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• Best Pizza: Papa Del's Pizza Factory

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Papa Del's Pizza Factory »
Address: 206 E. Green St. Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: (217) 359-7700
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It takes years to create the perfect pizza recipe. Thirty-eight years to be exact, according to Papa Del’s owner, Bob Monti. Papa Del’s, 206 E. Green St., wins this year’s Best Pizza category after 38 years in business. Monti said that after years of tweaking the recipe, Papa Del’s only uses all-natural ingredients and whole tomatoes to create the pizza sauce that CU has come to love. He said that the quality of their pizza has improved over the years as they’ve eliminated preservatives.

“It’s the recipe, that’s it,” Monti said, regarding his pizza’s preference over the competition. The restaurant’s popularity is most apparent on the weekends or during sporting events when alumni and students alike crowd in for their favorite pie. Papa Del’s makes thin, pan and stuffed pizzas. Sausage, mushrooms and bacon are a few of the toppings patrons may choose from in order to customize a pizza just for them. For those who just can’t get enough, Monti said they now ship frozen pizzas all over the U.S.

“You will be so full, but you will just keep on eating,” said Christine Griffith, a junior in natural resources and environmental sciences. “It just melts in your mouth. It’s that good.”