We tested Lancaster’s best rated JustEats takeaway

Takeaways are important, but which is the best?

2 years ago

The takeaway is a quintessential part of student life. Whether you’re stumbling all the way home after a night out, having a cosy night in to procrastinate work or a result of bare cupboards when you haven’t been bothered to walk to Aldi in a fortnight, the takeaway will always be there, reliable and punctual. So it begs the question, which is the best takeaway in Lancs, and why?

Ranking

Luckily, as I don’t get anywhere near enough student loan to test them all, the lovely people of Lancaster have kindly given feedback for me to make an informed decision. Although other apps are available, I went to the popular takeaway app JustEat, sorted by average review, and it spat out Aquila Wood Fired Pizza.

Now, I have heard about Aquila before. Word on the street, and as you can surely tell, I am in tune with this, is that it’s one of the best pizzas in Lancaster. And being pretentious, Wood Fired Pizza sounded like a good idea, so I was happy with this result.

JustEat also uses a six star-based ranking system. Yes, six. Now, I’m not sure what bizarre reality their app designers live in, but everyone in the real world knows that you use a five-star system or marks of 10. In an attempt to restore some human decency to this, I will be using a five-star system across four categories: delivery, aesthetic, taste, value.

I have eaten a lot of pizza and am opinionated, so, despite being horrifically underqualified and never having been to Italy, I feel like I’m a turtleneck and a scarf away from being a certified food critic.

Ordering

The narrative is key. The takeaway was picked; that was the easy bit. But then we were faced with the tricky decision of ordering. My girlfriend, yes I’ve got one, picked a Margherita, a classic of Neapolitan Pizza and I went for a ‘”eatie Pizza”, the spelling of which infuriates me in a way which I hate about myself. Then we decided garlic bread would also be a good addition because, well, we could.

Delivery

JustEat says it’ll take 30-45 minutes. Ordered 17:49. Arrived 18:02. Enough said. 5/5.

Aesthetic

As we all know, looks are everything because there’s no point buying it if it doesn’t look good on your story.

The boxes look quality. They are very simple: plain cardboard with the logo, but it makes them look professional, unlike the typical pizza boxes from most takeaways.

Moving on to the pizzas themselves, the aesthetic is classic. The crusts had puffed up in the oven and had slightly charred marks on the raised edges, so you knew that it was made in a proper pizza oven.

The cheese was browned beautifully and evenly, and the meats were nicely spread with different colours.

Only one fault, a little cheese spilling over the crust on the Margherita, which I presume was a fault of moving the pizza rather than how it was prepared. 4.5/5.

Taste

This is the biggest part of the ranking. You can have a quick delivery time, but it’s useless if the food isn’t good. So what’s the verdict?

Exceptional. The pizza was one of the best I’ve ever had. The crust was crispy without being biscuity, and it was in perfect proportions. The sauce was tangy with a hint of a sweet after taste. The cheese has a good pull without being like glue. The toppings were high quality, and the meat’s saltiness balanced wonderfully against the sweetness of the sauce.

Being a true wannabe food critic, I wanted to test the pizza properly. So I saved a slice for the next morning, and I don’t think you’ll be surprised to hear it held up. 5/5

Value for money

Obviously, I’m a student, so I’m looking to save as much money as possible—the price I find difficult. In terms of the amount of pizza you get, it’s a lot. We definitely didn’t need to pick up the garlic bread. The pizza itself was more than enough. But, in my opinion, the pizza is a little bit too expensive, especially when you consider the additional charges JustEast forces on you. The price jumped from £25 to about £30 when adding delivery and ‘service charges’.

Maybe it’s just because I’m cheap, but £30 is steep. I think a 2 for £20 deal would be perfect, and it would mean that they would compete very well with the bigger boys Domino’s and Papa John’s. I can’t fault the quality of the pizza for the price so that I won’t be too harsh. 4/5.

Verdict

For me, Aquila is in the upper echelon of Lancaster takeaways. It deserves its six-star rating on JustEat, and if it weren’t for my ethical objections to that ranking system, I would give it that. It’s not going to be my weekly takeaway, but I cannot wait for an opportunity to treat myself to this again—overall rating: 5/5.