On a nice, cold CoMo day, two True Daughters went roaming around Columbia in search of the answers to the most important questions in life. Those answers to the questions that keep us up at night, such as "Is Strange really better than Harold's?" "Is Shakespeare's really all that?" and "Do you think Hot Box is better than Insomnia, even though Hot Box has a store on the campus of that school to the west that shall not be named?" Read on, because we've got all those answers below.
Disclaimer: These are our opinions, and we love all food.
Pizza Tree vs. Shakespeare’s
We’re cheese pizza eaters, in all honestly. We enjoy the simple things in life, and you just can’t go wrong with a good slice of cheese pizza. Shakespeare’s is the classic, old-school hangout in Columbia. The atmosphere is incredible and the pizza is good. But y’all, Pizza Tree is where it is at if we’re strictly talking pizza.
Pizza Tree hasn’t been open as long as the OG big dog Shakes has, but the ‘za Pizza Tree serves blows Shakespeare’s out of the water. With the traditional, thin crust cheese pizza slices being cooked to perfection, it’s hard to turn down Pizza Tree. The simple fact that you can buy a single slice at Pizza Tree all day long is a huge deal for us. Although we do like a good challenge, sometimes you just can’t eat a whole pizza by yourself. Not to mention they have extended weekend hours. Sometimes you just really need a slice of pizza at 1 am, and Pizza Tree will be there for you in your time of need.
One of us used to have a Pizza Tree sticker on her car. So you could say the addiction is pretty serious.
We love you, Shakespeare’s, but this round goes to Pizza Tree.
Harold’s vs. Strange
First things first – we’ve never met a doughnut we didn’t like. Glazed, long john, cream filled, it doesn’t matter. We’re here for it all. But, let’s just get straight to the point. Harold’s Doughnuts is the Beyoncé of the doughnut world. They constantly produce high quality, sugary goodness. Much like being in the presence of Beyoncé, Harold’s is sort of like a spiritual experience. Their doughnuts are just perfect; there is no way around it.
When we walked into Harold’s, we were greeted by the amazing smell of fresh doughnuts. The shop had a lovable, welcoming vibe that we just didn’t get as much of with Strange. On our most recent visits to both shops, we indulged in classic glazed doughnuts. For one of us, this was our first Harold’s experience, and life will never be the same.
Don’t get us wrong, Strange’s doughnut (2018 edit: RIP, Strange) was good, but it’s not Harold’s. Strange is simply a thicker, more sugary cake-like doughnut whereas Harold’s always tastes as fresh as can be. The Harold’s doughnut was bigger – more doughnut is always a good thing – and fluffier. Not to mention the people who work at Harold’s are always happy to see you. Shout out to our new BFF Melissa who is quite possibly the friendliest woman on planet earth.
The only bad thing about Harold’s was we’d overdone it on the pizza and could only finish half the doughnut. But it made for an amazing midnight snack.
All-in-all, Harold’s is better than Strange. Sorry, but that’s just science.
Hot Box vs. Insomnia
The only thing that is better about Insomnia is that it’s open one hour later than Hot Box. Although we’d both probably eat chocolate chip cookies off the floor, we’d prefer they be from Hot Box and ones that never touched the ground.
Hot Box is the originator of the freshly baked delivered cookies and should remain atop the cookie game. Eating a chocolate chip cookie from Hot Box is the best two minutes you’ll have in your day. Their cookies are always soft, rich and baked perfectly. They practically melt in your mouth. You can’t walk by the store without smelling the sweet scent of deliciousness that is Hot Box.
Another advantage they have over Insomnia is a larger store. Hot Box invites you to sit down and stay awhile. They have eclectic artwork hanging on the walls and you can even play a board game. Insomnia is much smaller and only has a handful of seats. In the CoMo food scene, it’s all about being original. And Hot Box wins for originality.
Insomnia does rock, but our loyalty lies with Hot Box.
Overall, spending your afternoon hopping around to different pizza, doughnut and cookie shops is never a bad thing. We liked everything we tasted, but there were some clear winners. So the next time you’re looking for a good slice of cheese pizza, we recommend you head over to Pizza Tree. And if you forgot to eat breakfast, we highly recommend you head over to Harold’s. Tell Melissa we said ‘Hi!’
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