T&A tries Sbarro, Cleckheaton – Britain’s first pizza drive-thru

Sbarro, a US-based franchise, opened a drive-thru service at Cleckheaton Services in Centurion Way on June 27.

The company has more than 630 locations in 28 countries, including 15 more in the UK, but this is its first drive-thru in the country and Sbarro claims the first full stop in the territory.

Sbarro, at Cleckheaton Services, in Centurion Way (Image: Others)

To celebrate the opening, the Cleckheaton store sold its XL New York-style pizza slices for 15p on July 6, as a tribute to the company's roots – they normally cost between £3 and £3.50.

Sbarro was famous for its 15-cent pizza slices when it opened across the pond in 1956 as an Italian salumeria – a sausage shop or Italian deli.

The Telegraph & Argus decided to visit this unique venue a few weeks later to see what it was all about.

When I got to the service desk and made my way to the left side of the building, it was a strange sight to have to quickly scan a menu board and then indicate what I wanted – this pizza lover usually spends a long time deliberating between the options and toppings before making his final decision at least 15 minutes later.

There was only one BBQ-based option – I know that's not everyone's cup of tea – but that's somewhat understandable since this is more about speed and simplicity than tailoring the pizza to each customer.

Instead, I opted for the classics and a few outside dishes to get an idea of ​​the variety that Sbarro has to offer.

Ordering Sbarro in Cleckheaton (Image: Telegraph & Argus)

A slice of pepperoni and a regular drink – I opted for Pepsi Max – cost £5, a saving of 19p on the franchise's menu offer.

Then I wanted to try a slice of Sbarro's stuffed pizza – which has two layers of dough and is topped with cheese, pepperoni, spicy beef sausage and condiments – but unfortunately I was told they were out and it would take 45 minutes, which defeated the whole point of this visit.

To ease my grief, I had a piece of Meat Fest, along with a portion of Hot 'n' Spicy Wings and the Stromboli with Ham and Cheese – little did I know that this would be a burst of flavors in the middle of a fairly ordinary meal.

The waiting time from ordering to picking up the food was about three minutes – so in that respect the mission was accomplished.

Given the location of the restaurant, it seemed wrong to take everything home to eat, so I parked at the rest stop – basically a gas station – and started eating.

My eyes lit up when I saw the size of the Meat Feast Pizza, which was the first thing I tried.

However, the size of the pepperoni slice left something to be desired and didn't even fill the pizza slice-shaped box it came in.

The meat feast and the pepperoni slices – note the size differences (Image: Telegraph & Argus)

Both pizzas were tasty, fresh and well-topped, but I would say they were nothing special, and as someone who prefers sauce to cheese on their pizzas – that's what they call it in America, isn't it? – I was a little disappointed that the outcome went in favor of the cheese – but that's a matter of taste.

The wings were ok, but I wouldn't order them again.

The Hot 'n' Spicy Wings from Sbarro (Image: Telegraph & Argus)

Then Sbarro really came into its own with the ham and cheese stromboli, something I had never tried before.

Imagine a pizza, but rolled up into a thick wrap – not a calzone, more like a pizza burrito.

The ham and cheese stromboli was out of this world (Image: Telegraph & Argus)

When I bit into this volcanic concoction, my first thought was, “It’s in there” – and indeed, it was: the perfect blend of cheese and ham exploded in your mouth, hitting every taste bud due to the concentrated nature of the product.

Sbarro was a great experience overall, with decent, fresh, hot pizza – trust me, some places don't quite get it right – and a varied selection with some unique extras. If I were in the area, I would stop by again.

But maybe it's more the novelty than the “stunning” quality.