My wife and I have been going to Romano's for many years as they were the closest thing to NYC pizza we could find here in NC. However, they have changed owners several times and each time the quality of the food has gone down.
The last two times we ate there we were disappointed. Tonight, we decided to give it one last try. We ordered our usual, an extra large pie with mushrooms and onions. OMG... it was horrendous!!! I ate one slice from the pie as did my wife. We left the rest on the table and we will NEVER go back.
So... what was so bad? The crust was... bready. The sauce was bland. The cheese. Well... I'm not sure what kind of cheese it was.
I tried adding Parmesan cheese and that helped a little, but there was no getting away from the bread-like crust. If you know NYC pizza, then you know that the crust is as important as the sauce and that is as important as the cheese.
I did notice a lack of any spices in the sauce or sprinkled on top. Overall, the Pizza was awful.
We used to love Romano's. We would go every Friday night and it was packed. Considering tonight is Friday night, there was only one other table with a family sitting at it. I guess others figured out what my wife and I finally came to realize.
Do yourself a favor and try Brooklyns Pizza on 601 and 49, or better yet, go to Rozzario's near Poplar tent road.