cogans pizza norfolk

i hitcogan'spizza up with a buddy in search of a good hand tossed pie. guess what? booyah! we found it atcogan'spizza. i ordered a large with pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, and olives. the crust was phenominal! 100% authentic and hand tossed. light but crispy, chewy enough but still soft. the sauce was another highlight, tasted like someone's grandma handed down from the old country! really bright, with pops of garlic and tang. ingredients were fresh and tasty. atmosphere is cool and casual! i like this place a lot. i'll be back. next time i will get some pics and post. i left my phone in the car. woops! lol! nice jobcogan'si'll be back soon!

northing artisan about this pizza. i love cogan's. that's a well known fact. i've been going here for years now. it really pains me to post this review but i have to call "crap" on the pizza i had there yesterday. i want to say up front that this review is only for this particular food item and not the establishment in general. i still love ya cogan's.

on with the story.cogan'shas jumped on the "artisan pizza" bandwagon and when i stopped in yesterday my normal purple haze placed in front of me and i ordered a slice. the bartender asked me if i wanted to try an artisan pizza and said it's about half the size of a regular pizza. i said "sure what the heck" and didn't think about it again until it arrived.

what was put down in front of me about 10 minutes later is interesting to describe. it was a small pizza pan, with dough spread out covering about 3/4 of the surface. the pizza had one long down the middle and then was cut cross ways making sorta rectangular slices. i actually asked the bartender "wtf is this?" and she replied that's how they make it. she didn't look happy with it either. it looked sloppy, and was the same dough, the same sauce, the same ingredients as any other pizza in the house. just because it was shaped and cut different doesn't make it artisan. there was nothing special or artisan about it.

here's the deal. the authentic meaning and application of "artisan" alludes to a simpler time when people took pride in their craft. it's about special and unique. today, the draw for real artisan products is born out of a movement deriding overly processed, mass-produced foods linked to big corporations. manufacturers, attempting to ride the wave of this movement by stamping artisan on their products, are hoping it will suggest that what's inside is higher quality--even premium. there was nothing premium about this pizza.

what i see here is a shortcut to denote higher quality and premium charge, however what it really is, is a higher price for the same ole thing while serving a smaller portion. that's a fact. personally i think they should go back to the drawing board with this becausecogan'sis going to get some po'd customers when this pie arrives at their table and when they see the bill.

'nuff said.


-----03 sep, 2011-----

1st post hurricane visit. man o man. it seems like it's been forever when it's only been a week.cogan'stook a hit from hurricane irene and was without power for a few days, however thursday evening i was able to get in and feed my pizza addiction.

as always i was able to saddle up to the bar, sharon put a purple haze in front of me without even asking. that's what good places do. the staff knows the regulars and vice versa. the atmosphere was great. i had another brew and ordered a pizza to go. large peperoni, onions & sauteed mushrooms with their spicy sauce. everything was fresh. pure pizza heaven.


-----28 oct, 2009-----

this is great pizza!. finally, i had a slice from cogan's, and they are a welcome pizza blessing. i've been meaning to stop in atcogan'sfor years and for some reason or another it just hasn't happened until now.

cogan's claim to fame is a spicy sauced pie. it was spicy alright, but not as spicy as the local favorite chicho's. i did on the other hand find that the dough, toppings and cheese blend was better than cho's any day of the week. sorry cho's, you had your chance.

in addition,cogan'shas 33 micro brews on tap. on a hot summer day that's a definite plus no matter how hot or mild the pizza sauce is. :)

check them out if you're in ghent.

excellant pizza!. have been looking for a while for a norfolk pizza place with just really great pizza - andcogan'stook over top spot for me. service is more depending on just how big the crowd is - most of the time has been good - but have not been on a friday or saturday night when they are super busy. great selection of beers - with alot of regional ones on the menu. highly recommend stopping by for the lunch buffet when the weather gets nice outside.

why is this place so popular?. i've heard from a bunch of people, plus reviews on here, thatcogan'shas great pizza and is just overall awesome. i love pizza, so i figured i'd give it a shot. my fiance and i showed up around 6:45 on a sunday. we had to wait about 15 minutes for a table, which was fine, whatever. we were seated outside, which was fine because it was soooo loud inside. we sat at our table for about 10 minutes before a waitress ever acknowledged us. of course we already knew what we wanted since we waited so long, so we ordered sodas and our food all at once. it was a few minutes before we got our drinks, but whatever they were busy so we understood. it was another 15-20 minutes before we got our garlic knots and garden salad. the salad was very blah. the garlic knots were good. there were a lot of them though so we just had a few and got a box for the rest. it was about another 45 minutes before a waitress brought us a pizza, but they got our order wrong somehow. we ordered half pepperoni, half mushroom. we got half pepperoni, half pepper, with some other meat all over it (sausage?). so the waitress took it back and of course it was at least another 15 minutes before we got our pizza, during which time we finished the garlic knots. oh and we really only saw our waitress once or twice - a couple other waitresses brought the food or refilled our drinks. we asked for the pizza to go since we waited so long. we were there for almost 2 hours in total. there were no apologizes or offers for coupons, free desserts, or to comp something like other restaurants would likely offer. to top it off, the pizza was mediocre. after all the reviews and all these people who talked it up, i figured at least the pizza would make the bad service and long wait worth it. it didn't. if i were to ever go there again, it would be out of peer pressure. maybe you have to have a few drinks first to really appreciate the pizza?

awesome pizza noms. i'm a native new jersian and lived in italy for 4 years. i have to say thatcogan'spizza has been the best tasting pizza i've had since leaving both my homestate and italy. the atmosphere inside is unique and fun but the food is the real treat. i highly recommend you try cogan's. just know that since it's in ghent, the parking is meh.

great pizza...a bit inconsistent. i have been going tocogan'ssince it used to be a dive-bar with live music. fast forward many years and it is now a pizza parlor with a great beer selection, pool table, and outdoor seating area. when everything is running smoothly,cogan'sis one of my favorite spots to grab pizza. it is a thinner styled crust w/ the option of spicy sauce (which i highly recommend). however, the past few times that i have been to cogan's, it has been really hit-or-miss. i usually order the "greek" salad and a large pizza. the salad is always delicious and full of artichoke hearts, pepperoncini, onions, roasted garlic, feta cheese, etc. the problem is that the last few times the pizza has either been very undercooked (they told me they have been having issues with the oven) or it has been pretty over-cooked. i will definitely return and give it another chance though, because i realize that there are many factors that can contribute to the inconsistency...i just wish that they would improve in this respect. they also do $5 off all of their pizzas on sundays, which is a great deal. if you get there after 500pm on sundays, expect to wait a long time to be seated.

iffy pizza, slow service, good beer selection. the pizza atcogan'sis hit or miss. some days your pizza will be properly cooked, other times burnt or cooked so poorly it's still gooey in the crust. the sandwiches you should stay away from, they're just hobbled together carelessly.

the service has always been incredibly slow and neglectful, for as long as i can remember. if you don't have at least an hour and a half to sit down and eat, don't bother dining in - just do carryout instead. it will take you at least twenty minutes to get your drinks, and about an hour for the food. at least. been that way since i was a kid.

great beer selection though.

best pizza in the area. since moving to the area and discovering cogan's, i cravecogan'sregularly. i've yet to find a pizza that i didn't like. i'm especially happy that they are now offering vegan pizza as i can take a few out-of-town friends/family there when they visit.

great - as long as you're cool with not getting your food. "we are a business that is in love with our customers..." i guess it's true that restaurants, like people, can love something but still treat it really badly.

i've only eaten in the restaurant a couple of times and service was just okay - just regular bar type service (don't expect refills very fast, etc). most of my experience is with food delivery. let me preface this by saying i'm not the type of person who sends food back in restaurants, or complains if something tastes weird. if something is wrong, i just don't eat that part. i don't even really care about service - if i get my food and it's mostly right, i'm good. i worked in the food service industry a long time and i know everyone/place has off moments. however, cogans has pushed me to the limit and i'll not be dining there again. the food is just regular bar food! it's not delicious and certainly not good enough to deal with the staff.

beware, if you order food for delivery don't expect to get everything you ordered every time. as long as you're cool with having to drive tocogan'sto pick up missing food you won't be disappointed. also, if after several such incidents, you finally snap and call to ask what's up with their service, expect to speak to some hipster who really doesn't care if you actually got what you paid for, who will also attempt to insult your intelligence when you say you are questioning whether to ever order something from there again.

hands down amazing.. i frequent cogans at least twice a week for not only their various taps but also for their pizza. honestly i haven't ever had a slice or two so good yet so moderately priced! i ordered a strange combo that only cogans can provide - hot sausage, spicy marinara and anchovies - and not only did they serve it to me within fifteen minutes, it was huge! sadly i left my box of leftovers there but as soon as i got home i ordered another whole pizza just because i had to have more!!cogan'sis an amazing place with a lively atmosphere where no one feels left out!

p.s. the delivery was quoted at 45 minutes and it arrived in 20. thanks again!!!

best pizza in norfolk.cogan'shas the best pizza in town. absolutely delicious!
depending on how busy they are, you sometimes you have to wait awhile for the pizza, but the atmosphere and food make up for it. this is a fun, laid back dive bar / pizza place with amazing food and great beer specials.

great and laid back. i wouldnt go tocogan'sif i was in a rush, so i don't.cogan'sis the best place to go relax with friends, drink beer and eat awesome pizza. i love the bbq chicken pizza! it's definitly a place i will hang out more now that there is no smoking in restaurants.

i am in norfolk once or twice a year and always come tocogan'severy visit. try the spicy sauce; it's excellent. i've always found their service to be average - not great, but not bad either. i will say although sometmes on the slow side, the servers are always friendly. if you want great pizza and an excellent beer selection, you have to givecogan'sa shot.

great beer, good food, awful service. i've been going tocogan'sfor some time now, and over the past 4 or 5 years, the service has gotten progressively worse. the beer is great, the food (particularly the pizza) is quite good, and i love the setting (sitting on the patio is awesome in the spring and fall, and summer evenings). however, the waiters and waitresses are awful and not very responsive when you ask for refills, etc.