Best Pizza in Cincinnati

This is one I’ve been looking forward to writing. I first reviewed Wayfarer in January 2024 from a pop-up at Mike Dew’s kitchen. I was highly impressed (you can go back and read that initial review). Now, I’m u…

St Francis Apizza (Oakley) - @stfrancisapizza is the pizzeria I’ve posted about the most, not just because they produce top-tier pizza but also because they are regularly improving - the sign of a great restaur…

For a recent party, I was tasked with ordering the pizza - my comparative advantage. In the execution of these sacred duties, I noticed that @eattaglio offers a Triple(!) Pepperoni and Hot Honey pizza…

We recently stopped by the soft-opening of @steelcitypizzaohio (the original location is in Middletown - the “Steel City” itself). The Hamilton outpost sits in the shadow of an old train bridge that evokes stro…

Named for El Cerrito (‘the Little Hill’) this is another local pizza pop-up - Cincy Pizza Pop-ups being a really dynamic space recently. @littlehillpizza frequently appears at @westsidebrewing and @listermannbr…

Revisiting the one place that I’m mostly likely to be seen enjoying a slice in Cincinnati. Brown Bear usually (but not always) has only one type of focaccia per day. When it comes to focaccia squares, the key i…

The bakery at 272 Ludlow Avenue is the “pizzeria” I frequent most, although I go there for much more than just pizza. However, I am a fan of their focaccia (as well as that at its sister bakery @brownbearbakery). In my humble opinion, focaccia has to strike a difficult balance: enough olive oi…

Guardia Pizza (Mt Lookout) - A strong addition to the local pizza scene, @guardiacincy recently opened in Mt Lookout Square by the team behind @delwoodcincy. The vibe channels Brooklyn slice shops - casual coun…

Sebastian Bakehouse - Bakeries are experts in bread and bread is half of pizza - So when a great bakery makes pizza, it’s generally well worth your time. The excellent @sebastianbakehouse applies its sourdough…

I recall what a watershed moment it was in the community when A Tavola opened in 2011 - Vine Street had to be shut down to bring in the authentic Neapolitan wood fired oven (carved out of Mount Vesuvius, I beli…

A repeat visit (always a good sign) to this “Neapolitanish” pizza pop-up. I reviewed @companionpizza last year as takeout pizza from Oakley Wines. This time, we tried them for a sit-down meal at @kingpigeoncinc…

Sfincione is not an every day item here, but when Allez does have it (watch for it on their Instagram), it is truly outstanding. In this Allez complicates Cincy pizza rankings: While @allezbakery is not a pizze…

Located on 1208 Springfield Pike in stately Wyoming (‘The Brooklyn of Northwest Hamilton County’), Twelve08 is a wood-fired pizzeria that recently celebrated its 4.5 week anniversary. The first thing you notice…

Mad Anthony’s Pizza (Covington, KY) General “Mad” Anthony Wayne earned his nickname from his battlefield aggression and a refusal to compromise. According to DC Comics, one of his direct decendents is the elusi…

The Cincy pizza scene has been booming in recent years, such that I think the top places match up well with the best nationally. One style that’s a challenge though is your classic New York by-the-slice: pre-ba…

This is a cozy neighborhood carryout located in picturesque Oakley, which among other things specializes in fresh baked bread. Last weekend, I carried out a focaccia slice and a piece of pepperoni bread. The ‘p…

This Evendale pizzeria has been at the top of my to-try list since before it opened, so I was glad to finally visit recently. Decored as a classic New York slice shop, @mytrophypizza serves two styles: New York…

A pizza truck that frequently pops up around downtown and various breweries/cideries, Wildfire produces 12” wood fired pies. The dough is cold fermented for at least 24 hours and then cooked (quickly) at 900 de…

A Neapolitan-ish coal-fired pizza, featuring leopard spotted crust, and located within @hoppinvines. In my experience, coal-fired pizza is pretty much always great. The earliest American pizzerias were coal-fir…

A well-named Neapolitan pizzeria in Milford. We tried three pizzas at Joe’s: the Pepperoni (naturally), the Viva Las Vegas (an award winner from the Vegas Pizza Expo @pizzaexpo, which is quite a big deal), and…

Great to see Trenton Tomato Pies in Cincinnati! Crispy thin crust with the sauce on top. Reminiscent of @delorenzos_tomato_pies

The ‘Lotta Trotta’ (with half pepperoni) is a pan pizza intended for 10-12 people …but is it actually enough Trotta? @trottaspizza is a storied Cincy Pizzeria; you probably recall it won Cincinnati Magazine’s b…

This Walnut Hills wood-fired pizzeria is built into an old Cincinnati firehouse designed by the great local architect Samuel Hannaford in 1869. @firesidepizzawh opened here in 2014 & I’ve been a number of times…

Whether we remain the ash or become the Phoenix is up to each of us. After two years of dormancy, this Newport pizzeria has chosen the route of the Greek Phoenix, gloriously emerging from the ashes of Monmouth…

Continuing an epicurean exploration of Cincinnati’s burgeoning New York style pizza scene, I visited @latenightslice in Over-the-Rhine yesterday. I have a history with Mikey’s: I first…

This pizza truck regularly pops-up at local breweries, primarily @streetsidebrewery (where they serve on Mondays) & @listermannbrewing (where we caught them). Sidenote: Listermann is an excellent spot to try a…

Possible there was too much pepperoni on this one? The fault would be mine in ordering a custom double pepperoni with fresh mozzarella - The oversized toppings were at some risk of sliding off, so it was perhap…

When @deweyspizza first opened in Oakley in 1998, it significantly elevated Cincinnati’s pizza scene. At the time, Cincy pizza was dominated by LaRosa’s and national chains like Pizza Hut…

Chicago Style Deep-Dish pizza in Cincinnati’s Northside neighborhood. ~300 miles from Chicago, Cincinnati (like many Midwestern cities) features an assortment of mediocre deep dish pizzerias (often featuring wa…

An Americanized Neapolitan pizzeria in Ft Mitchell, Camporosso offers two styles: Neapolitan wood-fired pizza and ‘American’ New York-ish gas oven pizza. Pictured is the ‘American’. The crust is more airy/bubbl…

On a snowy day, what could be better than some Past(a) + (P)izza? i.e. “Pastizza.” This New York-style pizzeria just opened in Madeira in November, and we were able to try a few takeout pies during Thanksgiving…

A “Goetta Grip” pizza topped with crumbled Goetta sausage & Grippos BBQ potato chips (the world’s greatest potato chip), available at this brewery+circus+Neapolitan pizza mashup. Bircus’s full circus brewery is…

This New York style pizzeria is located onsite at @16lotsbrewing in picturesque Mason, Ohio. @madmonkspizza serves a quite thin style pizza, with a crisp bottom and a chewy interior. The lightly charred crust,…

a cartoonishly oversized (two plate) New York slice, with the chewy foldable crust you look for in that style

The ‘Perfect Pepperoni’ 16” pizza represents a grease-forward New York-ish style pie. Note what’s left on the plate after just one slice in my 3rd pic. The sauce is mildly spicy although fairly minimal. Instead…

New York style pizza from a new restaurant in an old Italianate building in Bellevue (the former Virgil’s). When a restaurant is run by engaged onsite owners who really seem to care, the difference is palpable…

A Sicilian pan fried pizza with oversized pepperoni (jalapeños added for perspective) and a sauce with a hint of spice. Adriatico’s, a Cincy-favorite since 1974, delivers to Rhinegeist Brewery and fortunately t…

Tony’s Pizzeria (Mason) – Walking the Mason concrete boardwalk, I was drawn to @tonyspizzeriaandcatering by its “A Taste of Jersey” mural. I had recently been to a Mason pizzeria most notable for its stylized b…

Doughy Cheesy Midwest pizza - it always hits the spot! Baked using a pizza screen - It’s essentially a better version of the “hand-tossed” pizza seen at chains, with a buttery Parmesan-encrusted crust. Pictured…

Located on Queen City Avenue in the northern outskirts of South Fairmont (Cincinnati’s ‘Little Italy’), Queen City Pizza feels like an old school throwback. Before all the glitzy pizza trends of recent decades,…

“Brewery Pizza” - isn’t it great? Brewery pizza embodies a distinctly American multicultural synthesis: Italian culinary tradition reinterpreted with extra cheese, German brewing heritage filtered through compe…

This is an old “honky-tonk” on River Road, a few miles west of downtown Cincinnati that boasts the “Tri-State’s Best Pizza”. In my experience, old honkytonks are not traditionally known for their pizzaioli & an…

Greasy foldable NY pizza, overloaded with cheese - note how the cheese overhangs off the side when you fold a slice. The crust could have a bit more flavor, but it’s still a true crowd pleaser.

Like most people, when I hear “bourbon house” I think of Chicago Deep Dish pizza. Somewhat unexpectedly, there’s a cluster of good deep dish places in Northern Ky - After all who doesn’t enjoy a giant cheese ca…

A remarkably thick slab of focaccia topped with melted cheese and roasted tomatoes. Pleasantly airy, but in essence a substantial hunk of well-made bakery bread.

Straddling the edge of stately Old Milford, just off the Loveland bike trail, and overlooking the Little Miami River is this brick (gas) oven brewery pizzeria. Little Miami’s style might be described a thick he…

Some trivia night pizza in Cincinnati’s oldest neighborhood: Columbia-Tusculum (Sidenote: I love the early Cincinnatian tendency to evoke republican Rome). The East End’s @localpostcincy is an early 1900s post…

I recently attended a “Veracity” comedy show at @improvcincinnati. In this show series, sketches are improvised based on the stories told by a guest speaker. This particular event featured Cincy’s food etymolog…

This German-named Green Township pizzeria (on Werk Road) split off from the Mio's chain in 2007. Werkhaus's specialty is a Chicago-style stuffed pizza. Stuffed pizza is the peak of Chicago style excess, being e…

A 16” Double Pepperoni Pizza in Mt Lookout, featuring extra pepperoni and extra cheese. I’d last been to Ramundos in 2010 to try their 26” pizza challenge (scroll to the far right to see those results). The piz…

This Norwood pizzeria was opened in 1956 by the DeLuca family, recent immigrants from southern Italy who named their restaurant “Sorrento’s Pizza” after the Campanian town. The pizzeria suffered a truly tragic…

The nice folks at @foureg (the brain-trust behind @keystonebar, @igbys, @rosedaleotr, etc) invited us to the grand opening of their new cocktail bar / pizzeria at the Banks yesterday. @killerqueencin’s minimali…

Being perhaps a better pizza/architecture nerd than speller, I was very excited to visit *Italianate Pizza*. A pizzeria dedicated to Cincinnati’s outstanding stock of 19th century Italianate architecture might…

Incline Public House emphasizes its brick-oven pizzas, which it calls “Wood Stone pizzas.” As far as I can tell, this means the pizzas are baked in a gas oven made by the Wood Stone Corporation. Nothi…

A very thick, bready focaccia with a generous amount of cheese and a pesto-based topping. The dough has large, irregular air pockets and is clearly well made, although a rather pale one.

Il Gusto (“The Taste”) is a straightforward New York-style pizzeria offering pizza, stromboli, calzoni, insalati, and subs. With its steady flow of Deer Parkian customers, it’s clear @il.gustopizza has quickly…

Italian for “My Own Pizzeria” Mio’s is a five location Cincy chain founded in 1975. They are know for their stuffed pizza (which I’ll cover in a future review) and overstuffed calzones, but here I had the “orig…

The Masons, who it is said used secret knowledge to construct wonders like the Great Pyramid & Solomon’s Temple, turned their attention to constructing the perfect pizza (pie-ramid?) in 2015 opening Two Cities…

Some of the best pizza you can get in a casino

This Ft Thomas spin-off of the “OG” @padrinoitalian in Milford specializes in thin crust pizza. I like the subtle Godfather reference, ‘Il Padrino’ being Italian for ‘The Godfather’ (a 10/10 film). I’ve been to…

I am a big fan of Jungle Jim’s International Market on Route 4, and naturally I also enjoy trying unfamiliar pizzerias. Combining the two activities seems like a perfect idea. The results, unfortunat…

Riverfront Pizza and Sports Bar is a 25-year-old neighborhood sports bar in Covington, located in the same parking lot as a popular Waffle House. Its website claims that the menu “specializes in gourm…

Steelers bar pizza...