Another build-your-own pizza place opened in the Madison area, a chain restaurant in Fitchburg called MOD Pizza, in the space where the Hemingway cigar bar once stood.

I was reluctant to review this place, only because how different could it be from Dell’s Pizza Lab or Lotsa Stone Fired Pizza? Turns out, not much.

One thing that was immediately apparent is that the staff needs more training. Here are two examples:

• The employee making our salad didn’t even know what size it was.
• The pizza had the expected char, but only because an employee didn’t know how to get the pizza out of the oven and had to call for help.

The pizzas comes on a very thin crust and in mini (6″ for $4.87), mod (11″ for $7.87) and mega (double 11″ for $10.87) sizes. Salads fall under the same pricing.

Nine “classic” pizzas–as in, the toppings are pre-decided, but you can still add more–lead off the menu. The Tristan was relatively light in flavor, even with the generous portion of roasted red peppers and mushrooms (I added spicy sausage). I actually didn’t miss the lack of pizza sauce, thanks to the pesto drizzle.

Other classics include the Calexico (grilled chicken, jalapenos, Gorgonzola) and the Dillon James (garlic, tomatoes, fresh chopped basil). Toppings include garbanzo beans and anchovies; finishing sauces include hot buffalo and balsamic fig glaze.

On the same crust are the garlic and cinnamon strips. The 6″ garlic strips ($2.97) don’t look like much, but they have a satisfying garlic flavor. They’re even better with some sri-rancha sauce on the side.

MOD Pizza is open every day for lunch and dinner.