Debonairs vs Roman’s Pizza: Menu Prices Compared (2026)
Last verified: 2 September 2026. Debonairs prices are checked against our full Debonairs Pizza price list and Roman’s prices against our Roman’s Pizza price list, both cross-referenced against the official Debonairs and Roman’s South Africa menus. Standard in-store prices in rand; branch pricing and delivery-app pricing can vary.
Debonairs vs Roman’s Pizza is the closest price fight in South African fast food. Both are pizza-first chains built around two-for-one style deals, both run largely on franchises, and both show up in nearly every mall and strip centre in the country. But they didn’t start the same way. Debonairs was built from day one as a national delivery brand with a signature stacked pizza. Roman’s started as a single Pretoria pizzeria under a different name and grew into a value-pricing specialist almost by accident.
Debonairs Pizza was founded in 1991 by Craig McKenzie and Andrew Harvey. McKenzie developed the pizza concept after a trip to Los Angeles, while Harvey built the delivery and ordering systems that helped the brand scale nationally. Roman’s Pizza has a stranger origin story: Arthur Nicolakakis bought a struggling Pretoria pizzeria in 1993 called Little Caesar’s, and it wasn’t until his son John took over the business in 2001 and rebranded it to Roman’s Pizza in 2002 that it grew into the 250-plus-store chain it is today. So this comparison pits an original national brand against a rebrand-and-scale success story, and on price, the newer name usually wins.
The short version
Roman’s Pizza is cheaper than Debonairs on almost every comparable item: smaller pizzas, smaller combos, and a lower ceiling on its priciest large pizza. The gap is narrow on small pizzas (a few rand) but widens sharply at the top end, where Roman’s most expensive large pizza is R35 cheaper than Debonairs’ most expensive Deluxe. Debonairs answers back with its stacked Triple-Decker® and Cram-Decker® ranges, which have no Roman’s equivalent at any price, and with a wider combo-deal menu built for solo diners. If you’re chasing the lowest rand-per-pizza, this is a Roman’s page. If you want a stacked, loaded pizza that isn’t just a flat pie with toppings, Debonairs is doing something Roman’s doesn’t offer.
| Debonairs | Roman’s Pizza | |
|---|---|---|
| Known for | Triple-Decker®, stacked pizzas | Sava Flava two-for-one deals |
| Cheapest small pizza | R31.90 (Margherita) | R29.90 (Sava Flava range) |
| Cheapest large pizza | R84.90 (Margherita) | R81.90 (Margherita) |
| Two large pizzas deal | R179.90 (On The Double®) | R169.80 (Double Large Sava Flava) |
| Dearest standard large pizza | R164.90 (Deluxe) | R129.90 (Bacon, Avo & Feta) |
| Signature item | Triple-Decker®, from R94.90 | Sava Flava range, from R29.90 |
| Founded | 1991 | 1993 (as Little Caesar’s; renamed 2002) |
| Store count | Large national footprint | 250+ |
| Halal | Separate Halaal menu, varies by branch | Halaal chef salad; varies by branch |
Debonairs vs Roman’s: who wins each category
If you read only one table on this page, read this one. It splits the Debonairs vs Roman’s decision into the categories South Africans actually order, and names the cheaper chain in each using the standard national price lists for both brands.
| What you’re buying | Cheaper option | The numbers |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest small pizza | Roman’s | Sava Flava R29.90 vs Debonairs Margherita R31.90 |
| Cheapest large pizza | Roman’s | Margherita R81.90 vs Debonairs Margherita R84.90 |
| Two large pizzas | Roman’s | Double Large Sava Flava R169.80 vs On The Double® R179.90 |
| Most expensive standard large pizza | Roman’s | Bacon, Avo & Feta R129.90 vs Debonairs Deluxe R164.90 |
| Solo lunch combo | Roman’s | Combo Sava Flava Small R36.90 vs Eazzy Lunch Real Deal® R42.90 |
| Handheld snack | Roman’s | Pizza Pie from R26.90 vs PizzaWrap® from R26.90 (tied) |
| Loaded / stacked pizza | Debonairs (only option) | Triple-Decker® from R94.90, no Roman’s equivalent |
| Feeding a family in one order | Debonairs | Get-To-Gather R409.90 (4 large) vs Roman’s Family Meal Deal R199.90 |
| Cheapest soft drink | Roman’s | 330ml can R9.90 vs Debonairs Dragon/Score R15.90 |
Roman’s takes six of the nine categories, usually by a small but consistent margin rather than a landslide: a few rand here, ten rand there. Debonairs claws back ground with its stacked pizzas, which simply don’t exist on the Roman’s menu at any price, and with its Get-To-Gather deal, which puts four large pizzas on the table in one order, something Roman’s doesn’t offer as a single combo. If you’re pricing a single pizza or a two-pizza deal, Roman’s is the cheaper habit. If you’re catering a bigger group or want a stacked pizza, Debonairs has the product for it.
Small pizzas: a few rand apart, but Roman’s wins the multi-buy math
At the small end, Debonairs and Roman’s are close enough that brand loyalty is a perfectly reasonable tiebreaker. The gap only becomes worth planning around once you start buying more than one pizza at a time.
| Small pizza | Debonairs | Roman’s |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest range entry | R31.90 (Real Deal® Margherita) | R29.90 (Sava Flava range) |
| Mid-tier small | R49.90 (Clazzics) | R41.90 (most toppings) |
| Premium small | R64.90 (Deluxe, top items) | R53.90 (Bacon, Avo & Feta) |
| Two smalls, cheapest range | R63.80 (2x Real Deal®) | R59.80 (2x Sava Flava) |
At the very bottom of the menu, R2 separates the two chains, not enough to plan a trip around. But the gap widens as toppings get fancier: Roman’s mid-tier small pizzas at R41.90 sit R8 below Debonairs’ Clazzics range, and by the time you’re at Roman’s premium Bacon, Avo & Feta at R53.90, Debonairs’ equivalent Deluxe small at R64.90 is R11 more. One quirk worth knowing from Roman’s own numbers: buying two small Sava Flava pizzas (R59.80) is actually cheaper than one large Sava Flava (R84.90) would suggest per-slice, since the size step from small to large at Roman’s isn’t a straight multiple. More on that below.
Large pizzas and the two-for-one deals
This is where most South Africans actually shop, and it’s where Roman’s built its entire reputation. Both chains run a two-large-pizzas-for-one-price deal as their headline offer.
| Large pizza / deal | Debonairs | Roman’s |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest large, single pizza | R84.90 (Real Deal® Margherita) | R81.90 (Margherita) |
| Two large pizzas deal | R179.90 (On The Double® Real Deal®) | R169.80 (Double Large Sava Flava) |
| Cost per pizza in the deal | R89.95 | R84.90 |
| Most expensive standard large | R164.90 (Deluxe) | R129.90 (Bacon, Avo & Feta) |
| Signature large | R209.90 (Triple-Decker®) | No equivalent |
Roman’s Double Large Sava Flava at R169.80 undercuts Debonairs’ On The Double® by R10.10, and it works out to R84.90 per pizza against R89.95 at Debonairs. Here’s the catch worth knowing on the Roman’s side: R169.80 is exactly two times the R84.90 single large price, to the cent: it’s a convenience bundle, not an actual discount, so there’s no saving for choosing the deal over two separate pizzas. Debonairs’ On The Double® behaves differently: a large Real Deal® Margherita alone is R84.90, so two bought separately (R169.80) actually beats the R179.90 deal price, but for every other Real Deal® flavour, at R95.90 to R99.90 each, the deal does save real money. Read the fine print on both sides before assuming the “deal” is automatically the cheaper route.
Solo meals and combos
Neither chain is only about big group orders. Both have a combo menu built for one person, and Roman’s undercuts Debonairs here too, though by less than on the large pizzas.
| Solo option | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Roman’s Pizza Pie | From R26.90 | Handheld folded pizza pocket |
| Debonairs PizzaWrap® | From R26.90 | Handheld pizza-flavoured wrap |
| Roman’s Combo Sava Flava Small | R36.90 | Small pizza + drink |
| Debonairs Eazzy Lunch PizzaWrap® | R39.90 | PizzaWrap® + 300ml Coke® |
| Debonairs Eazzy Lunch Real Deal® | R42.90 | Small pizza + 300ml Coke® |
| Roman’s Combo Pizza Pie | R34.90 | Pizza Pie + drink |
Pizza Pie and PizzaWrap® land at the same entry price, R26.90, so that particular snack-food matchup is a genuine tie. Once a drink gets added, Roman’s is consistently a few rand cheaper: its Combo Pizza Pie at R34.90 is R5 below Debonairs’ cheapest full-pizza-plus-drink combo, and the Combo Sava Flava Small at R36.90 beats Debonairs’ Eazzy Lunch Real Deal® by R6. Neither gap is dramatic, but it’s consistent, which fits the wider pattern across this whole comparison.
What R100 and R200 actually buy
Most people order by budget rather than by category. Here’s what a R100 and a R200 note gets you at each chain.
| Budget | Debonairs | Roman’s |
|---|---|---|
| R100 | Small Clazzics + Chicken Shots, around R89.80 | 2x small Sava Flava + a 330ml drink, R69.60, with change left |
| R200 | On The Double® Real Deal®, R179.90, two large pizzas | Double Large Sava Flava, R169.80, two large pizzas, with over R30 left for drinks |
At R100, Roman’s leaves noticeably more change on the table: two small pizzas and a drink for under R70, against roughly R90 at Debonairs for a mid-tier small pizza and a chicken side. At R200, both chains can put two full large pizzas in front of you, but Roman’s does it for R10 less and still leaves enough over for a couple of drinks, while Debonairs’ equivalent deal uses almost the entire budget.
The stuff that isn’t on the price tag
Price is only half the Debonairs vs Roman’s question. A few things separate these two that no table fully captures.
Stacked pizza vs flat pizza. This is the biggest structural difference between the two menus. Debonairs’ Triple-Decker® and Cram-Decker® ranges are genuinely different products: multiple layers of crust, sauce and cheese, with the Cram-Decker® stuffing chicken cheese grillers into the crust itself. Roman’s doesn’t sell anything like this; its whole menu is standard flat pizzas, pasta, salads and sides. If a loaded, indulgent pizza is the goal, Debonairs is the only one of the two with a product built for it.
Menu breadth beyond pizza. Roman’s runs a proper pasta and salad range (Chicken Romana, three types of lasagne, and a halaal-certified Chef Salad) all priced at R79.90 or under R67 for salads. Debonairs’ menu stays tighter to pizza, wraps and chicken sides, without a pasta or salad option at all. If the table wants something other than pizza, Roman’s has more on offer.
Halal status. Debonairs runs a separate Halaal menu at the same prices as its standard menu, with ingredient substitutions like macon in place of streaky bacon, though availability is store-level. Roman’s offers a specific Halaal Chef Salad but doesn’t publish a full parallel Halaal pizza menu the way Debonairs does. Confirm with your specific branch either way before ordering.
Origin story. Debonairs was built as a national delivery-first brand from its 1991 founding. Roman’s spent its first eight years as a single Pretoria pizzeria called Little Caesar’s before a 2002 rebrand and an aggressive value-pricing push turned it into a 250-plus-store chain. That value-first DNA is arguably why Roman’s still undercuts Debonairs on almost every comparable item today.
How Debonairs vs Roman’s prices shift by city
Both chains run largely on franchises, so every figure above is the standard national price list rather than a guarantee for your exact branch. Airport, mall, casino and highway locations tend to run above the national menu at both chains, and delivery-app pricing through Uber Eats or Mr D is consistently higher than walking in and ordering at the counter or online direct. We’re building out branch-level price checks for Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria so you can see the real spread rather than one national list.
If you’re weighing up other pizza chains too
- Full Debonairs Pizza menu prices for 2026
- Full Roman’s Pizza menu prices for 2026
- Every fast food chain in South Africa, compared
- KFC vs Nando’s price comparison
- Chicken Licken vs Pedros price comparison
Debonairs vs Roman’s: quick answers
Is Debonairs or Roman’s Pizza cheaper?
Roman’s Pizza is cheaper on almost every direct comparison. Its cheapest small pizza is R29.90 against R31.90 at Debonairs, its cheapest large is R81.90 against R84.90, and its two-large-pizza deal is R169.80 against R179.90. The gap widens further at the top end, where Roman’s most expensive standard large pizza is R129.90 against R164.90 for Debonairs’ Deluxe range.
What is the difference between Debonairs and Roman’s Pizza?
Debonairs is built around stacked pizzas like the Triple-Decker® and Cram-Decker®, plus a wide combo-deal menu, and prices a little higher across the board. Roman’s Pizza sticks to standard flat pizzas but undercuts Debonairs on nearly every comparable item, and also runs a pasta and salad menu that Debonairs doesn’t offer.
Is the Roman’s Double Large Sava Flava deal actually a discount?
No. At R169.80 for two large pizzas, it is exactly double the R84.90 single large Sava Flava price, to the cent. It’s a convenience bundle rather than a saving: you’re not paying extra for two pizzas, but you’re not saving anything either.
Is Debonairs’ On The Double® deal a genuine discount?
For most flavours, yes. Two large Real Deal® pizzas separately cost R95.90 to R99.90 each, so the R179.90 On The Double® price saves real money. The one exception is the Margherita: at R84.90 a large, two bought separately (R169.80) actually beats the R179.90 deal price.
Which has cheaper family deals, Debonairs or Roman’s?
It depends on group size. For a mid-size order, Roman’s Family Meal Deal at R199.90 is competitive. For a bigger group, Debonairs’ online-only Get-To-Gather at R409.90 puts four large pizzas on the table in one order, which Roman’s doesn’t offer as a single combo, so Debonairs wins on raw scale even though it costs more per pizza.
Does Roman’s Pizza have anything like the Debonairs Triple-Decker®?
No. The Triple-Decker® and Cram-Decker® are Debonairs-exclusive stacked pizzas with multiple layers of crust, sauce and cheese. Roman’s menu is built entirely around standard flat pizzas, so there is no direct equivalent on its price list.
Is Debonairs or Roman’s halal?
Debonairs runs a separate Halaal menu at the same prices as its standard menu, with ingredient substitutions, though availability depends on the branch. Roman’s offers a Halaal-certified Chef Salad but not a full parallel Halaal pizza menu. Confirm certification with your specific outlet at either chain before ordering.
Who founded Debonairs and Roman’s Pizza?
Debonairs Pizza was founded in 1991 by Craig McKenzie and Andrew Harvey. Roman’s Pizza traces back to 1993, when Arthur Nicolakakis bought a Pretoria pizzeria called Little Caesar’s; his son John Nicolakakis took over in 2001 and rebranded it to Roman’s Pizza in 2002, growing it into a 250-plus-store chain.
Which has more locations, Debonairs or Roman’s Pizza?
Both run large national footprints with well over 200 stores each. Debonairs has been trading two years longer, but Roman’s rapid growth since its 2002 rebrand has made it one of South Africa’s biggest home-grown pizza chains, with more than 250 branches.
Which pizza chain is better value for a solo order?
Roman’s, by a small margin. Its Combo Pizza Pie at R34.90 and Combo Sava Flava Small at R36.90 both undercut Debonairs’ cheapest solo combos, though Debonairs’ PizzaWrap® at R26.90 ties Roman’s Pizza Pie as the cheapest standalone snack item at either chain.
Every Debonairs vs Roman’s price on this page was last checked on 2 September 2026 against the official Debonairs and Roman’s South African menus. Both brands run largely on franchises, so your nearest branch may charge a little more or less than the national lists here. Delivery-app prices are usually higher than in-store or online-direct ordering. Always confirm before you order.