Papa’s Pizza Parlor

terrible, extremely expensive pizza

Closed. Im sad it’s out of business. Great pizza. Grimy play area. Building needs updated and cleaned up.

Taco pizza was awesome!!! The place is going out of business but glad we got in there and got to try their taco pizza! just enough lettuce and fresh tomato, the taco sauce was great!!!

Came in for a family gathering, have had several for family events here over the years. Accommodates large groups, offers decent pizzas at a reasonable price. They were gracious in offering us extended time as wee were rushing to get out. Nothing fancy about it but a reasonable place for a few hour family gathering.

Came here for my girlfriend’s little brothers birthday with about 8 kids (all 10 and under).
The atmosphere was eerie; it’s a huge space and could be an awesome restaurant location, but everything seems dim, run down, and grimy. The music/​intercom system has a constant buzz that drowns out the music and will slowly drive you insane.
If I had to pick a place that identifies strongly with the ghost town suburban ghettos of Detroit, Papa’s Pizza would be a strong contender.
I didn’t playtest the play structure or ball pit, but they have the same grimy vibe as the rest of the place. It also has an odor that, while not repulsive, is certainly offensive to the senses. There are a few arcade games that look to be at the end of their operational life, the highlight of which is an old school Simpsons cabinet.
The pizza is just slightly below Chuckie Cheese quality — which is were I was wishing we had held the party at instead. The crust is soggy and the toppings did not taste fresh. It was also way overpriced, but I guess they have to stay in business somehow.
The biggest annoyance however was the table reservations. Upon ordering I went back to find practically every table reserved for a party, but in the 3 hours we spent here, not one ended up in use. Frustrating since we had to break up our party between 2 boths that were not visible to each other.
All in all, I would not come back unless I’m forced to. This place needs a lot work, and given the economics of the neighborhood it’s located in, I really don’t see that happening. It’s sad too, because the building is perfect for a large eatery. Hopefully someday the property values in the area will go up and the building will be redeveloped.

We come here on Thursdays for the buffet. Good price good salad dressing… drink included. they even have a reward type card. There is a big play area that doesn’t require extra money. but remember it is hot in summer and cold in winter. the restauant however is always the appropriate temperature.

We went for the Thursday night buffet special. The salad was very good… lettuce was fresh and crisp. There wasn’t much co-​mingling on the salad bar. I hate when other food mixes with a food that I want. The pizza was kept fresh, but they didn’t have any of the Teriyaki Chicken pizza which is REALLY tasty! Instead there were lots of odd pizzas that not everyone likes all the ingredients of. Me personally I hate olives and mushrooms and there were some on most of the pizza being served so I had to pick it off. They also had taco pizza at all times, I don’t care for the bean sauce so I am not a fan. I really enjoyed the salad bar though and so did my kids. We will most likely come back, It’s a great place for parties and events since they have a large play area. Down side to the play area is that it is not heated or cooled. So in the summer it is crazy hot and in the winter it is freezing cold. They also do not enforce the the age/​height limits in the play room and my kids actually while playing through the tubes came across 2 teenagers making out. I had to go say something to the staff and after the 2 teenagers came down and just went to go look for another place to hide. I went to find one of their parents and they were told to come out. I know it’s a hard job, but that is why someone is getting paid to be out there.

Pizza’s not bad. Service absolutely sucks. Doesn’t matter if you’re a birthday party or not. My boyfriend stood at the front desk as well as another person to ask for some parmesan for a minute or so as the workers just kept passing by completely ignoring him. The wait for the pizza took forever and then when they brought it out they didn’t know where it went and were just being rude about it. We did have several pizza orders though because it was a birthday party but the service still was awful.

It’s pretty cool that a place can manage to have such a crisp crust not covered in grease, but I don’t think it’s a mastered skill. I think it’s because they don’t have a concept of how to actually make dough. It was a dry, stale, crispy and almost burnt crust on the bottom and then an undercooked gooey mess under the toppings. I also believe they intentionally fold the dough at the crust so that it bubbles up and gives you the impression that the pizza is huge. That trick didn’t work on me, though.
Yes, I picked that pizza apart piece-​by-​piece. It was my sole intention to find out why I paid $ 40+ for a large pizza and hot wings.
I actually have tons more to say about this place, including the «service» and the upsetting quality of vegetables on my pizza. I just decided that I wouldn’t keep people reading for 20 minutes. Portland is a mecca of delicious food. Don’t settle for this crap establishment.

Not terrible. Not wonderful. I only went there for a 4 year old’s birthday party this past weekend. The kids? They love it. Even if the play area smells like stinky feet and is as cold as it is outside (or, from what I heard, it’s 20 degrees hotter in there than it is outside on the hottest summer day and smells like DEAD feet.) Also, it’s in the far corner of the restaurant, and when you’re seated clear on the other side, it sucks because you don’t REALLY want to sit in there while your kid plays. But you have to if they’re on the younger side. And there’s actually no where to sit besides a bench the kids use to sit on when they’re taking their shoes on and off, so you’re just standing around, since you can’t exactly go into the ball pit with them, or crawl in the tunnels, etc. It’s awkward.
Everyone here said the pizza sucked. I honestly like it. I used to date a guy who lived in Eugene and every time I went down there to stay the weekend with him, we’d get drunk and order Papa’s Pizza. It was the best pizza ever. When I found out we had Papa’s up here, I had to know if it was just as good… Well, it took me 10 years (I pretty much avoided going since the reviews here say it’s awful), and no, it’s not quite as good as Papa’s in Eugene, but it wasn’t awful either. I really, really love crispy crust.
I don’t know what’s up with their salad bar, but every time I walked past it, all I could smell was cat piss. Gross.
All in all, I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat there, but if my son asked to have his birthday party there or something, I wouldn’t mind. It’s not that bad.

Crappy pizza, a frozen pizza would have been a better choice. And where do they get off asking 33 bucks for a large pizza. There’s no reason for this place to even exist. BURN BURN BURN

Needs bigger play area. Crappy pizza and service. But big enough for a party. Go somewhere else.

terrible pizza, the only good part was the crust. The mushrooms on our pizza were canned mushrooms and they were wet, slimy and gross. The game/​playroom is not that good. This place really sucks bad in my opinion

My husband, Russell G. and I have eaten here several times now (his review is below). I like the pizza a little better than he does, I think. We always get the same pizza — The Beaster. I think it’s great, which is why I haven’t tried anything else. Somehow I get this feeling that we’ve hit upon the best item on the menu, and anything else we could try might end up being as disappointing as other reviewers are describing.
That being said, I LOVE the Beaster, and I love the crust on their pizza… it’s so interesting. Cracker crisp out the outermost layer, pillowy and chewy on the inside. Never tasted a crust quite like it. I also like the indoor playground. We have a 1.5 year old, so any place that is kid friendly enough to have a playground is a winner in my book.
I also think the atmosphere of this place is kind of nice, albeit it a little weird when it’s deserted in there (which is frequently).
I guess my only real gripe with Papa’s, and the reason why I’m giving three stars instead of four, is the price. Specialty pizzas are 23.95 for a medium, and like 30+ dollars for a large. Granted, a medium at Papa’s is pretty large, and also very generously topped… it will feed me, my very burly husband, and our wallet-​draining super hungry daughter. But still — if it were just a little cheaper, I would definitely give it another star.

Pizza isn’t that bad. Definitely had better, but for what it is, it’s decent. I think everyone is knocking it a little harder than it deserves. Restaurant lay out is kinda funky. Really is kinda like a step up from Chuck e Cheese. Not as obnoxious, but still can be a little loud sometimes. Would say its a good place to take your kid and be able to eat some decent pizza and have a beer.

If you have kids and don’t want to spend as much $ as you would at Chuck E. Cheese, this is the place for you. The pizza is cheaper and most of their play area is free. I like the pizza a little better here, but it still isn’t great pizza. The bread sticks were so covered in butter/​grease we couldn’t touch them let alone eat them. I give them 3 stars because the play area is so great and free, but the food is only passable.

This place is great if you want somewhere for your kids to play. But the pizza isn’t the best. Although I’m told the bbq chicken pizza is good so I’ll have to try it next time. I eat the pizza there because I’m there, not cuz I crave it, ya know? I go for the fun play area.

In my ever continuing quest to find Oregon’s Pizza identity, I stopped in here to partake in the pizza buffet with a good friend. As this location is I figured I could find the thin and crusty slice that the Salem /​Corvallis /​McMinville Papa’s area seem to produce so consistently. Pizza in the Portland area varies and while some attempt their pass at creating New York,/ New Haven style pizza, I’ve been jonseing for the few that create the rare bubbly, thin, cracker bottom crust that is sound rarely found anywhere else. This place had it, but it wasn’t well executed.
The restaurant on a rainy day, was empty. And with the place being so HUGE (100+ capacity and more easily), it was semi eerie and drab just like the weather. The buffet wasn’t as highly touted as I expected with a semi-​messy salad bar and only a few pizza slices to choose from. There was a fresh pan of pizza that was put out every 5 – 10 minutes but was quickly gobbled up by the few customers still around. With only a $ 8 lunch all you can eat deal, this still was a solid spot to enjoy pizza when in the area.
Each slice I was able to get was semi crunchy at best but didn’t have the deep red pocket bubbles under the cheese or adequate toppings. It looked like an uninspired piece of work, almost lazy looking in comparison to their other locations. I’m sure it might be different if I ordered pizza instead of munched off of the pre-​prepared stuff, but there should be some level of consistency for all slices. If I didn’t know any better, this pizza almost reminded me of any Izzy’s joint, except just not as mini.
Customer service was solid but limited. Even during a peak lunch hour, there were only two people working the kitchen and counter. Perhaps it was just bad timing on my part, but I should come back when its a little more busy. I can only imagine this place being packed during the baseball /​basketball season when families and their kids can enjoy a good slice together. Its clearly geared toward a family establishment as they have a kids corner (a la Chuck E Cheese) in the back and various plaques on the wall as sponsors for various kiddie teams.
I will be back though I’ll give them time to fix things up. I am almost convinced that pizza here could be fabulous, but if every experience was like my first, then I think its safe to pass on this joint. It gets 3.5 stars for now.