When it comes to junk food nostalgia most of my flashbacks are of the sweet variety. Dunkaroos, Surge, and WWF’s Hulk Hogan cereal always pull me back to the simpler days, but there are a few savory items that I look back on with glowing glee as well. 3D Doritos tend to be at the top of most older millennial’s junk food wishlists, and I personally loved the Taco Doritos that seemed to vanish sometime in the early 2000s.
But recently, very recently, in fact, I was wondering what the hell happened to Pizza Hut’s P’Zone. For a company aligned with Taco Bell and known for making zany limited time items, I couldn’t understand why the company’s financially friendly twist on the calzone disappeared years ago without a proper farewell.
Suffer no more, the giant Hot Pocket of meat and cheese that I fell in love with as a stoned teenager in smoky basements is back, and it got a bit of a facelift.
The most immediate difference is in the appearance of the outer crust. While the 2019 P’Zone has the same shape and general size of the original, it’s covered in a toasted orange Parmesan that immediately evokes an asiago bagel. The original P’Zone was garnished with traditional pizzeria-style parmesan sprinkles and parsley, which sat nicely atop of golden brown dough. The new iteration still looks good, but it’s not the same as the one I fell in love with, and I just have to learn to let go.
The bagel experience doesn’t end with appearance. When I bite in, I wonder if I’m sitting inside of a Noah’s at 8 a.m. or on my couch with remote in hand at 8 p.m. The parmesan’s funky intensity stands out, but almost to a fault as I find it to be a bit distracting. When you pair the distinct sharp cheesiness with the bread’s pretty prominent fluffiness, the 2019 P’Zone does feel a bit more like a bagel than a pizza.
The P’Zone was never as loaded as a true calzone, which tends to be thicker and taller and oftentimes a knife-and-fork situation; whereas Pizza Hut’s take is much more of a finger food with a flatter profile. The toppings inside, although not extremely dense, are good and present enough to bring the pizza pizazz I’m looking for.
Taken as it is the P’Zone is good but a bit underwhelming. However, when dunked into the generously sized cup of marinara sauce, it’s damn good. The pizza sauce brings some poppin’ acidity and moisture that makes the ‘zone taste much more fresh, engaging, and something I want more bites of.
While it isn’t quite as sensational as I remembered as a stoned teenager, I can’t help but be excited about the return of the budget-friendly and filling option at Pizza Hut. In the scope of chain pizza restaurants Pizza Hut isn’t really on my radar unless I’m craving its stuffed crust, but even then Little Caesars does an admirable job at a lower cost.
That being said, the P’Zone being back, as an apparent permanent addition to the menu, ensures I’ll be back at The Hut before the end of the year, and the buzz of its return is sure to lure many other early 2000s nostalgia hunters through its greasy shop doors in no time.
Purchased Price: $5.99
Size: N/A
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/2 P’Zone) 460 calories, 16 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 1170 milligrams of sodium, 60 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 19 grams of protein.
This makes me think back to the awesome strombolis we used to order from the defunct Great Lakes Pizza back in college. Take an ultra thin crust medium pizza, throw about 3x the toppings on it, food it in half and roll the edges, and you’ve got a GLP strom. Yeah, it had more grease than most cars, but it was _tasty_. And surprisingly less than a standard medium pizza with standard toppings from most chains. It’s too bad they went out of business.
Tasteless overpriced disappointing to say the least.
This was the worst thing I have ever eaten. No cheese to speak of and less pepperoni. Don’t waste your money!!
Needs more cheese and pepperoni. Doesn’t taste that great if you have leftovers that you heat up
I disagree
Use to enjoy before
But new isn’t close
Mostly dough
And the sauce was a water with no flavor
Had an orange color to it
If this is the normal sauce I have missed a lot from Pizza Hut
Just another cost cutting measure that brings displeasure
The hut isn’t the only one. Seems it’s the norm for the industry
Lower quality and taste and raise your prices
Your review is almost spot on for how I feel about the old AND the new p’zone. I’m partial to the old one, a little sweeter dough, and less fluffy. But all in all, I’m very glad it’s back, and my first one was delicious. I had a properly filled one unlike the other reviewers here, and I’ve always been a fan of their marinara so I agree with your 7/10. Yum!
Worst thing I ever tried to eat no ordered a supreme pzone and there was literally nothing in it except 1 pepperoni 1 sliver of onion and 1 mushroom no cheese nothing else in it what a rip-off
Love them. Glad they got them back. Lots of cheese. Just what our Pizza Hut needed. Their pizza was getting too greasy. And glad to have something different. Would also like the pepperoni rolls back. Thanks Pizza Hut.
This is NOTHING CLOSE to the Original !!!
The one back in 2008 reminded you of a REAL CALZONE.
This new version is just garbage… with the pepperoni one I tried…. maybe 4 pepperoni slices and a watery bland sauce… and a dried up cheddar cheese topping. Not a speck of cheese inside.
What happened to the pizza dough version?
Fluffy dough…. loaded with pepperoni…pizza sauce … mozz cheese… spices….. and buttery outside crust with italian blend and parsley….. Not to mention, much thicker and heavier.
Kill this P’zone and bring back the ORIGINAL ONE !!!
Not sure what it is, I could only see the Bread/cheese and pepperoni, but it tastes like ..green pepper or some kinda spice. 2 bites and I sent in a complaint to Pizzahut instantly. After that, i cleared my mouth, and tried another bite. nope. Tossed in trash. Tastes horrible.
I wish i would have ate the breadsticks After that, so i wouldnt still have that crappy taste in my mouth.
I too agree that the new P’zone is nothing like the original! I was so excited when I heard it was back on the menu, but the new one is dry, flavorless, and way too much bread with only a small amount of filling. And the sauce is watery and tastes nothing like marinara. I tried the new one twice, at two different Pizza Huts and both were disappointing! This new version is definitely a miss in my book, and I won’t be ordering it again unless they go back to the original version. 🙁
Wish they would get rid of them and get the Pepperoni Rolls back.