Netflix has already released all of Stranger Things season 4’s episodes, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t more mysteries for fans to discover. For instance, fans have found that if you dial the number of Surfer Boy Pizza, the show’s in-universe pizza place, you can get a special message from Argyle, the restaurant’s eternally stoned delivery driver.
The number itself is visible on the side of his van during the show as 805-45-pizza (or 805-457-4992). If you call it in real life, you’ll get a recording of Argyle, who gives his opening line before interrupting himself to explain a ridiculously complicated order to a coworker.
“Stranger Things” Surfer Boy Pizza Review
As a fan of quick and easy weeknight meals, I tend to keep a couple of frozen pizzas on hand for a quick, lazy, meal option. I’ve tried a large number of the frozen pizza offerings that are typically available at my local Walmart and was shocked and amazed to see the Stranger Things Surfer Boy Pizza stacked up like hotcakes in the freezer bin!
Since season four of the show dropped on Netflix, I still haven’t seen any online reviews about the frozen pizza offerings. It seems that not a lot of folks have dared to try it.
This is where I stepped in. I just had to see what this new frozen pizza was all about—so I loaded up two versions into my shopping cart and quickly headed home to throw one of these pizzas in the oven for a taste! I couldn’t wait.
Without any press or other reviews for reference, I felt like I was entering this review a little blind. From what I could gather, it appears that the Stranger Things pizza comes in four styles: multi-meat, pepperoni, pineapple jalapeño, and supreme. I purchased the supreme and pineapple jalapeño pizzas.
The packaging is smart with a red and white checkerboard pattern around the top perimeter and also contains the traditional reds, yellows, and oranges that provide a retro pizza joint feeling vibe throughout. The back panel has a pair of fake 3D glasses that you can punch out and wear on your face—definitely marketed to a younger crowd. According to the box, this pizza is manufactured by Palermo Villa Co. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with permission from Netflix.
I was in the mood for something different from my frozen pizza selection so I opted for the pineapple jalapeño version for this review. I am normally a pizza purist and generally stick to plain or just three cheese. I wanted a kick of spice and something totally outside of my comfort zone. This was definitely it.
Serving Size: 1/5 of a pineapple jalapeño pizza
Cooking Method
Traditional residential gas oven
Preheated 420°F oven
Cooked pizza directly on oven grate according to package directions
Cooked for 20 minutes
Transferred from the oven onto a cooling rack
Cooled 2-3 minutes before serving
After a quick visual inspection, the cheese, sauce, jalapeños, and pineapple looked fresh and appeared to be of good quality. The pineapple was your typical canned variety but the jalapeños were definitely fresh-frozen.
My first impression of the cooked pizza when it came out of the oven was that it looked and smelled highly of pineapple. The crust of the pizza was browned and crispy. The cooking time seemed appropriate as the pizza was completely cooked through with a crispy bottom and slightly browned cheese on top.
My first bite was disappointing. In my humble opinion, this pizza lacked any flavor other than pineapple. The crust definitely had a crispy texture, almost too crispy. Crispy to the point of being dry. The cheese had the taste of decent mozzarella but It was also very bland. The majority of the flavor came from the sweet pineapple which took over everything. The jalapeños had absolutely no flavor or heat whatsoever. Aside from being bland, the bottom crust had the typical frozen pizza taste with an extra side of dry, blandness thrown in for good measure.
Overall, the Stranger Things Surfer Boy Pizza was terrible. As far as frozen pizza goes, this particular one is definitely ranked at the bottom of my list. The product packaging, as well as Walmart’s ability to move high volumes of mediocre products, may keep this pizza around for a bit—but once folks get a taste of it I predict that it won’t stay on the shelves for long. Perhaps the other varieties will be better. I don’t know, we shall see. Check out my latest review on Delishably: “Stranger Things Surfer Boy Supreme Frozen Pizza Review.”
Appearance: 9
Taste: 3
Quality: 5
Packaging and Marketing: 9
Overall Rating: 6.5/10
