Iama Critic Rating - Cici's Pizza 210 - 2 Stars
583 Haywood Road, Greenville, SC
Overall:
Chef Iama Critic is a comparative critic who rates food and restaurants in comparison to their competition. Now you would think that at $5.55 the buffet at Cici's Pizza wouldn't have much competition and, on account of its incomparably low price, would earn high ratings. But you would be wrong on multiple counts. First there are other fine, low cost buffets in Greenville. And second, cost isn't the only factor. Quality and flavor matter, that is unless you are only there so your kids can play games or your taste buds don't work.
Because when it comes to quality and flavor Cici's falls flat and way off the mark. Scrape the toppings off their average slice of pizza and you find but a smidgen of anything that isn't crust. And in the time we were there we never saw more than a couple of specialty pizzas with more than a few ingredients.
The Service - 0 Stars (0%)
Service is nonexistent at Cici's. Hopefully somebody rags the tables off before you sit down. But after that you are on your own.
We typically provide 20% or more for 5 star service on the pre-tax portion of the bill, 18% for 4, 15% for 3, 12% for 2 and 0% for 1 star service.
The Buffet:
Salad Bar - 2 Stars
The salad bar is meager and small. Not every item was fresh, you had to fluff through it to select the best stuff. It certainly doesn't compare to the bar at Pizza Inn, but if you take your time and pick through what they offer you can find enough to make a decent salad. To make one plate of salad took me five minutes and about four trips to the back of the line so I did not offend other customers by taking too long to make a decent salad. That is just too much work, but my photos were certainly pretty.
Pizza - 3 Stars
As I already stated the pizza toppings are meager, thin and sparse. An occasional pizza will be served than exceeds the minimum, but none will match what you see on any decent frozen pizza. However the desert pizzas were a bright spot and they are the only reason for the three star rating. I should have stuck with the awesome brownies all night. I would have died of a diabetic coma but at least I would have died happy.
Chicken Wings - 2 Stars
Small, overcooked and dry. But the buffalo sauce was decent. We didn't actually order these wings. A customer at another table gave them to us after learning we were there to review Cici's. She said she couldn't finish them. No, actually she said she didn't "want" to finish them, and wanted us to rate them. It is never a good sign when strangers start giving you their food they don't want to finish.
Soup - 1 Star
Well it looked innocent enough. A simple chicken soup with spiral pasta. But this stuff was lethal..... to the nose. It had the rancid smell of dirty dish-water. So bad it was that none of my fellow critics would even try it. I had a customer at another table take a whiff, but she didn't have a critic's olfactory senses. No matter the flavor danger I took a taste of the disgusting liquid. It was utterly abysmal. We seriously suggest avoiding the soup.
Total Bill:
$24.46 for three people including tax and three soda fountain drink.
Final Thoughts:
Cici's is simply too cheap to be good. But I suppose they have their loyal customers. But I venture to say it isn't anyone that actually wants good pizza, or people that actually have taste buds. read more