Captain's Pizza, Pittsburgh

Choices abound at Captain's Pizza & Subs, where customers build their own pies, pulling from ingredient options that include 5 different cheeses, 13 meats, 11 veggies, and a generous slathering of homemade tomato or garlic sauce. Creative types can start by sprinkling a disc of the shop's fresh, daily made dough with ricotta or sharp cheddar, adding on pepperoni, capicola, and gyro meat or lending a pop of color in the form of fresh chopped broccoli, artichoke hearts, and roasted red peppers. Those with indecisive appetites can let the cooks do their picking for them by opting for one of 17 gourmet pies that pile on pre-vetted flavor combinations such as steak, mushrooms, and ranch sauce or barbecue sauce, grilled chicken, and red onions. To round out the menu, the restaurant also offers a smattering of specialty pasta dishes, salads, and 8- or 16-inch hoagies, along with their famous Captain's Wings, which arrive tossed in one of four sauces that vary in both spiciness and drinkability.