A filthy main space, a greasy counter, and a dirty bathroom are indicators that hygienic corners are being cut at the pizzeria, likely including food preparation.

If there are food droppings all over and crumbs that stay out for days, they’re sure to attract vermin, like rats and cockroaches. These critters leave waste that can make you ill.

If you can see the pizza being made at a pizzeria and notice sauce just sitting around or cheese and meats that aren't refrigerated, that’s a red flag.

If your pie’s ingredients don’t look fresh, they may have been sitting out for too long in temperatures that could leave them tainted by bacteria, which can lead to food poisoning.

A sloppy veggie pie implies that the veggies used were raw, not sautéed or grilled. It also implies that the pie was not made fresh.

Another concern is that vegetable pizza slices tend to linger in the shop. The longer a pizza is sitting out, the riskier it becomes to consume because of bacterial contamination.

If you see the pepperoni on your pizza curling up, you should ask what kind it is. Cup and char pepperoni should curl, but not other varieties.

Pepperoni that’s not cup and char should lay flat on a pizza and look shiny or oily if it’s fresh. If the pepperoni doesn't hit these marks, it's clearly been hanging out too long.

A good pizza place should make its own sauce. If you see jars of premade sauce being used or a pot of sauce sitting unheated for a long time, avoid that place.

When sauce hangs out for too long, it grows bacteria that can make you sick. Plus, if the pizzeria isn’t making the sauce, you're missing out on experiencing fresh, authentic food.