The Snack Attack: Papa John's Pepperoni Rolls -- Zesty Idea, But Does It Impress? [TASTE TEST]
If you're anything like me, pizza is at the top of your favorite foods list. Any kind of pizza, any way, I'm down. So when Papa John's recently introduced Pepperoni Rolls, I knew it was my destiny to try them.
Available for a limited time, the new side item features layers of pepperoni and three cheeses – fontina, asiago, and provolone -- rolled in fresh dough and served with a side of ranch sauce. For $5, you get six rolls.
I was really excited to try these. I mean, how yummy does that promo image look? When I opened the box though, I laughed at how tiny they actually were. I was expecting more of a roll, Cinnabon style. Not as big, but still. These things are definitely bite size. Considering you only get six in an order, hopefully you're not planning to share.
Review: Papa John's Pepperoni Rolls
Appearance: They were quite small compared to my expectations. Looking back, maybe it was wishful thinking on my part that these rolls were going to be larger. They were all different sizes and some were rolled better than others, but you could clearly see the pepperoni sticking out of each piece. It might have just been the batch I got, but they were considerably greasy.
Aroma: The rolls smell exactly like a Papa John's pizza, a distinguishing mix of fresh dough and pepperoni.
Taste: The good thing about the rolls is they have a lot of flavor. From the zesty pepperoni to the layers of cheese, there's a good balance that definitely tastes like a homemade pepperoni roll. But some rolls were a little doughy and a couple were overcooked and kind of hard to chew. The cheese was spread evenly throughout but didn't stay warm very long. It definitely taste like a pepperoni roll but leaves you wanting more.
Pros: Lots of pepperoni and cheese flavor that went really well with the ranch dipping sauce.
Cons: Small, greasy and overall not very attractive. Each piece didn't seem very evenly rolled so if you were sharing, someone is going to get slighted.
Rating: 4 out of 10 -- While Papa John's is on to a good idea here, I think they missed the mark.
The Snack Attack is a daily feature on CBSDetroit.com that centers around all things food. Know of a new snack we should attack? Send an email and we'll be sure to add it to the list.
