St Francis Apizza

@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 restaurant. For example, they updated their dough recipe earlier this year - making a re-review overdue. So, I was excited to try their new sit-down location in Oakley on Sunday (after all, pizza is best experienced fresh from the oven).

St Francis calls its apizza “East Coast style”. This is geographically appropriate. I would put the style somewhere between the charred chewy oblong “apizza” of New Haven (@frankpepepizza @sallysapizza) and a classic crisp foldable New York slice (some of my favorites are: @scarrspizza @cellosnyc @lindustriebk). This is a style many of NYC’s best “New Wave” pizzerias are exploring right now & I’d categorize St Francis among them - chef-driven, ingredient-precise, obsessed with baking process and technique in order to produce the perfect pizza.

On our Sunday visit, we tried two tavern style pizzas and one East Coast burrata margherita pizza. We also tried the “dip flight” - an excellent addition to the menu - especially for those who grew up with plastic cups of “garlic butter inspired” dip.

Focusing on the East Coast style, the crust at St Francis tells the whole story of what separates great pizza from good pizza. Texturally, it has a great balance of soft and airy on the inside, while crisp and artfully charred on the outside. It’s perhaps 20% chewier than a traditional New York slice, without being tough. More importantly, you could taste the depth that comes from their slow-fermentation process - complex, layered flavor that develops over careful rising.

The bottom line is St Francis transcends “great for Cincinnati” territory. Their pizza would be highly respected in New York’s unforgiving pizza landscape - no small claim. Their technique is in direct conversation with the best places in New York, treating pizza as living craft. A true gem for Cincinnati: @stfrancisapizza is highly recommended.