Papa John's Pizza Now Serving in SM Megamall

When in Manila and craving for American Pizza, you’ll be happy to know that Papa John’s Pizza has just opened their newest branch in SM Megamall.

I first got to try Papa John’s when I was in Dubai and loved it the first moment the Pizza dipped in their special garlic sauce touched my lips. When I found out that they were finally here in Manila, I knew I had to have their famous Pizza again and see for myself (or taste for myself) if this was the authentic Papa John’s Pizza that I knew and loved.

What better way to beat the Monday blues than by having Pizza first thing in the Morning and the week. I knew the mall opened at 10am so I left the house early to make sure I would get to the Mall just in time and true enough, we arrived 10 minutes before the mall opened. As the mall doors opened to their guests, I was getting all giddy with excitement as we found our way to Papa John’s.

Papa John’s is found on the 3^rd floor of Megamall Building A right beside local fast food chain, Jollibee so it’s pretty hard not to miss. Step inside and you will see how everything was put together well. The size of the whole restaurant was actually smaller than I expected but it was good that the booths are spacious enough and can sit 4 people comfortably. The restaurant is well lit, with few pictures hanging on their walls, and the whole place was clean, including the area where you can wash your hands just before or after eating. So far, I was impressed with the look and feel of the place despite its fairly modest size.

As we were waiting for the rest of our friends to arrive, I decided to order their chicken platter which had 3 pieces of chicken wings, 3 pieces of chicken strips and potato wedges as well. It also came with 3 sauces, garlic, pizza and barbecue sauce. For 299php, I was expecting a little more. The chicken strips looked dry but when I bit into it, I was surprised to find that the chicken was actually tender and moist. I wasn’t a big fan of the chicken wings though, I thought it lacked flavor, but my friend found that it went well with their barbecue sauce. I felt there was also nothing special with the potato wedges so it was safe to say that I was quite disappointed with the first plate that arrived.

When my friends arrived, we ordered the all meat pizza, the barbecue pork ribs and the Diablo Burst. Our orders arrived one by one in no more than 15 minutes , and being famished and excited at the same time, I grabbed a slice of pizza right away, dipped it in the special garlic sauce (a must when eating Papa John’s Pizza!), took a deep breath and bit right into it. I was immediately brought back to that first time I had Papa John’s. Pure bliss. I may have been a tad bit disappointed with the first plate that arrived but the pizza alone more than made up for it. The all meat pizza had Pepperoni, Italian sausage, beef, ham and bacon bits as toppings and cost 450php. And for a pizza lover such as myself, I’d say the 450php was well worth it. Papa John’s also brags that they never put fillers on their meats so you can guarantee, that with their texture and spices, the all meat pizza is really mouthwatering.

All meat Pizza (Medium) 450php

The barbecue pork ribs looked succulent and the taste did not disappoint either. True to the American style of Barbecue, the pork ribs were sweet and juicy. 3 slices of the pork barbecue ribs cost 190php and I think it’s not a bad price to pay considering that Papa John’s is an international franchise.

BBQ Pork Ribs 190php

What I wasn’t prepared for was the Diablo Burst. I love spicy food so you could say I thought I was prepared for how hot this pasta was going to be, I clearly overestimated myself. The pasta was hot hot hot! Don’t get me wrong because I did love it, but among the four of us, with the serving quite small, we didn’t get to wipe that plate clean. So a fair warning, if you don’t like it too hot, you might want to ask the server to let them go easy on the spices. But when it all comes down to flavor, I thought Diablo Burst held its own pretty well.

Diablo Burst 180php

Oh and don’t forget to try their Italian Soda, it’s the first time I got to try it here in Manila. It’s pretty common to find them in restaurants in the US but I’m guessing it’s fairly new here so you definitely might want to add that to your list of what to try in Papa John’s.

So did I enjoy my first Papa John’s experience in Manila? Most definitely. Would I come back? As soon as I possibly could. Would I suggest it to friends? I already did and will continue to do so. Do I think you should try it? It’d be crazy not to.

So When in Manila and craving for Pizza that melts in your mouth, Papa John’s ought to be on top of your list! Papa John’s now has branches in Megamall, Robinson’s Galleria and University Mall in taft and in Greenhills.