartburn. He gets a combination of the spicy red sauce with pepperoni, bacon, banana peppers, pineapple, mozzarella and gorgonzola.
Take a seat inside the cute rustic dining area, or you can sit in the patio area. For dessert, they offer s’more pies, sea salt cookies and olive oil brownies (all $2). They also have salads like arugula & fresh fruit or tomatoes & mozzarella in small or large sizes ($4.95/$7.75).
Some locations do have booze—this one does not. Sorry folks. Their agua fresca is darn good, however. If you’re an ice person, this place has good ice. It’s not pebble ice exactly, but it’s pebble ice cylinders. Great crunchability!
Skip the line with app or online. If you happen to bring home leftovers, crisp up on a cookie sheet.
Try this place out! Great addition to our community’s family-friendly eateries. Visit Sunday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., and you can visit Friday and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Love Pizza? See our Champaign-Urbana Area Pizza Trail.
Emily Harrington is a Chambana townie. She left her 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. job in communications so that she could be a 24/7 mom to two busy boys. Still interested in writing, Emily uses some of naptime to practice her passion and keep her mind right. Emily is a happy wife with a happy life because she fell for a fellow townie. Emily usually finds herself engulfed in balls, blue and belly laughs.