CiCi’s Pizza

Why am I rating this five stars? Unilocal considers five stars: «Woohoo! As good as it gets!»
This is a great CiCi’s Pizza. I’d say it’s the best CiCi’s pizza I’ve every visited. If you haven’t been to CiCi’s, don’t misinterpret my five star rating. This is not fine dining, this is not the best pizza you’ll ever have. This is a low cost pizza buffet. But it’s a clean establishment with polite and hardworking employees. I frequented one CiCi’s and visited a few others while I was a college student in North Carolina, and that was enough to keep me from taking my family to this one until we were in the shopping center and hungry.
For people who say there’s no variety, you can order your own pizzas as soon as you arrive and get personal pan pizzas you want instead of sticking to what’s available at the buffet. I haven’t seen the Spinach Alfredo or Veggie pizzas at the buffet in any of my recent visits, but no one’s ever blinked at me ordering either when I visit, and that means a fresh, made-​to-​order pizza as part of my inexpensive meal.
It’s a good place for kids, as it’s not expensive, everyone gets what they want, and everyone leaves full.
It’s a Cici’s, so it’s not great food, but it is a great CiCi’s.

What’s expected for a pizza buffet chain? So if you’re expectations are high, bring them down a notch it’s not all that. The variety of pizza very minimal and pasta and salad even less. If you are looking for fast eat in this is the place for you but if you are looking for good pizza definitely not for you.

Ask any group of people what the worst pizza chain in America is, and someone will answer CiCi’s. CiCi’s serves literal garbage. They’ve also never promised you anything more than that.
Think about what they’re selling you: a large pizza for $ 6. For $ 2 apiece, you and two friends can make your stomachs stop grumbling for four hours. You could accomplish the same by purchasing a bag of instant concrete, but it would be more expensive.
The fact the the restaurant has found a way to manufacture a brick of extremely dense chemicals and animal byproducts that resembles pizza, completly fills you up, and produces enough of a profit margin to pay rent on storefronts for such miniscule price is nothing short of remarkable.

The pizza is good and the buffet is endless, but hands down, the best thing about Cici’s is the staff.
This is the kind of place that entire families visit. The price, the buffet, the arcade and the abundance of seating make it a great outing for families, especially those on a budget.
But Fred – your host – and his team, are what make it special. Fred is 72, and a day serving customers is a long hard day. But he still found time to walk around and greet everyone, apologizing (bless him) for how busy they were tonight.
There are staff dedicated to tidying up after you and as they make the rounds, they also stop to chat and make you feel welcomed and comfortable.
Though there are what seems like 7 million children at Cici’s on any given night, they are there with their parents and where there’s that much food to be had, everyone is about the business of enjoying themselves. It is really a pleasure.
I hope you try it. And if you do, tell Fred I said to sit down and rest a bit. At 72, working as hard as he does, he deserves it!

went here today for lunch. very low key place with nice employees. they even made me a special pizza per my request.
$ 6 bucks for all you can eat pizza, pasta, salad and breadsticks and desserts!

Let’s play a drinking game. Every time I use the word ‘bland’ you have to take a drink. Okay?
Okay. I’ll wait while you go get your favorite libation.
Have your drink in hand? Yes? Ok, let’s start.
I tried 5 different slices of pizza, and also the salad and the brownies. I want to talk about the crust first, then I’ll move on to the different slices, salad, and finally the brownies.
The crust. It’s not really crust. It appears to me to be there because they need something to support the toppings. It’s an afterthought. It’s soft, spongy, and bland (drink!). It has no flavor or crispness. It’s chewy, but only in the sense that a bath sponge is chewy.
Buffalo Chicken Pizza. This was utterly disgusting. I hate to be hyperbolic, but this has to be one of the worst slices of pizza I’ve ever had. It had a very odd flavor. It sorta tasted like buffalo sauce, and it was decently spicy, but it had a very unpleasant ‘off’ taste to it. The «chicken» is an absolute joke. Teeny, tiny, minuscule cubes of spongy, bland, (drink!) faux meat. Look at the picture I posted. These pieces of «chicken» are so small, that to see them you need a magnifying glass.
Manager’s Special (Bacon Cheddar). I actually liked this. The «bacon» (I’m putting it in quotes because I have my doubts that it’s real bacon) added a nice saltiness and smokiness to the pizza.
Pepperoni. There’s no point in this pizza. The pepperoni are only there for decoration. There was a generous amount of pepperoni, but it was so bland (drunk yet?) it was virtually tasteless.
Plain Cheese. This was by far the best slice. It had plenty of cheese, which to my great surprise actually tasted good, and there was a good amount of sauce. The sauce while processed tasting, had a pleasant sweetness and saltiness to it. The sauce also had a fair amount of oregano in it, which added a nice herby-​ness to the slice. If you do go to CiCi’s, this is the slice to get. In fact, when a fresh cheese pie comes out of the kitchen, make like a linebacker and tackle anyone in the area, then grab the whole pie for yourself.
Garlic Veggie Flatbread. My wife liked this slice, and it comes in second to the cheese in my opinion. A very thin crust that’s better than the standard crust, and it had a pronounced garlic flavor. Calling it a veggie pizza though is a stretch. Like the chicken, the «veggies» were teeny tiny and bland. (We’re not done yet!)
Salad Bar. Iceberg lettuce, typical veggie selection and the obligatory flavors of industrial goo masquerading as salad dressing. I made a salad with a bunch of veggies and Italian dressing and it was like eating cardboard.
Totally – wait for it – bland.
Brownies. The brownies had a very strange gummy texture to them, and zero chocolate flavor. They were the color of chocolate, but that must be from food coloring. They tasted and smelled like play-​dough. Gross.

Was pleasantly surprised to find this gem tucked away in the shopping mall. The staff was great and helpful and how can you go wrong with an all you can eat buffet of pizza, salad, and dessert for $ 2.99? Even though you had to pay separate for your drink it was unlimited refills at the fountain. Great bang for your buck — go visit and see for yourself!

Haters gonna hate. You get what you pay for, so it’s decent. Not bad if you need a pizza binge on a budget.
That being said, I don’t often find myself wanting to go there for dinner. But many of the one star reviews don’t seem fair.
Just try it yourself, it’s still cheaper than a movie ticket.

Food was BAD. Yuck. The pasta with the sauce was horrible. The pasta did not pick up the taste of the sauce so it tasted really bland. The pizza was a disappointment. I have been to cici in Florida and I was expecting the Mac and cheese pizza to be top tier. However, the blandness was also in the Mac and cheese pizza.
I’m puzzled on how the store only makes one Mac and cheese pizza at a time. Of course it runs out instantly so where are the other ones.
I should have gotten Chipotle instead.

Overall, I’ve had a pretty good experience at Cicis. The other reviews are so awful, I’m almost inclined to rate it higher just for emphasis. It’s an all-​you-​can-​eat meal of pizza and salad for between $ 5 and $ 7 (depending on the time of day, and whether you order a drink). Some of the pizzas they make are quite good. Some of them, I’m not such a huge fan of, but they aren’t bad either.
I’m a vegetarian, and the non-​meat pizzas are usually rare unless you ask for them up front. They have a policy (on a big sign at the buffet) that they’ll make you whatever you ask for… which is unexpected given the price. They’ll usually have your pizza out in 10 minutes or so, so I’ll ask for something I want when we come in, and eat the cheese and dessert pizzas until then.
I don’t get the negative reviews about the atmosphere. Yes, they encourage children; there’s an arcade, and lots of seating room in the back for parties and groups. That means you’re likely to encounter children if you eat here. Is that a really huge deal? I’ve been here 3 or 4 times, and I’ve seen, perhaps, 2 kids in all those trips. It’s a fast food buffet, not a formal dining experience, and the owner isn’t going to turn customers away because they have children. I don’t get it. The atmosphere has always seemed extremely pleasant to me, *given that it’s a fast food buffet*.
The food probably isn’t very healthy (it’s fast food pizza!), but I guess that’s okay sometimes. I probably wouldn’t come here on a date (or any fast food or pizza place, for that matter!), but it’s not bad if I’m in the area and in the mood for a quick pizza.
The owner has always been super friendly, too.

For the price it’s as good as it gets. Owner was very pleasant and made my family feel welcomed. Pizza was fresh but this place reminded me of a school cafeteria. For a family on a budget this is where you want to go.

After eating here, I’m sure it may be the last time I do. As for most buffet style restaurants if expect the usual. But in this case upon my last visit, it left wanting more to be desired. Long wait time was to be expected. But the atmosphere was far from that of what you could consider «standard». Extremely loud with screaming children running all around. The buffet was something that lacked it’s luster from how it’s portrayed on the television. Some of the food was completely empty. When asked they said they ran out. Never heard of such a thing in a buffet. In addition to that, while dinning with my fiancé and her brother and his girlfriend. Came across a stray hair on one of the pizza slices. Found that to be very off putting. For the glitz and glamour of the whole «$ 5 –24 foot long» as it says jabbing at subway, after this visit I would have preferred to visit subway instead. I didn’t bother searching for the bathroom, just based alone of the ambiance of the dinning area and the very limited management. I left with with no intention of returning for a second visit. Hopefully if anyone wishes to try there, may they have better luck then I experienced.

NASTY!
That’s really all I have to say about this place. Better off buying hamburger helper. More nutritious, cheaper, and tastier. Even without the hamburger! Serious!

We almost skipped CiCi’s, due to its (unjustified) low Unilocal average rating. As a Californian visiting NY with my 7-​year-​old pizza loving son, I wanted to find some good NY pizza. It didn’t look like CiCi’s was going to be my kind of place. It’s neither the authentic NY thin slice pizzeria nor a fancy gourmet pizzeria (don’t go looking for asparagus and goat cheese).
What it does have is very tasty cheese pizza. The sauce to cheese ratio was spot on, and the sauce was tangy and delicious. My New Yorker aunt approved of the pizza and my son declared it was his favorite pizzeria (5 stars from him — he ate 3 slices!). Is 7 too young to open his Unilocal account? He’s incensed that anyone would give it anything less than 5 stars.
It was ridiculously inexpensive, the service was fast and friendly, and the restaurant was clean. It’s a great place for families and anyone on a budget.
We only tried the cheese pizza — and the brownies. There was an all-​you-​can-​eat buffet with soup, salad, pizza, and desserts. The mac n cheese pizza looked to be the most unusual (I’ve never seen that before, and didn’t try it). There was also spinach pizza which I would try if I had an opportunity to return.
I spoke with the owner of this location who told me that CiCi’s is one of six nationwide, and that they make everything (dough, etc.) fresh. For less than $ 7 (including tax), I bought a large cheese pizza that fed 3 people, and we had leftovers. And it was really tasty. How could I not be a fan?!

Good Food, Fun Atmosphere. Fabulous value for the money.
Going back with the family soon
.

BEYOND FOUL!!!
if your into food bourne bacteria this is the place for you. The place screams eccoli! There was hardly any pizza and every time they set out a pie fat guys would grab it TRAY and all. There was never a dessert out. Fatso’s musta gotten that too. Then they ran out of salad!!! The evening manager came in and was so overwhelmed she started to cry. This place was dirty with crummy yellow paint and lighting straight out of Guantanamo. I honestly thought the next thing would be a demon hanging upside down on the wall and scrawling ancient syrian in the sheet rock. This place is a nut house!!! Hopefully it gets closed down b4 someone gets really sick

Saw the ad on TV and said to myself OK lets try it. Damm marketing.
Might be worth going just to experience it.
You may have to throw elbows on line to get the last slice of pepperoni.
You will ice grill the person in front of you for molesting the fresh cheese pie that just came out.
Bottom line: Ideal for anyone in the mood for an unlimited portion of terrible food for about 6 bucks.

My client dragged me to Cici’s. Sometimes being courteous can be a bitch.
I don’t really place a bunch of emphasis on value unless it’s accompanied by some level of quality. I wouldn’t call anything at Cici’s quality.
Food– 1 Star.
The salad bar, if you want to call it that, made me want to leave. Not a single dark green veggie, just to make sure this won’t be a healthy experience. One of the bowls appeared to either be floating with smegma or pre-​dressed, I couldn’t tell.
Pizza– Crust was acceptable. Sauce tasted overly processed and was a little too tart or something. Cheese– used sparingly (they gotta make money somehow). Toppings ranged from OK to downright gross. I am willing to bet their meat is mostly soy or other by products based on it’s form (tiny pieces). The only nice thing is it is constantly coming out hot and their are many varieties.
Other– The pasta was overcooked and the sauce was, surprise, pizza sauce. No thanks.
Atmosphere– 1 Star.
It’s a pizza buffet. Extra awesome– kids running around out of control and employee clearing tables with absolutely disgusting table clearing cart looking like he was shoveling up roadkill. Country music and T.V.‘s with no sound so you can avoid any contact with the hambeast at the next table on his or her 22^nd slice.
«Service” — 3 Stars.
Friendly enough employees.
Value– 2 Stars.
It sure is cheap… I guess that’s it’s redeeming value.

Oh Dear Baby Jesus.
Yes, I went to CiCi’s. That happened.
The decision was an understandable one.
It had been declared Fat Day and what better way to celebrate Fat Day than with a 5 dollar pizza buffet?
My cohort and I had never been to CiCi’s and we were curious.
Mac and Cheese pizza? 5 dollars? Arcade games?
All of these things excited me.
We make the journey early Saturday evening and find that there is a line out the door.
We had made it that far, there was no turning back.
After waiting for ten minutes just to pay, we were in line for food.
We were not prepared for the craziness that ensued.
It’s hard to even describe but I’ll try.
It was like a feeding frenzy. Eat or be eaten.
Pushing, Shoving, Grabbing.
You were pushed and shoved if you didn’t move fast enough. If there was a few bread sticks left the person in front of you would snatch all of them and bask in their moment of triumph. I have never experienced such madness.
Besides that frenzied mood there was other issues.
The «salad bar» was gross. I wasn’t surprised. They didn’t have any of the pasta out and they kept running out of the favorite pizzas and the desserts were also MIA not that I wanted any of those.
For 5 dollars, I didn’t go expecting a first class meal. For the most part the food was edible.
If I find myself with an insatiable hunger and 5 dollars in my pocket, I might go back but not at prime time. NEVER again at prime time. More than likely just never again.

I’m reviewing this particular CiCi’s Pizza location in comparison with another CiCi’s Pizza location and not solely in comparison with other pizza places in the Capital District.
CiCi’s Pizza has finally made it to Upstate NY and opened a store at the Wolf Road Shoppers Park in Colonie a couple weeks ago. This pizza buffet is only $ 4.99 plus tax, all day. Unlimited Coca Cola soft drinks/​iced tea are $ 1.69 more. This price is «almost too good to be true,» a great bargain and big eaters can celebrate and pound their guts since this shopping plaza now has 2 all you can eat buffets, the «more pricey» Capital Buffet is just yards away.
It’s pay first at the front door/​takeout also available and then help yourself down the buffet line to salad, pasta, breadsticks, pizza, and dessert, and a separate self serve drink station. The long dining room with bright yellow walls has rows of tables and booths along the right wall and video/​prize games in the back.
I was pretty excited that Cici’s Pizza was now open and I had dinner here very recently on a weeknight and the place was very busy around 8:30PM, probably due to the buzz of being a new restaurant chain to this area.
However, after I paid, this buffet seemed not as big as the Cici’s location I visited in Tampa FL (N Dale Mabry location) a while back, which had a better selection. The salad bar only had 11 items including a classic Italian salad mix, iceberg mix, a few garnishes & dressings. The Tampa location had more salad bar items and even a cold pasta salad. The hot pasta was cavatappi already mixed in with marinara sauce, no alfredo sauce here (may have ran out) and no soup. There were about 9 pizzas to choose from, some pizzas a different combinations with pepperoni so I tried most including the spinach pesto, Mexican, cheddar cheese & beef, pepperoni, pepperoni & sausage, red onion, pepperoni bread, and apple pizza. Some pizzas were thin crust and thick crust. The staff will make specific types of pizza upon customer’s request, just ask.
Anyways, the pizzas were pretty fresh since the turnover was pretty high. However, crust was not good, which was very firm, tasted very bland and dry and overcooked (browned on the bottom) almost like cardboard. On some pizzas, there were not enough toppings & cheese to the edge of the slices and an inch & a half of edge crust. I liked the desserts including the apple pizza, cinnamon rolls, and the brownies with powdered sugar which were very sweet.
The place was like a zoo, especially late evening, but there was plenty of staff on hand to handle keeping the buffet stocked and cleaning tables. I will return to Cici’s in the future and give this place some time to get in its rhythm and hopefully improve quality. For now, this place gets 2.4 stars, comparing the food here to the Tampa (N Dale Mabry) location which I gave 4 stars (
), and also to other local pizza places, tough shoes to follow.