Modest price, big flavor: pizza for the modern age

Photo by Maddy Sanstrum.

I have had a lot of pizza in my life. From the grocery store kind, to Costco, and even a few boxes of Sparky’s Pizza from Sandy.

Mod Pizza, on Eastman near the corner of Burnside in Gresham, however, threw me for a loop. The place is similar to a Subway or Chipotle in the fact that you get in line and tell the people behind the counter what you want. You can choose between some of Mod Pizza’s classics such as the Mad Dog, a meat lovers’ pizza topped with pepperoni, ground beef, and mild sausage. If you’re feeling adventurous in your tastes, make your own. Or, you can go for a regular cheese pizza known as Maddy (I promise, there is no relation or bribery!).

There’s no need to break the bank here, either. Regular ‘mod’-sized pizzas are big enough for an individual to feel satisfied after eating. When going here to make the review with some friends*, I spent only a little over ten bucks for my portion of the meal and that included the drink.

Other pizza suggestions I have are to get the ‘squad pizza,’ the unique specialty pizza for each Mod Pizza location. In Gresham, the Tyler is your average Hawaiian pizza with a twist of pepperoni and barbecue sauce added on. It’s a huge Hawaiian barbecue that literally goes on in your mouth as you eat it.

For those who like the heat or can handle the spice, bite into the Calexico, a pizza topped with grilled chicken, jalapenos, gorgonzola, and a hot buffalo sauce finish. I personally got a fair amount of heat off it, but was still able to get on to some of the other ingredients as well. As described by one of my buddies, it’s a good mix of California and Mexico that makes this pizza taste like a buffalo wing on flat bread.

To the new Mod Pizza, on a rating of pizza slices, I say this joint gets 4 out of 5. The food is great and the prices are good for the poor college student in search of a good pizza. Yeah, the lines might be long when you get there and it might be tough to find a seat, but trust me: This place is worth the wait.

*Big thanks to my friends who let me eat their food. Without you, this review would have been less detailed.

Advocate Staff