The Pizza Issue

It's been a year. Here's what I think of Cincinnati's pizzerias.

I wouldn’t call Cincinnati a pizza mecca, but it has a very strong scene with diverse choices and regional quirks.

Growing up in Cleveland, we have our own takes, but as a kid in Shaker, Donato’s was my jam. It was less a chain then, before the period of McDonald’s ownership (1999-2004), and had a more parlor-y feel. People would eat in, it was more home-y and less corporate and bland. I never see the Donato’s on Beechmont crowded inside.

When I’d visit my grandparents on this side of the state, Cassano’s was the Pizza King, and while similar to Donato’s, there are some distinct differences between “Columbus style” and “Dayton style.” If you’re wondering, while both are tavern style, Donato’s slices tend to be bigger, and Dayton style is often crispier, has less cheese, and the sauce is less sweet and saltier.

The glory of Donato’s.

I like Donato’s so much that I would order it from Red Robin (where if you’re outside of Donato’s service area, you can order from them, too!) back when we lived in Northern Virginia. There were some great local options, like Padrino’s, but the biggest and best of the local chains, Ledo Pizza, wasn’t really big in Woodbridge. Shame.

Having lived here a year, I figured I should share some of my thoughts on pizza after having Saint Francis Apizza this weekend.

Let’s go over some of the local options:

LaRosa’s

Not having grown up here, I like LaRosa’s and appreciate its history and longstanding civic ties. Multiple people have told me the LaRosa’s are better on the east side. I have no idea if that’s true, but ones in Mariemont, Eastgate, and Mt. Washington have all served reliably good pies. My kids and I love it, but it suffers in the “reheatable in a way that pleases everyone” category. I’m less picky, but fresh? Give me LaRosa’s any day.

The Buddy Card concept is great, but I’m too afraid to make that leap of commitment, and I am a total joiner. The first time our school corners us about it, or another good cause, I’m sure I’ll get one. LaRosa’s is a staple at school events, but not the official cafeteria pizza. Strange!

The stuffed pizza pie? As somebody who ate the KFC Double Down, I’m open to it, but the billboards and marketing did not sell me. I have yet to try it. Maybe next time.

Ramundo’s

Before I even moved here, friends told me that I had to try Ramundo’s and its NY Style slices. Mt. Washington is home to the second, bigger location of the Mt. Lookout-founded pizzeria.

As they note in their story:

We’re not saying we make the best pizza in the world; that’s a fight that will never be won. However, per our devoted customers, we make the closest thing to New York-Style pizza in Cincinnati.

This is smart marketing. Only rubes believe incredulous marketing, and if you want discerning (usually wealthier) customers, there’s no better way to attract them by being honest. And it is: it’s the closest thing to a New York Slice you can get here.

The sauce? It’s a bit spicier, though they offer a non-spicy version for kids. Mine do not appreciate it, sadly. It’s great, and if you’re nearby for lunch you can get two slices and a Coke Freestyle for $8. Eat your heart out, Sbarro.

The Mount Washington location is also full of lots of bric a brac, which is a nice way of saying “shit on the wall.” Like TGI Friday’s used to be when it had a soul.

Also recommended: Their hot honey pizza.

Mio’s

Now with six locations, this regional chain has been around since 1975, celebrating 50 years. It is my probably my favorite pizza, with an amazing crust and topping options (don’t sleep on the sesame seeds).

I haven’t sat down inside one of the parlors yet, but they do good business and while they have an expansive menu beyond pizza and pizza-related sides, I haven’t tried it.

It is my go-to place, and not just because my kids like it. I just can’t get enough of the crust.

It’s also the first local pizza I had, as the Anderson location served up some pies for the fam as we were house hunting and helping my sister in law move in. Now I can have it whenever I want.

Angilo’s, we barely knew thee.

Angilo’s

I don’t have a big track record here with this smaller regional chain with about a dozen locations. There was one in Mt. Washington, and each location is individually owned, so when the owner died before we moved in, it was closed.

It’s right down the street! I was looking forward to having a place so close, even if it was only a carryout place.

After a few months, a pair of brothers from Kentucky (one of whom worked at Xavier in maintenance) made a go of restarting the Mt. Washington Angilo’s. I was ecstatic and immediately tried it. It was good. I’d say sort of a cross between LaRosa’s and Mio’s. Not my favorite, but it was good and I would have supported our Angilo’s and put it in the pizza mix, but… it closed pretty quickly. Not sure as to why.

I still have the magnet on the fridge. RIP.

Saint Francis Apizza

I waited too long to try this pizza. When driving through Hyde Park in our early weeks here, our homesick twins would see it and thought it said “Saint Francis of Pizza” and since our last parish was Saint Francis, I had to correct them. Perhaps not wanting to stoke homesickness, we kept telling ourselves “let’s try this place” and never did. Mistake.

I got there, and frankly, up there with the Fry Rule™ is another truism: Any place that publicly quotes Larry David is not gonna serve you bad food.

The pizza is phenomenal. Upon seeing on Instagram that their second location (sort of like Ramundo’s, which started off as carry out and is now also doing a sit down at location #2), my wife figured we should try it.

Here’s what Keith Pandolfi, who considers it “some of the best in the city – as true New Haven style goes” has to say about it:

Alex Plattner changed the game when he came to Cincinnati from his home state of Minnesota and started a pizza pop-up at Oakley Wines. The pizzas he made were both New York and New Haven-inspired, with a hot, quick bake that yields a crispy and lightly charred crust. In 2021, Plattner opened a brick-and-mortar takeout spot in Hyde Park. Later this year, Plattner will open a sit-down version of St. Francis in the former Red Feather space in Oakley. The toppings are locally sourced whenever possible and include greens from Roothouse Aquaponics, cheese from Urban Stead Cheese and vegan meats and cheeses from Mad Cheese.

We went with a margherita-esque one (to hopefully help them avoid this), a pepperoni, and cheese bread. We also got a salad, takeout Biscoff flavored Gelato from Covington’s Golden Gelato. The twins still have some work to do on this front, but everything was great for the adults.

Friend of the site Jason Cooper also recommends the frozen pizzas, which he reports are often sold at various farmer’s markets. But if you’re near Hyde Park, you can get them right in the store.

Wanna go really behind the scenes? Check out their Substack, and watch this:

What are some places we should try? Sound off in the comments.