Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza is opening next week on Lincoln Way. This opening will be the third pizza shop in two blocks on Lincoln Way – joining Blaze Pizza and Jeff’s Pizza. Yes, going from one to three may seem a little extreme – but each shop adds options the previous didn’t have.

Here are some of the pros for having multiple pizza places.

Blaze Pizza

At Blaze, you make all of the decisions to build your entire pizza yourself, starting with choosing your dough, then choosing between a signature pizza or adding any of their 48 toppings. Then the pizza is cooked in 180 seconds and served. 

• Fast
• Gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options
• Personalized with many options to choose from
• Affordable – each personal pizza is around $8

Jeff’s Pizza

“Have you tried Jeff’s Pizza yet?” Our editorial board is willing to bet that almost every freshman at Iowa State has heard that question at least once. Jeff’s has been a pizza icon in Ames since their opening about nine years ago. It is the perfect place to stuff your face with a great piece of pizza after a night out on Welch.

• Open late – Jeff’s stays open until 1 a.m. Sunday-Tuesday, 2:30 a.m. for ‘dollars’ and ‘mugs’ nights on Wednesday and Thursday and 3:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday. 
• Delivery services with options in size of 10″ – 20″.
• Option between individual slices or full size pizzas. 
• Also offers sandwiches. 

Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza

Although we know from experience that Blaze and Jeff’s both have delicious pizza, we can’t vouch for Smokin’ Oak’s flavor since they haven’t opened yet. However, Smokin’ Oak brings something different to the pizza table than their competitors – freshness. The dough is made fresh daily and the store doesn’t even own a freezer or microwave. 

• Freshness – see above.
• Fast – each pizza is cooked in 90 seconds in a wood-fired oven. 
• Options between signature pizzas and personalized toppings. 
• Draft beer and wine, potentially from local breweries.

All three establishments on Lincoln Way offer different services and menu items in a great location for Iowa State students… and they don’t overlap. 

Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza will open in Ames at 2420 Lincoln Way with free pizza from 10:30 a.m. until midnight for their grand opening, so the true test comes with taste. We’ll know this fall if three pizza places this close together is a Yes! or a “No.”