What to Order With Pizza
Pizza is rich, salty and soft. The sides that work bring acid or crunch – not more of the same.
Most side-dish lists are a pile of suggestions with no reasoning. The useful question is what pizza is short of, and the answer is acid, crunch and temperature contrast.
Anything supplying one of those improves the meal. Anything supplying more salt, fat and soft carbohydrate is just a second pizza in a different shape.
| Side | What it adds | Works because |
|---|---|---|
| Green salad | Acid, crunch, cold | Resets the palate between slices |
| Fries | Crunch, salt | Texture contrast, but doubles the starch |
| Fried cheese | Salt, fat | Popular, but overlaps pizza heavily |
| Soup | Warmth, savouriness | Better before pizza than alongside |
| Pickled vegetables | Sharp acid | The most underrated option |
The principle
By the third slice, pizza starts to taste the same in every bite. That is not a criticism — it is what a rich, uniform dish does. The job of a side is to interrupt that.
Acid does it best. Something sharp resets your palate so the fourth slice tastes like the first again, which is why a plain dressed salad beside a pizza outperforms almost anything more elaborate.
Temperature does something similar. A cold side against a hot pizza is a contrast your palate registers immediately, which is part of why salad works and a second hot dish does not.
Crunch is the third. Pizza is soft throughout — soft crust, soft cheese, soft toppings — so anything with real texture stands out. That is the entire appeal of fries beside a pizza, and it is a genuine contribution even though the overlap in other respects is heavy.
Salad
The dressing matters more than the leaves. A vinaigrette brings acid; a heavy creamy dressing brings more fat, which defeats the purpose.
Keep it simple. Leaves, something crunchy, something sharp. Tomato and cucumber, red onion, olives, a little vinegar.
Ray’s has a Soups & Salads section alongside the pizza and sandwich menus, so a salad does not need to be a separate stop.
Fried sides
Fries, onion rings, fried cheese and wings are the most commonly ordered sides, and they work on crunch rather than contrast. They are good, and they are also the ones most likely to leave a table over-fed.
The reason is overlap. Everything in that list brings salt, fat and starch — the same three things the pizza is already supplying.
If you want a fried side, order one rather than three, and pair it with something sharp. A basket of fries and a salad together works better than fries, rings and mozzarella sticks.
Soup
Soup is the side people forget, and it belongs before the pizza rather than next to it.
Eaten first, it takes the edge off everyone’s hunger, which means the table eats the pizza at a more reasonable pace and enjoys it more. Eaten alongside, it competes for both stomach space and attention.
Sides change how much pizza you need
This is the practical consequence that never gets mentioned. Every substantial side reduces the pizza count.
The working rule of three slices per adult assumes pizza is the whole meal. Put two or three real sides on the table and that drops closer to two slices a head — which is a whole pizza less across a group of eight.
Our guide to ordering for a group works through the arithmetic. The short version: order the sides first, then count the pizza against what is left.
Ordering for a table versus for one
Sides behave differently depending on how many people are eating, and the rule of thumb changes completely.
For one or two people, a side is a genuine addition — you are choosing between more pizza and something different, and something different almost always makes the better meal. A slice and a salad beats two slices.
For a table of six or more, sides are mainly about variety and pace. They give people something to eat while the pizzas arrive, and they stop the whole meal being one texture. The mistake at that size is ordering a side per person rather than a few for the table.
Ordering for a group of children shifts it again: sides get picked at rather than eaten, so fewer and simpler is better than a spread.
Building an order that works
- One sharp thing. Salad, pickles, or something dressed. Non-negotiable if there are more than two of you.
- One crunchy thing. Fries, rings, or wings. One, not three.
- Something to start if people are hungry and the pizza will take time.
- Then count the pizza, adjusted down for everything above.
If wings are on the list, they sit better as the crunchy item than as a second main — our guide to bone-in versus boneless covers which divides more easily across a table.
Pizza Questions, Answered.
What goes best with pizza?
Something acidic and cold. A dressed green salad does more for a pizza meal than any other side, because it resets the palate between slices.
Should I order sides or more pizza?
Sides, if there are more than three of you. A table with variety eats better than a table with an extra pizza, and it usually costs less.
Do sides mean I need less pizza?
Yes. Three slices per adult assumes pizza is the whole meal. With two or three substantial sides, plan closer to two.
What is the most underrated pizza side?
Anything pickled. Sharp acid is exactly what a rich, salty, soft dish is missing, and it takes up almost no room on the table.
The short version
Acid, crunch and contrast. One sharp side, one crunchy side, something to start if people are hungry — then count the pizza against what is already on the table.
The Ray’s menu carries Soups & Salads and Side Orders alongside the pizzas, open daily 10:30am to 9:00pm.
Ray’s Pizza Team
Ray’s Pizza & Sub Shop is a neighborhood pizzeria at 95 Woodstown Rd, Swedesboro, New Jersey, serving pizza, stromboli, hot and cold subs and dinners seven days a week from 10:30am to 9:00pm. These guides are written by the people behind the counter.
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