When you combine bread, cheese, and meat, there’s no possible way to go wrong, right? That’s what I believed before writing this review. But unfortunately, the new Pepperoni Stuffed Cheesy Bread from Domino’s was disappointing in more ways than one.
I have to admit, I first opened my box to quite the pretty picture — a thick golden loaf featuring rivulets of scorched cheese dripping from every crevice, densely-sprinkled flecks of garlic and Parmesan, and a single ruby-hued piece of pepperoni smack dab in the middle, like a beautiful ribbon hinting at the even more beautiful present within.
If you place your order through the Domino’s website like I did, you’ll notice this side dish and/or entrée is specifically described as “8-Piece Pepperoni Stuffed Cheesy Bread.” But I should note that mine was barely perforated, so ripping apart a single piece was not the cleanest endeavor. Upon tearing off a hunk (which, due to said difficulties, I think technically constituted two pieces), I was greeted by my first hint that this bread might not be all I’d chalked it up to be.
Peering at the cross-section, the innards didn’t look that different from a regular load of bread. There was the slightest clue of mozzarella cheese seeping out from the center and a thin slip of red that signaled the presence of pepperoni, but the fillings certainly weren’t as jam-packed as the word “stuffed” would imply.
Unfolding my slice confirmed that, yes, there was a small amount of fluffy mozzarella and the telltale gleam of orange grease (Domino’s website also mentions cheddar, but it looked and tasted like part of the cheese melted on top), but there were only two limp pieces of pepperoni sitting side-by-side. That ratio was pretty consistent throughout the rest of my meal, and it just doesn’t feel right that it would only contain eight measly single-layered pieces throughout the dang thing.
Unfortunately, this tasted pretty much just how that inside looked: like bland bread that was crispy on top and soft on the inside, with only the occasional faint suggestion of spicy pepperoni or sweet cheese. When the cheese did shine through, it pleasantly reminded me of what’s in the stuffed crust from Papa John’s… and reignited my decades-long desire for Domino’s to introduce their own stuffed crust pizza, but I guess that’s a different story. I also got a strangely earthy aftertaste that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but it wasn’t great.
Honestly, I got some of the garlic Parmesan seasoning on my hand when I was opening this, and it’s sad to say that licking that off was the most flavorful part of this meal by far.
When my dad is disappointed by junk food that he’d been looking forward to, he’ll lament that “It wasn’t worth the calories,” and that’s exactly how I felt here; maybe you won’t hate this, but if you’re planning on eating something bready, cheesy, and meaty anyway, you definitely can—and should!—do a lot better.
Purchased Price: $9.24
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (per 1 piece) 170 calories, 8 grams of fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 310 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 7 grams of protein.
News I can use! I guess it I want pepperoni from Domino’s I’ll stick to pizza.
Oh I’ll agree to disagree on this one. I thought this was one of their best items in a while. Surprisingly soft. so easy to eat, and there was so much more flavor in mine than a slice of their hand tossed pepperoni pizza. Shame you got a bad one because I’d definitely buy it again.
i agree with Daveboy..we get this all the time and have always loved every bite..and it was not selfishly filled either..
All that char turned me off immediately! But it sounds like one’s experience may vary depending on the location (and maybe even the particular person responsible for cooking each batch). Too bad for potential customers that they will have no idea whether they will get a good one if they order one.
They sure “stuffed” the price
I can’t wait to try it; you can get a bad batch of anything, anytime so imma chalk this review up to a bad batch and give it a whirl.
There is supposed to be 14 pepperonis in each bread b
I tried this the other week, and while it was disappointing I wouldn’t say it was bad. I enjoy their stuffed cheesy bread already, so for this item it just felt like a needless addition that didn’t really change the taste significantly. I also didn’t like how the pepperoni in the inside leads the pepperoni to basically just be warmed up, like in a sandwich, instead of cooked to a crispy & chewy texture. I think this item would be better with the pepperoni on the top with the cheese, instead of blanketed by the bread inside.
As an aside, if they continue to experiment with new stuffed cheesy bread items I wish Dominos would take a crack at making a dessert variant, replacing the cheese and meats with sweets. The end result could be something akin to monkey bread, I would think, and would be a better desert item than their bland current offerings (lava cakes, twisted bread bites, marbled cookie).
You must have got a bad one. I had one for the 1st time tonight and found it amazingly good. Like someone else said, more flavor in this than a slice of pepperoni pizza.
Glad i looked for reviews first, I won’t waste my time or money. My experience for awhile with most fast food places these days is disappointment, so I’m always hesitant and always look for reviews, I’ll gladly keep my money in my pocket.