Gas stations are abundant in Kokomo. Some are small, independent brick buildings on the corner of X Street and Y Road with the horror movie lighting and sticky doorknobs; others are the chain BigBox Marts with the dangerously deceptive meat logs on the rollers that taste good for five minutes and destroy your insides hours later. We each have a favorite, whether we admit it or not, and there is at least one mini-mart in this town where the pop is better and no one can argue with you on that. However, for as many as I have been in, only one stands out for a reason not related to the health department or city crime rate.
Casey’s General Store–of which our town managed to sucker in two–graces both ends of town. A Midwest icon and roadside attraction for many states west of here, Casey’s operates 1,788 locations across the nation’s heartland. I typically won’t review any location that isn’t locally owned and operated, (hell, Casey’s is the 3rd largest mini-mart company, behind 7/11 and Circle K) but only Casey’s has access to a Midwest delicacy so delicious, that people drive out of their way just to taste it's rumored goodness: Breakfast Pizza.
Now, folks in the Crossroads of America will be a little biased; I know that I am. However, I try to be as objective as possible when telling you about the pizza in this town. So, bear with me as I balance fangirling over this pizza and giving you a true “is it worth it?” review.
I cannot remotely say this is my first time trying and reviewing this pizza. On my drive into work, if I am ever ahead on time, I will stop by Casey’s, fill up my tank, and pick up a slice of Bacon Breakfast Pizza in the 8 or so minutes I managed to squeeze free of my morning routine. I will scarf down the hot, cheesy slice on the 10 minute commute left before I roll into the parking lot, and those mornings usually set the mood for the remainder of my day. Needless to say, I could almost do this review without grabbing another slice for the rest of my days, but where is the fun in that? So, naturally, I picked up 5 slices to REALLY solidify these results: 1 each of Bacon, Sausage (breakfast edition), Gravy, Pepperoni, and Cheese.
Could I have bought a whole pizza? Sure. But for the sake of variety, I just grabbed singles.
After surviving the stunned glances of the clerk, who counted my load and asked with shock in her voice “are those all for you?”, I settled into my driver’s side and began absolutely pigging out. I intended to finish all 5 in my car. Why? Not sure. Life is chaotic? I was in a hurry? I enjoy the cramped compactness of my Chevy Cruze? Take your pick.
Let me start by saying, the hero of Casey’s General Store pizza is, and forever will be, Bacon Breakfast Pizza. Hands down, it is the best pizza served by the mini-mart and it brings back so many memories of grade-school breakfast and the 7AM slices they served in Elementary. It doesn’t pretend to be a fancy pizza. It is absolutely drowning in grease–the good kind–and melts in your mouth. Hunks of egg give the pizza texture and variety while not detracting from the iconic bacon topping. The bacon is the star every time. The cheese and crust bring back waves of nostalgia of all the breakfasts pizzas I’ve consumed over the years, and I will never not enjoy eating this. Cutting myself off from Casey’s Bacon Breakfast Pizza might help me cut a few pounds, but it’ll also suck all the happiness out of my mornings, so I will trim up in other areas.
From there though, the pizza takes a sharp turn south. The other breakfast options are not bad, per say, but they have their flaws. Sausage versus bacon for a breakfast topping is a quick defect for anything not bacon. And while the gravy is an interesting option, it creates a layer of lubricant between the cheesy amalgamation floating on top and the already flimsy crust. If you don’t break apart your bite JUST RIGHT, you end up with a lap full of steaming pizza cheese and gravy and you have to make the shameful ride home with a blistering crotch and the scent of a breakfast platter punching you in the nostrils the entire time. When it comes to breakfast pizza, go bacon and do not look back.
Now, the other pizza is just awful. Casey’s pepperoni and cheese options just cannot live up to the hype, so I won’t say much on them. They taste like pizza, and if you want just a slice on the go, it is fine. I would not recommend getting an entire pie for the non-breakfast options. Some people love them, but I won’t buy another piece in the foreseeable future. The crust is too chewy, the cheese is decorative only, and I am not sure the pepperoni could constitute actual meat. They cannot all be winners, I suppose.
If you follow any of the Midwest Fancy social media pages, I am sure you’ve seen this before. A simple-palated midwesterner gushing over what is objectively probably a less than stellar pizza. Let’s face it: I didn’t go too deep in researching the ingredients Casey’s General Store uses, but I am confident it falls somewhere in the surplus food warehouse category. And for being gas station pizza, the bar can only go so high. What Casey’s manages to do is overcome a logistical problem–symmetry across an entire brand of foods while maintaining cost targets–and deliver a spectacular pie. Missing the mark on one segment of pizzas is forgivable when they still manage to produce something so nostalgic, so crave-worthy, and so unexpected that I would even consider continuing on with my less-than-healthy obsession with morning pizza. I tried to look at Casey’s from the general population of the world and decide if the pizza is worth such accolades, but let’s face it. I am too close to the subject.
Casey’s General Store makes a damn fine pizza; just remember that bacon is best.
Gas stations are abundant in Kokomo. Some are small, independent brick buildings on the corner of X Street and Y Road with the horror movie lighting and sticky doorknobs; others are the chain BigBox Marts with the dangerously deceptive meat logs on the rollers that taste good for five minutes and destroy your insides hours later. We each have a favorite, whether we admit it or not, and there is at least one mini-mart in this town where the pop is better and no one can argue with you on that. However, for as many as I have been in, only one stands out for a reason not related to the health department or city crime rate.
Casey’s General Store–of which our town managed to sucker in two–graces both ends of town. A Midwest icon and roadside attraction for many states west of here, Casey’s operates 1,788 locations across the nation’s heartland. I typically won’t review any location that isn’t locally owned and operated, (hell, Casey’s is the 3rd largest mini-mart company, behind 7/11 and Circle K) but only Casey’s has access to a Midwest delicacy so delicious, that people drive out of their way just to taste it's rumored goodness: Breakfast Pizza.
Now, folks in the Crossroads of America will be a little biased; I know that I am. However, I try to be as objective as possible when telling you about the pizza in this town. So, bear with me as I balance fangirling over this pizza and giving you a true “is it worth it?” review.
I cannot remotely say this is my first time trying and reviewing this pizza. On my drive into work, if I am ever ahead on time, I will stop by Casey’s, fill up my tank, and pick up a slice of Bacon Breakfast Pizza in the 8 or so minutes I managed to squeeze free of my morning routine. I will scarf down the hot, cheesy slice on the 10 minute commute left before I roll into the parking lot, and those mornings usually set the mood for the remainder of my day. Needless to say, I could almost do this review without grabbing another slice for the rest of my days, but where is the fun in that? So, naturally, I picked up 5 slices to REALLY solidify these results: 1 each of Bacon, Sausage (breakfast edition), Gravy, Pepperoni, and Cheese.
Could I have bought a whole pizza? Sure. But for the sake of variety, I just grabbed singles.
After surviving the stunned glances of the clerk, who counted my load and asked with shock in her voice “are those all for you?”, I settled into my driver’s side and began absolutely pigging out. I intended to finish all 5 in my car. Why? Not sure. Life is chaotic? I was in a hurry? I enjoy the cramped compactness of my Chevy Cruze? Take your pick.
Let me start by saying, the hero of Casey’s General Store pizza is, and forever will be, Bacon Breakfast Pizza. Hands down, it is the best pizza served by the mini-mart and it brings back so many memories of grade-school breakfast and the 7AM slices they served in Elementary. It doesn’t pretend to be a fancy pizza. It is absolutely drowning in grease–the good kind–and melts in your mouth. Hunks of egg give the pizza texture and variety while not detracting from the iconic bacon topping. The bacon is the star every time. The cheese and crust bring back waves of nostalgia of all the breakfasts pizzas I’ve consumed over the years, and I will never not enjoy eating this. Cutting myself off from Casey’s Bacon Breakfast Pizza might help me cut a few pounds, but it’ll also suck all the happiness out of my mornings, so I will trim up in other areas.
From there though, the pizza takes a sharp turn south. The other breakfast options are not bad, per say, but they have their flaws. Sausage versus bacon for a breakfast topping is a quick defect for anything not bacon. And while the gravy is an interesting option, it creates a layer of lubricant between the cheesy amalgamation floating on top and the already flimsy crust. If you don’t break apart your bite JUST RIGHT, you end up with a lap full of steaming pizza cheese and gravy and you have to make the shameful ride home with a blistering crotch and the scent of a breakfast platter punching you in the nostrils the entire time. When it comes to breakfast pizza, go bacon and do not look back.
Now, the other pizza is just awful. Casey’s pepperoni and cheese options just cannot live up to the hype, so I won’t say much on them. They taste like pizza, and if you want just a slice on the go, it is fine. I would not recommend getting an entire pie for the non-breakfast options. Some people love them, but I won’t buy another piece in the foreseeable future. The crust is too chewy, the cheese is decorative only, and I am not sure the pepperoni could constitute actual meat. They cannot all be winners, I suppose.
If you follow any of the Midwest Fancy social media pages, I am sure you’ve seen this before. A simple-palated midwesterner gushing over what is objectively probably a less than stellar pizza. Let’s face it: I didn’t go too deep in researching the ingredients Casey’s General Store uses, but I am confident it falls somewhere in the surplus food warehouse category. And for being gas station pizza, the bar can only go so high. What Casey’s manages to do is overcome a logistical problem–symmetry across an entire brand of foods while maintaining cost targets–and deliver a spectacular pie. Missing the mark on one segment of pizzas is forgivable when they still manage to produce something so nostalgic, so crave-worthy, and so unexpected that I would even consider continuing on with my less-than-healthy obsession with morning pizza. I tried to look at Casey’s from the general population of the world and decide if the pizza is worth such accolades, but let’s face it. I am too close to the subject.
Casey’s General Store makes a damn fine pizza; just remember that bacon is best.
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