How ‘Incredible’ is the New Incredible Pizza in Houston?
Our family recently visited the new Incredible Pizza location in Houston, Texas at 3645 FM 1960 West. I have to admit that I was initially skeptical about the attractiveness of the establishment, based on the curb appeal. This particular Incredible Pizza is in a building that was previously a Walmart store. The exterior of the building was painted a very obnoxious blue-violet and the parking lot looked old and run down. So, I was pleasantly surprised when we entered a bright, well-lit, clean facility!
Now, as a parent of a 3 and 5 year old, I have done my share of trips to Chuck E. Cheese and other similar establishments. One of the first things that was different from similar attractions was that the food was served at a buffet in a center concourse-type area. Surrounding that area were a variety of dining rooms that each had a different theme. One dining room had a school gymnasium theme. Another had a formal family dining room theme. Each dining room had a big screen television with cartoons on. I also noticed smaller televisions around that were showing various sporting events. My husband particularly appreciated this feature!
We arrived at the restaurant just as they were opening for the day. All of the food on the buffet was fresh and hot. There appeared to be plenty of staff in that area to keep the buffet clean and stocked. The salad bar had a large variety of fresh salad fixings and even included Goldfish crackers! Now, any mother of toddlers can appreciate that! There was a wide variety of pizza and desserts available. There was also an ice cream machine and hot cobbler. The cobbler was delicious! I do have my doubts though about a buffet in a place that serves such a large number of people, especially children. I was glad to be one of the first people getting my food and not the last. I did observe unsupervised children at the buffet serving themselves. This is not a place for a germaphobe!
The attraction of Incredible Pizza for kids is the variety of games and activities available. We loaded $30 onto our “game card” and that was plenty for our 2 kids. All of the games and activities are paid for individually by swiping a game card. I would suggest getting one card per child, instead of one card per family. We were running all over the place swiping the card for each child playing different games. The biggest hit with my kids was the mini-bowling. Bowlers had a limited amount of time to take their turn and each lane had bumpers. That kept the game fast-paced and children of all ages could enjoy it. We also rode the go-carts. Yes, go-carts indoors! My kids enjoyed racing in the go-carts, but my husband would have preferred a little more speed. The employees running the go-carts did an excellent job of enforcing the rules so that it was a safe experience for everyone. There was also miniature golf, bumper cars, and the usual video games and skee-ball.
Overall, we had a great time. I enjoyed the dining area being away from the games so that the kids could focus on eating before getting to the games. The longer we were there, the more crowded it became. As an overly cautious parent, I became a little more concerned with “losing” a child as it became more crowded. I would appreciate a staff member supervising the exit door to keep an eye out for anyone trying to take a child that may not belong to them. Overall, I would recommend Incredible Pizza to any one looking for indoor family fun.
