When I saw that a new pizza joint had opened up in the location that previously housed Pudgy’s, I was nervous. Pudgy’s sloppy attempt at Chicago-style pizza left me permanently resentful towards the location, but when I saw the positive feedback that Rebel Monkey Pizza was getting, I had to try it.

Right off the bat, my experience was better than anything I’d gotten at Pudgy’s. For creating a free online account, I got $12 off my first order. After the discount, I paid only $16 for four 7-inch pizzas, allowing me to sample a variety of options without breaking the bank.

Although my pizza was 10 minutes late, the staff was apologetic and offered a free drink and dessert as compensation, so I couldn’t stay mad long. 

The first pizza I tried was the Barbacoa pizza. While it was essentially just a glorified barbecue pizza, it still hit the spot with its sweet and savory sauce. The tender brisket and perfectly portioned onions earned my barbecue snob seal of approval. In addition to the delectable barbecue, the pizza also featured a fantastic crust with the perfect ratio of crispiness and doughiness. 

The NOLA pizza couldn’t match the exceptional crust of the Barbacoa, but excelled in every other aspect of the pizza. The spicy sauce delivered just the right amount of kick — enough to be noticed, but not so much as to be overwhelming. The sausage, onions and bell peppers created an enjoyable texture to match the cajun taste. 

While the Mac & Cheese pizza tasted great, I didn’t feel like I was eating a pizza. It was just mac and cheese on top of bread. The creaminess of the cheese complimented the crispy crust perfectly, but lacked any sort of pizza sauce. If it would have been advertised as mac & cheese bread, as an appetizer, I would have had no complaints. Instead, it landed as my least favorite pizza.

The most traditional pizza I sampled was the Triple Pepperoni. The Triple Pepperoni looked a lot more like single pepperoni (maybe double, at most), but checked all the boxes I wanted from a pepperoni pizza. The savory, salty meat paired nicely with the pizza sauce (which I was trying for the first time) and the crackling crust. This was a solid pizza, though I didn’t understand how what I received was “triple pepperoni” or “extra cheese.” 

Finally, I dove into my free Mini Peanut Butter Cup Cream Pies. After just one bite, I was blown away. The sweet, creamy peanut butter blended with rich chocolate creating a fantastic dessert. It was, by far, the best thing I tried–well worth the extra ten-minute wait. However, finding out that the normal price was $7, for just two mini pies, was a huge letdown. 

The $7 price tag on each of the mini pizzas was lofty as well. The pricing gets a little better as the sizes go up, but it gets a lot more confusing. A 12-inch “premium” pizza costs more ($14) than a 14-inch “classic” pizza ($12). Only after a little digging did I discover that “premium” just meant gluten-free. The 14-inch will definitely be my go-to for my future visits orders.

All the pizzas I tried were great, although some might need a bit of a rebrand. I’d order each of them again when I inevitably return to Rebel Monkey. ⅘