Pizza is the stereotypical staple of a college student’s diet. Why this is true is uncertain, but it is certainly convenient that near most colleges there are at least a few big name and mom-n-pop pizza parlors that deliver to the campus. Safe to say, the same is true for Northeastern Illinois University’s (NEIU) main campus, despite it being a commuter school. There are so many pizza parlors to choose from that it all comes down to three things when selecting a place to order from: Location – how far from campus is it and is it worth paying extra for de- livery if the store is within walking distance; What is the price of the pizza in relation to the quality – are you getting your money’s worth; and finally, variety – because more topping options are always better.
Several different pizza parlors were considered, and a local shop on Bryn Mawr was found to be most satisfactory in each category. Sergio’s Taqueria and Pizza at 3253 W. Bryn Mawr, is the closest to the NEIU main campus at less than one mile away (0.4), compared to Pizza Hut (1 mile), Domino’s (1.1 miles), Sarpino’s (1.2 miles) and Little Cae- sar’s Pizza (1.9 miles).
Open all week long from early morning till late at night (the aver- age time being 10 a.m. till 11 p.m.), Sergio’s is ideal for the college student’s erratic schedule. Sergio’s al- lows for both carry-out orders as well as dine in, and for those who wish not to leave the relative com- fort of campus, delivery. A medium 14” thin crust cheese pizza is only $9.99 (before tax), which is a fair price for what is considered a large at most other big name pizza vendors. If dining in, pizza can be purchased by the slice and the slice given is larger than average, making it well worth the money.
When it comes to variety in a menu, no other pizza parlor can touch Sergio’s. Not only is the menu diverse in the types of pizza and toppings, but the food selection in general crosses borders and an entire ocean give you not only a taste of the Americanized Italian cuisine but also a heaping helping of some- thing south of the border. Sergio’s also offers a few “special” north of the boarder items, making it well worth the money and time spent to walk over and have a fulfilling meal in a decent-sized gap between classes.