Paulie Gee’s

I have long been a fan of Paul Giannone (“Paulie Gee”), who in 2010 gave up his office job to pursue his dream of opening a top tier pizzeria. In this he was quite successful & the original Paulie Gee’s in Greenpoint, Brooklyn is currently my highest rated review (from back in October 2022). So when I was in “Flavor Town” for a concert last weekend & had a hungry heart, I made some time to try their Columbus outpost: @pauliegeesshortnorth

Paulie Gee’s serves a Neapolitan style pizza. However, it is Neapolitan with some American (New York / New Jersey) influences. The crust is artfully charred with leopard spots on its puffy cornicione, like a typical Neapolitan pizza. However, the crust is crispier than the saggy knife & fork style that’s typical in the old country. The combo of fresh and aged mozzarella did not create that sogginess you sometimes see in Neapolitan, which drives some of the sag. Also, pizzas are cut into six slices here, which is clearly superior than the four slices (or uncut pizzas) you get in Naples. The result of all this is a “Neapolitan” slice you can hold/fold in one hand - New York style.

Needless to say, it was delicious. The crust was superb, the toppings well balanced, and the pepperoni appropriately cupped (#ronicups). Kudos to @pauliegee on maintaining quality at this outpost, which was clearly the best pizza I’ve had in Columbus. …Next, I’d love to see Mr Giannone experiment with Columbus style and Ohio Valley style pizza.