Quick Take:
Location: Mulberry (inside Depot 303)
What We Ordered: Half Cheese, Half Chicken Dance
Gluten Free Options: Yes
Vegetarian Options: Yes
Final Score: 3.5/5
Price: ~$10–20 per person
For our thirty fourth stop on our Polk Food Quest, we made our way back to Depot 303 in Mulberry to visit Pizza Odyssey.
We have stopped there prior for reviews of:
- Fat Maggie's Burgers (SO good)
- Chicken & Pig (Unfortunately now closed)
And we're doing our best to get some food traffic there to help some of the small businesses that are in there.
Depot 303 is a food hall in Mulberry, just like the Joinery (built by the same team) and everything we've had has been great.
And Pizza Odyssey isn't an exception there.
By the way: if you're new here, the concept of my Polk Food Quest is simple: every week I try a local spot, order the most common thing people get, try a few extras, and rank it on taste, value, vibes, and overall.
This week: pizza!
Which means we shared a half cheese and half chicken bacon ranch pizza (usually we get a cheese slice + one specialty slice each).
How Does This Work?
I order the standard item for that category (for Pizza Odyssey we split a cheese pizza and chicken bacon ranch since we normally do a cheese slice + specialty slice each), plus a few extras so I can get a full feel for the menu.
Then I rank the experience on four things:
Taste | Value | Vibes | 
Overall
Taste focuses on the standard item.
The rest reflects the entire experience.
Taste: 3.5/5
Pizza Odyssey was good pizza.
Katie and I, being from NY and NJ, prefer NY-Style pizza that you can buy by the slice, but this was still good.
It wasn't "great" and definitely not the best pizza we've had in Polk County (shoutout to Pizza Brothers); but this is a great option if you're hanging at Depot 303 or in the Mulberry area.
Here's a quick breakdown for my quick scanners, though:
- Cheese Pizza: Good pizza. Nothing incredible, but good enough to get again if I was in Depot 303 and in the mood for pizza. I don't mind grease, but this was a bit more than I prefer. Not really any crunch, but still okay.
- Chicken Bacon Ranch: This followed the same trend as the cheese slice. It was good, and Katie says she'd get it again [in the right circumstances], but nothing she would go out of her way for.
Overall it was a decent pizza that I wouldn't avoid, but also wouldn't go driving to another town for.
🍕 Mike's Special Note: I did want to make a note here that this might very well be a Floridian palate type of pizza.
This just isn't my style. I almost always prefer NY-Style pizza; with the only exception being the 5/5 I gave Calogero's in Lake Alfred.
If you like this style, give it a shot and let me know what your thoughts are so others can see what you think in the comments below.
Vibes: 4/5
Depot 303 has been thankfully picking up slightly, so I don't have to dock any points due to it feeling dead in a community spot, but this one still wasn't a standout 5/5 for vibes.
Remember, Vibes are ranked on:
- The Physical Location
- Hospitality/Service
- The Interior/Space
And Depot 303 is still all the way out in Mulberry, which is somewhere you're not typically driving to for any other reason.
The service was "fine" but nothing that stood out enough to give them a big bonus boost here.
Enough to have a solid 4/5 overall, but nothing more.
Value: 3/5
Unfortunately, I have to rank value against other pizza places.
And when you charge $20 for a small pie, with no other options, it's hard to rank it high for value.
I can go grab some of the best pizza in Polk at Pizza Brothers or Palace Pizza for a few bucks a slice, but I'm forced to drop $15-20+ if I want ANYTHING (specifically pizza) with this style.
And this isn't a knock on just Pizza Odyssey.
I've complained about the same thing when we reviewed Pizza Connection.
The ONLY time I've been okay with this style has been Calogero's Pizza in Lake Alfred; but that pizza also blew me out of my seat.
They do get a little bump up to 3/5 (Pizza Connection got 2.5/5) because the pizza was definitely much better pizza — but still not enough to get closer to 4.
Overall: 3.5/5
Pizza Odyssey gets a solid 3.5/5.
Depot 303 is a fun hang, similar to The Joinery, and this is a great addition.
I would probably try "The O.G. Pizza" or "Nate's Special" next time I go; so the fact that I checked out the menu and picked out something "for next time" shows it at least passed the pizza test.
Would I bring my visiting family there?
110%.
This isn't in competition with NY-style pizza.
If we were hanging in Depot 303, which is a great spot to bring family so everyone can grab what they want, and someone asked if Pizza Odyssey had good pizza — I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
Here’s how I’d sum up Pizza Odyssey:
If you’re already at Depot 303 and want pizza, you won’t be disappointed.
It’s solid pizza, just not the crispy, by-the-slice New York style Katie and I grew up on. It’s a little greasy and doesn’t have much crunch, but both the cheese and the chicken bacon ranch were good enough that we’d order them again.
The price is the catch. At $15-20 for a small pie with no slice option, it’s hard to compete with places where you can grab a great slice for a few bucks.
Depot 303 does a lot of the work here. It’s a fun food hall where everyone can grab what they want, and it’s been picking up lately. That makes Pizza Odyssey an easy pick for a family hang.
If you’re a fan of this style of pie, give it a shot, then let me know in the comments if it’s better than I gave it credit for.
Before You Go....
Hey!
I want to know what you think of Pizza Odyssey inside Depot 303 in Mulberry.
Leave a comment below.
The more you share, the better, but anything is appreciated.
Each comment helps The Best Of Polk articles and eventually, the yearly awards!
Have a place you want me to try?
Make sure to comment that as well.
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