A pizza menu tells you more about a restaurant than most people realize. The way a restaurant describes its pizzas, the options it offers, and the prices it charges reveal a lot about what the kitchen does well and where it cuts corners.
Look at the crust options first. A restaurant that offers multiple crust styles (hand-tossed, thin, pan, gluten-free) is investing in versatility. A restaurant that offers only one style is specializing. Neither is better, but knowing which camp a place falls into helps set expectations.
Read the specialty pizza names. The names a restaurant gives its specialty pizzas tell you about the kitchen's personality. Names based on local landmarks or inside jokes suggest a restaurant with its own identity. Generic names like "Supreme" or "Deluxe" suggest a kitchen that is playing it safe with toppings.
Check the price of a plain cheese pizza. The price of a basic cheese pizza is the baseline. If it is unusually cheap, the restaurant may be using lower-quality ingredients to keep costs down. If it is expensive, the restaurant is confident in its product and is pricing accordingly. Compare the cheese pizza price to the specialty pizza prices to see how much the markup for toppings is.
Look for seasonal or special pizzas. A restaurant that runs seasonal specials is paying attention to ingredient availability and has a kitchen staff that enjoys experimenting. This is usually a good sign.
Check for online ordering. Restaurants with well-designed online ordering systems tend to be more organized overall. If the only way to order is calling a phone number that goes to voicemail, adjust your expectations accordingly.