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Chuck E Cheese Coupons verses Just Going to CiCi’s For Even Cheaper

October 5th, 2011

Here is a CiCi’s coupon good until Oct 9 2011: Click here

Chuck E Cheese pizza in Tyler is one of those places many believe Tyler is so lucky to have. I have been to Chuck E Cheese in 2011 5 times so far and this has been 5 times too many. When I was a child living in Wichita Falls Texas my parents pretended the place was not even there and I totally understand why. Now as an adult I feel like sound pollution from this pizza place is a form of torture but yet I still take my kids here sometimes because I know they love it but yet they love the Chick Fila kids play area and the Cici’s arcade just as much. So why do I or any of us have to be tortured by the big mouse robot? Honestly the mouse is pretty cool but like I said the noise is too much for even my son. If you are one of those that likes this loud kids arcade you can save a lot of money by getting their online coupons but you can get by cheap and still have fun at Cici’s too with coupon even.

If you want Chuck E Cheese coupons just go straight to their website as they offer them right there. You don’t even have to print the coupons as you can pull it up on your phone and show the employees from your phone as we have done this numerous times.

For a better idea why not save money instead by choosing Cici’s pizza. The pizza is better, it is not as loud, and kids under 3 eat free.

As a kid I loved the mouse and I often got confused regarding if the robot mouse was alive and just very still because he would sometimes roam around greeting kids. As an adult I am not confused about Chuck E Cheese, I know what mouse is robot and what mouse is a pizza guy. I still love the mouse but I don’t like how loud and crazy it is.

The only downside to going to CiCi’s is not having a robot mouse and greeter and not having the awesome playground area. I think your kids will still have a lot of fun going to CiCi’s instead as I have seen no complaints from my nieces, nephews, and my own kids.

If you must still go to Chuck E Cheese you can access their coupons on your phone here: http://www.chuckecheese.com/coupons/ You must select your city and click on Submit or simply use the coupons from the Tyler Texas area…they should work pretty much anywhere: Tyler TX Chuck E Cheese Coupons

A Wish List of New Businesses and Activities in Tyler TX

February 10th, 2011

We’ve spent a lot of time and words here at Tyler TX Directory, discussing old and new businesses and cultural goings on, and giving them our thumbs up and or thumbs down. We’ve covered a lot of territory sometime in triplicate and occasionally disagreeing even amongst ourselves. For instance one of our writers once wrote a positive review of Cici’s Pizza, and I on the other hand expressed a preference for Totino’s frozen pizza over that particular establishment. Point being we’ve offered sometimes numerous opinions on a lot of Tyler area businesses. This got me to thinking, what new type of business / activities do we need here? What are the missing pieces in our socio- economic and cultural lives that would make our community more complete? I think we can eliminate Banks, Churches, Schools and Mexicans restaurants right from the start. So here is my personal wish list of new businesses and things to do in Tyler. These are not in any way scientific, and based simply on conversations and personal preferences.

A new water company: If you’ve visited this site before you may know that I’ve written quite critically about Southern Utilities (SU) in the past. I’d say this company has terrible customer service but that would imply they do have it. SU has been able to operate as a completely unapproachable entity, due to a complete lack of area competition. Not to mention their prices are quite high. Customers immediately outside the Tyler city limits simply have no other options. I have no idea how the infrastructure for water supply works but the Tyler area is certainly ripe pickings for any new water utility company. Big- city delivery Chinese food: One thing I really miss about living in a big city is the ability to have nearly any type of food delivered to my front door. To my knowledge the closest thing we have to delivery Chinese food is Peaking, which is a terrific restaurant, but their delivery area doesn’t cover the entire city of Tyler, at any rate they don’t deliver to west, south west side of town. Fewer buffets and more local take- out and delivery would be great for our area I think.

An authentic Indian food restaurant: Far be it from me to suggest another eatery for this town but so long as it’s not another faceless corporate franchise that we have “got to have,” personally I’m open to greater variety. Indian food would be a great new addition to our restaurant repertoire. While I love Pizza and good mom and pop Mexican food, Indian would add a little spice to our culinary lives. As someone who really digs Indian food I would certainly be a regular.

An Imax movie theater:It seems to take about five to ten years or so for the biggest bad-est movie theater in Tyler to get over run by troubled youth and rowdy teens who turn the parking lot into a meeting place for area police. When that happens a newer safer theater is opened and the process begins all over again. So why not try establishing a more upscale theater, that appealed to a greater cross section of people by carrying both entertaining and educational films, in high def of course, a little farther from the city proper, say perhaps off I- 20 somewhere? Area schools would really benefit and it would add a bit more culture to our area.

Minor league Baseball:We’ve tried this twice, and as I understand it, the sticking point has been the same both times. It seems certain groups with certain religious affiliations objected to beer sales at the ball park. The first time around, the team had some real success and brought in good crowds. But when the fun police caught wind of the fact that beer could be purchased (during the 1997 season), protests ensued. Another attempt was made a few years later but baseball in a dry county didn’t equal as much fun or money and the team folded after a single season. Look I’m a practicing Christian but I’m not concerned that the moral health of my community is going to go into a nose dive if folks have a cold beer at a hot summer ball game. But some people seem to have this paranoid mental image of a drunken orgy erupting after hours of binge drinking, and that’s just not reality. I don’t know too many people who go to the ball park with the intention getting hammered, it’s too expensive. The ball park in Arlington sells beer and it’s arguably one of the most family friendly venues in all of sports. There are leagues that have Tyler in mind if we can just work out this one issue. It would certainly be a great draw for our community. Can we all please observe the maxim “all things in moderation,” and just let people be grown- ups?

So there’s my wish list. It was actually a harder list to compile than I expected it would be. I guess if we sit and think about it, there’s not too much that our area lacks. At the end of the day I’d say we’re blessed to live in a city that has a lot to offer and a lot to do. That’s not to say we can’t improve but we’re doing pretty well.

Cicis Pizza in Tyler

February 8th, 2010

Cici’s Pizza

211 Texas 323 Loop, Tyler TX
Phone: (903) 526-9494

1938 E Southeast Loop 323, Tyler TX
Phone: (903) 533-9494

CiCi’s in Tyler is one of those places that may seem like a good idea at the time but never actually fulfills any decent expectations you may have had of it. CiCi’s combines pizza, buffet style dining, and screaming children into a one of a kind restaurant experience. CiCi’s may offer a pizza buffet at a decent price but they know that any sane person will be driven away within half an hour by the accumulated sounds of arcade games, whining kids, and several televisions all projecting angry sports announcers. The over stimulating environment is, I suspect, nothing more than a clever ploy developed by the buffet style restaurant industry to stop you from claiming the seven pizzas your four dollars gives you the right to under the eternal Law of Buffet.

They bombard you with flashing lights, constant loud ringing noises. A petting zoo themed restaurant would have a better family environment. CiCi’s doesn’t have bad pizza either, they show no shame in baking a funnel cake in a pizza oven and then pretending pizza was always covered in chocolate syrup. And I can respect the kind of courage it takes to offer decent quality dessert at a buffet, I imagine strawberry chocolate cheesecake has brought many a great franchise to its knees. CiCi’s could definitely improve its atmosphere. But If you can handle the overwhelming surroundings they have some good pizza.

Cici’s Pizza Store in Tyler, TX over by Wal-Mart on 64

February 1st, 2010

211 Texas 323 Loop
Tyler, TX 75702-8727
(903) 526-9494‎
Hours 11AM-11PM

Cici’s Pizza is located on the West side of Loop 323 near the Brookshire’s and Starbucks. It is easy to get to and turn into the parking lot. Leaving can be a real challenge if you need to turn left as there is only one exit, and it is sitting directly on Loop 323 which is very busy at all hours of the day. I often have to turn right and do a u-turn to get home.

The most important part of a pizza restaurant is how the pizza tastes and compares to other pizza places. Cici’s is wonderful pizza. It is not on par with expensive pizza restaurants, but for its price range it does really well. You can pay five dollars for a large one topping pizza. I do this often for dinner for my family and when we have friends over last minute. I call ahead and order my pizzas then drive up right to the window. It’s the only pizza place I’ve ever known to have a drive up take out window. When these five dollar pizzas are hot, they are very impressive in taste and texture. When we get Cici’s takeout we usually order either a large with just pepperoni or a large with just green peppers. If you’ve never had a green peppers pizza, try it at Cici’s. You’ll have to order it special since it isn’t a standard pizza on the buffet.

As for the buffet, I think you’ll be impressed. I’ve heard people joke about how horrible Cici’s pizza buffet is, but I think they are just making it up. It is very affordable. The buffet is about five dollars per person, and then drinks are a little over a dollar for a fountain drink or tea. Maybe the price makes Cici’s seem too good to be true. But I think that is just it. I don’t know how it’s possible to offer such great food for so cheap and make it all you can eat to boot.

The buffet starts with a very nice but small salad bar. You have the choice of Caesar salad or a standard tossed salad with about eight different extra toppings and about four different salad dressings. We always get a Caesar with Caesar dressing, and we’ve never been disappointed. Then there is a pasta section. Here you can get pasta with either red sauce or a creamy alfredo sauce. There are also cheese covered bread sticks here. A little tip: fill a bowl with red sauce from this section and dip your crust or bread sticks into it.

Then comes the pizza. This is when I begin to really smile. They have all of the standard pizzas: pepperoni, sausage, hamburger, mushroom, cheese, Hawaiian pineapple and ham. I especially love their sausage pizza. But the cool thing about Cici’s is that they have way more than the traditional pizzas. They have at least four or five specialty pizzas that you can only get at Cici’s. My favorite is a buffalo wing pizza. It uses buffalo hot wing sauce instead of pizza sauce, bits of chicken and mozzarella cheese. It is incredible if you like the hot wing flavor. Then they have their popular creamy spinach pizza. This one uses alfredo sauce instead of red sauce. They also have a barbeque pizza, a taco pizza, and a cheese steak pizza. I usually get lots of the spinach and buffalo pizza. It seems like each of my friends and family has a different favorite of these specialty pizzas.

Next at the bar comes the dessert section. These desserts are amazing. I’ve never heard people complain about the dessert at Cici’s Pizza. They have something for everyone. There are basic chewy brownies covered in powdered sugar. There is usually some kind of super sweet apple crumble coffee cake, and then there is this thing that I am not sure what to call it. It is shaped like the cheesy bread sticks, but the consistency is like a donut or a beignet. Then it is smothered in some kind of caramel or butterscotch sauce. It is beyond good. I am not sure what it is at all, but you’ll know when you see it. You won’t be disappointed.

A really cool feature of this Cici’s is that if you don’t see what you like at the bar, you just ask an employee to make it. They don’t care how weird the toppings you ask for are. They will make it and bring it directly to your table. The customer service is incredible for such a low cost dining restaurant. Often it will be the actual manager who brings it out with a smile and makes sure you don’t need anything else.

The restaurant stays very clean. I’ve seen pizza buffets where the employees don’t seem to care. Pizza can be very messy, and pizza attracts small kids. Small kids can be very messy. But you will not find a mess at this Cici’s that isn’t currently being cleaned up. The busboys are apparently very fast and efficient. There are plenty of booths and even two televisions playing non-offensive shows.

All in all, for five or six dollars per person, you can’t do better for dine in food in Tyler, unless you don’t like pizza. But only a true pizza lover like you and me would have read this whole review. So, try out Cici’s. I promise you’ll be impressed.

Tyler Pizza Showdown

October 15th, 2009

If you are a big eater and love pizza, why not eat as much pizza as you want at Double Dave’s pizza? It is a great place to hang out with your friends and watch the game on the giant screen television or one of the many smaller televisions. Have a party in the back room with it’s own private television. Check out the specials on certain days. Double Dave’s is a great place to drink a beer and eat some of the greatest pizza in Tyler. You could also get your favorite pizza brought to your table or you can call in and pick your pizza to go. If you are throwing a party Double Dave’s will deliver to your house. Enjoy a great salad bar with all the freshest toppings. Have a great time playing video games with your kids, watching the game and eating all the pizza and wings you can.

If you ask any little kids where the most fun place to go is. They would not hesitate to tell you Chuck E. Cheese. The pizza might be a 4th pizza and the rest grease, but you never cease to have a great time. Enjoy all different video games, shoot around on the small basketball games and play in the fun playground area. Watch your children’s faces light up as they see Chuck E. walk out to greet them. If their birthday is coming up let them have the party that they really want at Chuck E Cheese. Watch your kids get so excited to pick out the small 25 cents toys that they won from the games that they have been playing. If you are looking of a fun place to play and “be a child” and not care so much about the bad pizza then this is the place for you.

CiCi’s Pizza is a very popular pizza buffet. It has great prices and a lot of pizza. If they are out of your favorite at the bar then you can ask them to make it just for you to bring to your table or just to serve on the bar. They have a salad bar with all different toppings. I don’t really like CiCi’s though. I don’t like the feeling of the employees screaming “WELCOME TO CICI’S” as I walk in, and yelling “THANK YOU” as I leave and everyone looking at me. I don’t like the chewy crust and the greasy cheese. I might be different then most people, but I like my lettuce green with a crunch and not brown and slimy. But there must be something good about the restaurant since there is always business, I just never have seen what that is.

The best pizza in Tyler and maybe in the country is definitely Papa Murphy’s. Walk into one of the small stores and order your own personal favorites with any topping that you want. Everything is hand made and half cooked. Take your pizza home and keep it in your refrigerator for later or you can take it straight home and cook it in your oven. Try there stuffed pizza with layers of meat and cheese or the thin crust. You can even by a wheel of garlic cheese bread or a wonderful desert pizza. You can not go wrong with choosing Papa Murphy’s, unless you don’t have an oven.

There is a couple Mazzio’s pizza in Tyler. I don’t know how they get any business and how anyone could eat in there. The floor is always dirty and the pizza bad. I swear that they must reserve the same pizza all week because I don’t understand how in only a day a pizza could be so stale. The only thing keeping it warm is the red light attracting the flies. I always feel sick when I see the filthy kitchen. After a week of a sick stomach I would not eat there again.

Tyler has one Ken’s pizza. They have a fun game room with all different arcade video games. But I have very little to say about the food there. Most of the times that I have gone there the pizza tasted cold and old. But I have been there when I was surprised by the warm crust with the perfect amount of crunch. But I always seem to feel so sick every time I eat there. The grease seems to flood the taste of the cheese and the meat and the sauce. I am not a big fan of greasy old crust. The tables and chairs are always really greasy and I always feel like I need to run home as fast as I can and take a shower. Ken’s pizza is definitely a “pass” when it comes to eating pizza or eating out in general.

So if your are going to eat pizza here in Tyler hopefully this will show you where to have great pizza and where to have a great time. Hopefully I showed you which places to stay clear of.