Dewey’s Pizza

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 (a vaguely Hawaiian-looking institution from Wichita, Kansas, for which I retain considerable nostalgia). There were very good neighborhood pizzerias, including @trottaspizza, @adriaticosclifton, and Pomodori’s, but with its creative offerings and ingredients Dewey’s offered a more ambitious pizza experience.

Founder Andrew DeWitt had worked at @pagliaccipizza in Seattle, which I ate many times during my Seattle days. There’s a family resemblance, although Pagliacci strikes me as closer to traditional New York-style pizza.

As much as I like Dewey’s topping combinations, the crust is what interests me. The pies share the broad, hand-tossed shape and thin center of New York pizza, but the texture is quite different. A proper New York slice should have a crisp, well-browned bottom with some char, a soft interior, and just the right chew. Dewey’s is exceptionally doughy, with a pillowy rim and a soft, almost bread-like interior. Baked (now) in a Hot Rocks conveyor oven, the crust gets lightly browned without much blistering, char, or crispness underneath. It’s closer to the gently baked conveyor-belt pizzas found throughout the Midwest.

I’ve encountered this doughy, nominally New York-style pizza all over the region. I call it “Midwest Style New York Style Pizza.” Dewey’s may well be the finest practitioner of this particular art form anywhere in the world.

Importantly, the dough tastes good. It’s flavorful, and that pillowy texture is satisfying in its own way.

I think Dewey’s was #1 on my first ranking of Cincinnati pizzerias, circa 2008 (maybe I’ll republish it someday). I’ve eaten there many times since, and still enjoy it. It borrows the shape of New York pizza, but to me it’s distinctly Midwestern: doughy, generously topped, and flavorful.

A double pepperoni with fresh mozzarella (currently a build-your-own, but I very humbly suggest it be added to the permanent menu as the “Joey Pepperoni”). The style of Dewey’s pizza is fairly unique and I would describe it as a doughy Midwestern take on New York style pizza. The crust is generally less well-done (lightly browned with no char), doughy / soft, and has a nice flavor.

I will also say that Dewey’s is probably the most important pizzeria in Cincinnati: In a city where a pseudo-pizzeria named LaRosas long dominated, the emergence of Dewey’s in the late 90s represented a true paradigm shift in Cincy pizza quality. Through the various pizza trends (Neapolitan, various types of wood-fired, Apizza, Detroit-style, etc), Dewey’s has continued to thrive as a high quality pizzeria with a distinctive style.