Subway did a good thing in the world of fast-casual dining. It was the first place I ever went where my order was custom made before my very eyes. Better yet, I never felt judged for getting a ton of meat and sauce and no veggies on my subs, and that freedom goes a long way. When Chipotle found its way to Delaware, my mind was blown again by giant burritos made Subway-style. Snap Pizza has repurposed that model yet again, this time for—you guessed it—pizza, salads, and “grain bowls.”
This is not to say their premise is unoriginal or tired. I was excited to see a plethora of 
bases, unexcited as I tend to be about red sauce. However, contradictory as I constantly am, I went right for diablo sauce, which ultimately tastes like a rather spicy red base (it certainly looks like normal sauce). On its own, its flavor was like a symphony of peppers; in the pizza, it did red sauce’s job phenomenally without actually being a normal pizza sauce.
In fact, there are more sauce options than either cheeses or proteins (though together they do outnumber the sauces). I got traditional shredded mozzarella; when experimenting, you’re only supposed to change one variable at a time. Something on this pie had to be familiar. This allowed me to try out Snap’s “old world meatballs,” which are no longer made from veal, as the website says. I also added applewood smoked bacon, because how could I not?
Up next were veggies, with which I have a complicated relationship. No child likes to eat their greens, but I managed to hold onto that later than most. I allowed baby spinach into my cuisine early, and found that the flavors aren’t too offensive and I actually fairly like the texture of it, so I threw some on my pizza (and that was the only green thing I added).
That’s not actually entirely true. The final stop on my pizza assembly tour came after my pie went through the conveyor pizza oven: Finishing Touches. Turns out this step has the longest list of options (with veggies running a close second). They’re oils and seasonings to supplement the flavors already cooked in. I got oregano (also green), truffle oil (which simply adds a richness), and parmesan reggiano (shaved bits of the cheese) to hopefully work against some of the spice coming from all that diablo sauce.
It almost worked. There’s something inherently beautiful about hot food fresh out of the oven, especially when it’s a custom personal pizza. I dipped a finger in some of the excess sauce (you know, the stuff that leaks out the edges of the cheese) to taste the diablo on its own, and immediately stood up to ask for a cream-based dressing to help get me through. There was no blue cheese dressing, and no ranch dressing either, so I put my trust in a side of house made buttermilk green goddess dressing. For those of you out there who’ve never encountered green goddess before (no shame; I only know it from restaurant work), it’s like a creamy vinagrette, with richness and tang. It worked as a supplement to the pizza, tempering the spice without overshadowing all the flavors. Speaking of flavors, it’s one of my favorite things about pizza that so many different ones can be a part of the same dish. The meatballs were warm and soft, with all the spicefulness I’d expect from a traditional recipe. The spinach caught me by surprise; it tasted just like a garden, as though they’d grown it out back. More shocking still, I liked eating something that tasted like a botanical gardens smells.
Snap Custom Pizza and Salads has something for everyone. With gluten-free crust and dairy-free cheese as options (not to mention soy-free options), nobody has an excuse not to try what’s cooking at their seven (soon to be eight) locations throughout southeastern Pennsylvania and Northern Delaware.
Umbrella Terms 