We taste-tested South Africa’s top pizza chains – and the winner was clear
South Africans love pizza. While many opt for burgers or fried chicken to get their fast-food kick, with over 1,200 takeaway chains and franchises across the country, pizza outlets remain one of the top choices for consumers, no matter which way you slice it.
Putting our daily recommended caloric intake at risk, BusinessTech decided to delve into the world of takeaway pizza and put seven popular brands to the test to determine which one reigns supreme.
The brands were:
- Debonairs
- Roman’s Pizza
- Pizza Perfect
- Panarottis
- Pizza Hut
- Pizza Baby!
- Doppio Zero
Combined, these chains have over 1,240 stores across the country, with Debonairs accounting for more than half of those.
Roman’s Pizza has grown significantly in the country boasting over 250 stores, while Pizza Perfect, part of the Eclectic Brands group has well over 100 stores.
Smaller brands like Pizza Baby! are still mainly located in the greater Johannesburg area (and where we are), while Doppio Zero—not strictly a pizza place—also continues to expand.
While ordering pizzas there were a significant number of single-shop restaurants listed as options. To keep the test contained (and to spare our waistlines), we limited the test to franchises that delivered—no driving around to pick something up.
The test
Testing pizza is tricky—it’s not as simple as suffering through a sugar rush when trying out chocolate or different colas.
Menus across all the brands we looked at varied greatly, and even classics like Regina, Mexicana and Pepperoni carried their own twists and variants.
When deciding which type of pizza to taste-test, it boiled down to three options: the standard Margherita, something meaty with Pepperoni, or mixing it up a bit with the Hawaiian.
After the dust settled from an office brawl, the tasting team incorrectly decided that pineapple did not belong on pizza and nixed the Hawaiian. Out of respect for the vegetarians (who did not end up taking part in the test anyway), the Pepperoni was also tossed.
That left us with the standard Margherita as our go-to.
To be as fair as possible in the testing, we wanted to keep all orders the same, and the Margherita was the safest and most standard pizza available across all brands. We also opted for a standard thin base—nothing wholewheat, cauliflower, or gluten-free.
All the pizzas were ordered and delivered as takeaways, so they were all at the same level of ‘delivery cold’ by the time our testers put them in their mouths.
As with previous tests, the tasting was done blind to curb any personal biases. Our tasters had no idea which brand they were eating and scored each numbered pizza on a scale of one to ten.
Disclaimer: Taste is subjective, and as the scores show, opinions on pizza can differ greatly. All pizzas were procured from local chains. The rankings are not exhaustive or comprehensive, as there are many pizza places around the country, each giving its own unique spin on the classics. This list is just a bit of fun; please don’t email us complaining that your favourite brand was ranked low.
The results
The old saying that even bad pizza is still pretty good certainly rang true in the results: none of the pizzas scored lower than a 5, meaning that, even at worst, the pizzas tested were above average.
However, the winner was clear: Roman’s Pizza took the top prize with a score of 7.4 out of 10. This was followed closely behind by Pizza Hut, which scored 6.8.
| Rank | Pizza brand | Score /10 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roman’s Pizza | 7.4 |
| 2 | Pizza Hut | 6.8 |
| 3 | Debonairs | 6.0 |
| 4 | Panarottis | 5.8 |
| 5 | Pizza Baby! | 5.6 |
| 6 | Pizza Perfect | 5.4 |
| 7 | Doppio Zero | 5.3 |
What is particularly remarkable about the results is that the bottom four pizza chains are all made in wood-fire ovens—something which pizza puritans will be quick to remind you makes a superior slice.
However, it is likely that this is something that would make more of a difference when eating pizza straight from the oven, not after having it sit in a box for 45-60 minutes before, during and after delivery.
When quizzed on their top choice, our tasters homed in on one thing in particular: taste.
A Margherita is a pizza in its simplest form: a base, a sauce and cheese. When judging a few basics, the small things stand out.
In the case of our number one—Roman’s Pizza—the herbs and flavour packed into its sauce stood out among the rest.
For number two—Pizza Hut—the spongey base had a great flavour and chew, which stood out and proved popular against the flatter and often crunchier bases of the other slices on offer.
Conversely, the flavour and texture profiles of the lowest-rated pizzas were more muted and bland—and the smokey flavour from being wood-fired did not save the day.
Read: The most fattening fast-food meals in South Africa in 2024
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