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25 Essential Cincinnati Pizzerias You Should Have Tried By Now

By on Fri, Feb 8, 2019 at 7:57 pm

Ask any person what their favorite food is, and one of the top answers is likely to be “pizza.” Not only because pizza is delicious, but also because it’s ubiquitous in the American diet, has many subsects from which to choose (New York-style, Neapolitan, pizza rolls, etc.) and can please just about every diner, from babies to foodies and college bros to paleo people (there are now cauliflower-crust pizzas in your grocer’s freezer). Pizza is a great equalizer. It’s round. It’s shareable. It’s a communal convenience food and one of the first innovative meals to be delivered directly to your home. Way before UberEATS, there were pizza delivery guys saving dinnertime for busy families and babysitters everywhere. The Queen City has plenty to offer on the pizza front, and we put together this slideshow to highlight some of those options for you fine Cincinnatians. We may not have covered all of them, but this is a great jumping off point for 'za lovers across the region.
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Two Cities Pizza Company 202 W. Main St., Mason New York City and Chicago are well-known for several things. But most importantly, each city is known for a particular style of pizza. Now, you don’t have to travel further than Mason to get a taste of both. Two Cities Pizza Company, a dining destination housed in Mason’s former city hall — with a bit of an Art Deco nightclub rebrand — closes the chasm between the dueling pizza metropolises. Go classic and grab a Windy City with sausage, onion, green pepper and chunky tomato; and the Marathoner NYC-style margherita. In addition to pizza, they offer tempting best-of-both-worlds street food from each city, like a Chicago dog with all the fixings (no ketchup; add celery salt) or a New York dog with brown mustard and sauerkraut. Photo via Facebook.com/TwoCitiesPizza

Two Cities Pizza Company

202 W. Main St., Mason
New York City and Chicago are well-known for several things. But most importantly, each city is known for a particular style of pizza. Now, you don’t have to travel further than Mason to get a taste of both. Two Cities Pizza Company, a dining destination housed in Mason’s former city hall — with a bit of an Art Deco nightclub rebrand — closes the chasm between the dueling pizza metropolises. Go classic and grab a Windy City with sausage, onion, green pepper and chunky tomato; and the Marathoner NYC-style margherita. In addition to pizza, they offer tempting best-of-both-worlds street food from each city, like a Chicago dog with all the fixings (no ketchup; add celery salt) or a New York dog with brown mustard and sauerkraut.
Photo via Facebook.com/TwoCitiesPizza
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Joe’s Pizza Napoli 507 Chamber Drive, Milford Tucked away in the Cincinnati suburbs, Joe’s Pizza Napoli reaffirms faith in the Old World — in the value of utilizing traditional methods to prepare a meal — and it is a worth-the-drive dining destination no matter where you live in the city. Naples has strict guidelines for how pizza is made in their traditional style — 100-percent wood fired, certain ingredients, certain procedures. The characteristics of Neapolitan pizza include hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes; mozzarella cheese; a dough comprised of water, fresh yeast, flour (Caputo, a very fine 00 grit in this case); and salt. The hydration level on Joe’s pizza is about 60 percent. Everything is made fresh every day and owner Joe Nunner is proud not to have a freezer or a microwave anywhere in the kitchen. Along with his masterful pizzas (both red and white varieties), there are green salads, calzones, meatballs and cannelloni. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Joe’s Pizza Napoli

507 Chamber Drive, Milford
Tucked away in the Cincinnati suburbs, Joe’s Pizza Napoli reaffirms faith in the Old World — in the value of utilizing traditional methods to prepare a meal — and it is a worth-the-drive dining destination no matter where you live in the city. Naples has strict guidelines for how pizza is made in their traditional style — 100-percent wood fired, certain ingredients, certain procedures. The characteristics of Neapolitan pizza include hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes; mozzarella cheese; a dough comprised of water, fresh yeast, flour (Caputo, a very fine 00 grit in this case); and salt. The hydration level on Joe’s pizza is about 60 percent. Everything is made fresh every day and owner Joe Nunner is proud not to have a freezer or a microwave anywhere in the kitchen. Along with his masterful pizzas (both red and white varieties), there are green salads, calzones, meatballs and cannelloni.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger
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Strong’s Brick Oven Pizzeria 336 Monmouth St., Newport, Ky. The eatery’s signature Pizza Alla Vodka is a must-order every time you go. The dough is thin with beautiful, crisp air pockets that bulge out of the golden, charred and chewy crust. The toppings are tossed deliberately but asymmetrically, rustic in every sense. This goldmine of flavors combines creamy sauce with mushrooms, spinach and the salty-sweet prosciutto di Parma. There is no such thing as leftovers with this pizza. Photo: Khoi Nguyen

Strong’s Brick Oven Pizzeria

336 Monmouth St., Newport, Ky.
The eatery’s signature Pizza Alla Vodka is a must-order every time you go. The dough is thin with beautiful, crisp air pockets that bulge out of the golden, charred and chewy crust. The toppings are tossed deliberately but asymmetrically, rustic in every sense. This goldmine of flavors combines creamy sauce with mushrooms, spinach and the salty-sweet prosciutto di Parma. There is no such thing as leftovers with this pizza.
Photo: Khoi Nguyen
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Taft’s Brewpourium 4831 Spring Grove Ave., Spring Grove Village An extension of Over-the-Rhine’s Taft’s Ale House, the Brewpourium is fitted with all of Taft’s top beers, New Haven-style “apizza” and enough televisions to satisfy all of Cincinnati’s sports fans. Apizza is a crispy, coal-fired version of Neapolitan pizza that originated in Connecticut, which the Brewpourium opted to serve over other styles (e.g. New York, Chicago) because William Howard Taft — former president, Cincinnati native and brewery namesake — went to Yale in New Haven. The dough is made with filtered water and flour imported from Italy, and toppings range from classic white clam to a BBQ Pork Pie. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Taft’s Brewpourium

4831 Spring Grove Ave., Spring Grove Village
An extension of Over-the-Rhine’s Taft’s Ale House, the Brewpourium is fitted with all of Taft’s top beers, New Haven-style “apizza” and enough televisions to satisfy all of Cincinnati’s sports fans. Apizza is a crispy, coal-fired version of Neapolitan pizza that originated in Connecticut, which the Brewpourium opted to serve over other styles (e.g. New York, Chicago) because William Howard Taft — former president, Cincinnati native and brewery namesake — went to Yale in New Haven. The dough is made with filtered water and flour imported from Italy, and toppings range from classic white clam to a BBQ Pork Pie.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger
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A Tavola Bar + Trattoria 1220 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine Armed with a pizza oven from Naples, Italy, A Tavola strikes a resounding chord of authenticity while redefining the perfect pie. Their playful selection of signature pizzas — such as the Fig + Prosciutto, Sweet Pea + Bacon or Sausage + Sage — are a blend of the familiar coupled with the exotic. Whet your appetite with their stuffed dates, filled with house sausage, wrapped in smoky bacon and topped with tomato sauce, or share a plate of Tagliatelle al Ragu. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

A Tavola Bar + Trattoria

1220 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine
Armed with a pizza oven from Naples, Italy, A Tavola strikes a resounding chord of authenticity while redefining the perfect pie. Their playful selection of signature pizzas — such as the Fig + Prosciutto, Sweet Pea + Bacon or Sausage + Sage — are a blend of the familiar coupled with the exotic. Whet your appetite with their stuffed dates, filled with house sausage, wrapped in smoky bacon and topped with tomato sauce, or share a plate of Tagliatelle al Ragu.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger
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Trotta’s Pizza & Drive-Thru 3501 Werk Road, Western Hills A beverage drive-thru with above-average pizza, including the Lotta Trotta big-ass pie, available in a variety of interesting topping combinations: the Salami Roll-Up (salami, cream cheese, cheddar cheese and provolone), Chili Pizza (chili and cheddar cheese) and Hot Wing (hot wing sauce, bits of blue cheese, chicken and provolone). Photo: Devin Luginbill

Trotta’s Pizza & Drive-Thru

3501 Werk Road, Western Hills
A beverage drive-thru with above-average pizza, including the Lotta Trotta big-ass pie, available in a variety of interesting topping combinations: the Salami Roll-Up (salami, cream cheese, cheddar cheese and provolone), Chili Pizza (chili and cheddar cheese) and Hot Wing (hot wing sauce, bits of blue cheese, chicken and provolone).
Photo: Devin Luginbill
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Camporosso 2475 Dixie Hwy., Ft. Mitchell, Ky. This wood-fired pizza destination in Northern Kentucky is a neighborhood hang in a converted auto shop. Enjoy Italian-American classics and crusty Neapolitan-style pizzas topped with options ranging from sopressata and local hot honey to four cheeses. The American-style pies are more traditional. Photo: Emerson Swoger

Camporosso

2475 Dixie Hwy., Ft. Mitchell, Ky.
This wood-fired pizza destination in Northern Kentucky is a neighborhood hang in a converted auto shop. Enjoy Italian-American classics and crusty Neapolitan-style pizzas topped with options ranging from sopressata and local hot honey to four cheeses. The American-style pies are more traditional.
Photo: Emerson Swoger
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Goodfellas Pizzeria 1211 Main St., Over-the-Rhine / 603 Main St., Covington, Ky. The place to be when you stumble out of the bar at 2 a.m. (or for lunch), Goodfellas makes their dough fresh every morning and their sauce in-house. They also offer subs, calzones and a multitude of delectable dipping sauces. A bourbon bar is upstairs. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Goodfellas Pizzeria

1211 Main St., Over-the-Rhine / 603 Main St., Covington, Ky.
The place to be when you stumble out of the bar at 2 a.m. (or for lunch), Goodfellas makes their dough fresh every morning and their sauce in-house. They also offer subs, calzones and a multitude of delectable dipping sauces. A bourbon bar is upstairs.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger
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Harvest Pizzeria 1739 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine Harvest Pizzeria pizzas have a magically crunchy-yet-chewy and light-but-substantial crust with gourmet toppings like fennel sausage, almond pesto and vegan chorizo; the menu is rounded out by yummy small plates, salads and burgers — the whipped cheese, cherry tomato and candied prosciutto bruschetta is almost good enough to fight over. Also try the buttermilk-fried pickles with zesty remoulade. They’re addictive. Photo: Brittany Thornton

Harvest Pizzeria

1739 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine
Harvest Pizzeria pizzas have a magically crunchy-yet-chewy and light-but-substantial crust with gourmet toppings like fennel sausage, almond pesto and vegan chorizo; the menu is rounded out by yummy small plates, salads and burgers — the whipped cheese, cherry tomato and candied prosciutto bruschetta is almost good enough to fight over. Also try the buttermilk-fried pickles with zesty remoulade. They’re addictive.
Photo: Brittany Thornton
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Incline Public House 2601 W. 8th St., Price Hill Incline Public House is not specifically a pizzeria but the pizzas coming out of their Price Hill kitchen are damn good. For $3, you can substitute a gluten-free crust on any of their pies, like the Prosciutto Fig with fig jam, prosciutto, caramelized onions and goat cheese, finished with an arugula topper. Photo via Facebook.com/InclinePublicHouse

Incline Public House

2601 W. 8th St., Price Hill
Incline Public House is not specifically a pizzeria but the pizzas coming out of their Price Hill kitchen are damn good. For $3, you can substitute a gluten-free crust on any of their pies, like the Prosciutto Fig with fig jam, prosciutto, caramelized onions and goat cheese, finished with an arugula topper.
Photo via Facebook.com/InclinePublicHouse
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Fireside Pizza 773 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills Since opening a brick-and-mortar version of their popular wood-fired pizza cart last year, Fireside Pizza has been able to attract a crowd. With the family-friendly vibe, old-school Ms. Pac-Man game and the fact that it’s located inside an actual historic firehouse, Fireside’s appeal transcends its nicely singed wood-fired pizzas. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Fireside Pizza

773 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills
Since opening a brick-and-mortar version of their popular wood-fired pizza cart last year, Fireside Pizza has been able to attract a crowd. With the family-friendly vibe, old-school Ms. Pac-Man game and the fact that it’s located inside an actual historic firehouse, Fireside’s appeal transcends its nicely singed wood-fired pizzas.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger
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Mac’s Pizza Pub 205 W. McMillan St., Clifton; 6309 Wooster Pike, Mariemont; 2920 W. US-22, Maineville; 604 Main St., Covington, Ky., It’s kind of a collegiate Chuck E. Cheese. There are games, live music, sports and food — good food with vegan options. They make their own dough and pizza sauce in-house, hand-shred the cheese and use fresh and locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. Mac’s pizza has won numerous awards, and the rest of its menu — which consists of plenty of pub grub — ain’t too shabby, either. Photo: Patty Salas

Mac’s Pizza Pub

205 W. McMillan St., Clifton; 6309 Wooster Pike, Mariemont; 2920 W. US-22, Maineville; 604 Main St., Covington, Ky.,
It’s kind of a collegiate Chuck E. Cheese. There are games, live music, sports and food — good food with vegan options. They make their own dough and pizza sauce in-house, hand-shred the cheese and use fresh and locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. Mac’s pizza has won numerous awards, and the rest of its menu — which consists of plenty of pub grub — ain’t too shabby, either.
Photo: Patty Salas
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The Kitchen Factory 1609 Chase Ave., Northside This petite Northside pizza shop actually has a hole in the wall for people dining on the go in addition to their minimal seating. They offer late-night bites, pizza by the slice and cater to vegans, vegetarians and meat-eaters. Photo: Emerson Swoger

The Kitchen Factory

1609 Chase Ave., Northside
This petite Northside pizza shop actually has a hole in the wall for people dining on the go in addition to their minimal seating. They offer late-night bites, pizza by the slice and cater to vegans, vegetarians and meat-eaters.
Photo: Emerson Swoger
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Ramundo’s 2210 Beechmont Ave., Mount Washington Try the pizza challenge — two people, 10 minutes, one 26-inch pizza. Winners get their photo on the wall. Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Ramundo’s

2210 Beechmont Ave., Mount Washington
Try the pizza challenge — two people, 10 minutes, one 26-inch pizza. Winners get their photo on the wall.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger
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The Gruff 129 E. 2nd St., Covington, Ky. The Gruff is a gourmet market/deli, a bar and a pizzeria/restaurant all working in tandem. The restaurant does brick-oven pizzas, salads and hot and cold sandwiches, with Graeter’s ice cream and Covington’s Piebird pies and milkshakes for dessert. The pickle fries appetizer is crunchy with housemade dipping sauce, and the set of nine deviled eggs is truly enough to satisfy any paprika-sprinkled craving. You can even order food and beer through the drive-thru. Photo via Facebook.com/AtTheGruff

The Gruff

129 E. 2nd St., Covington, Ky.
The Gruff is a gourmet market/deli, a bar and a pizzeria/restaurant all working in tandem. The restaurant does brick-oven pizzas, salads and hot and cold sandwiches, with Graeter’s ice cream and Covington’s Piebird pies and milkshakes for dessert. The pickle fries appetizer is crunchy with housemade dipping sauce, and the set of nine deviled eggs is truly enough to satisfy any paprika-sprinkled craving. You can even order food and beer through the drive-thru.
Photo via Facebook.com/AtTheGruff
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Dewey’s Pizza 3014 Madison Road, Oakley / 7767 Kenwood Road, Kenwood / Newport on the Levee, Newport, Ky. A hip neighborhood pizza chain with craft beers, seasonal salads, specialty toppings and a window where kids (and adults) can watch the pizzas being hand-tossed. Photo: Provided

Dewey’s Pizza

3014 Madison Road, Oakley / 7767 Kenwood Road, Kenwood / Newport on the Levee, Newport, Ky.
A hip neighborhood pizza chain with craft beers, seasonal salads, specialty toppings and a window where kids (and adults) can watch the pizzas being hand-tossed.
Photo: Provided
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Adriatico’s 113 W. McMillan St., Clifton Adriatico’s has a huge draft beer selection and 64-ounce growlers to go, plus spicy, garlicky sauce, oversized pepperonis and the super-thick crust that their pizzas are known for. Good luck finding calzones like theirs, too. It’s “madness” every Monday and Tuesday with specials that the college kids can’t turn down. The Bearcat pizza will feed your entire party. Photo via Facebook.com/Adriaticos

Adriatico’s

113 W. McMillan St., Clifton
Adriatico’s has a huge draft beer selection and 64-ounce growlers to go, plus spicy, garlicky sauce, oversized pepperonis and the super-thick crust that their pizzas are known for. Good luck finding calzones like theirs, too. It’s “madness” every Monday and Tuesday with specials that the college kids can’t turn down. The Bearcat pizza will feed your entire party.
Photo via Facebook.com/Adriaticos
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Catch-A-Fire Pizza 3301 Madison Road, Oakley Starting out as a food truck, Catch-A-Fire Pizza has been serving all of Cincinnati and beyond since 2013. They offer more than eight sauces, eight cheeses (including dairy free!), over 25 toppings and 20 specialty pizzas all served wood-fired on their special dough recipe. Photo via Facebook.com/CatchaFirePizza

Catch-A-Fire Pizza

3301 Madison Road, Oakley
Starting out as a food truck, Catch-A-Fire Pizza has been serving all of Cincinnati and beyond since 2013. They offer more than eight sauces, eight cheeses (including dairy free!), over 25 toppings and 20 specialty pizzas all served wood-fired on their special dough recipe.
Photo via Facebook.com/CatchaFirePizza
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Betta’s Italian Oven 3764 Montgomery Road, Norwood Plenty o’ choices here to give any local Italian chain a serious run for its money. Familiar favorites include antipasto, soups, salads and Italian and NYC-style sandwiches, but pizza is the real word. The wood-fired oven produces tasty, thin-crust pies like the Quattro Stagioni with kalamata olives, prosciutto, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, and breadsticks like the spicy pepperoni sticks. Photo via Facebook.com/BettasItalianRestaurant

Betta’s Italian Oven

3764 Montgomery Road, Norwood
Plenty o’ choices here to give any local Italian chain a serious run for its money. Familiar favorites include antipasto, soups, salads and Italian and NYC-style sandwiches, but pizza is the real word. The wood-fired oven produces tasty, thin-crust pies like the Quattro Stagioni with kalamata olives, prosciutto, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, and breadsticks like the spicy pepperoni sticks.
Photo via Facebook.com/BettasItalianRestaurant
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Mio’s Multiple Locations Mio’s has been around since 1975, making “stuffed pizzas” for more than 40 years. What’s a stuffed pizza, you ask? Good question. Basically a deep-dish pizza with a strange name — some of the restaurant’s menus actually list “deep dish” instead of the “stuffed crust” moniker to be less confusing. Whatever you call it, Mio’s thick crust pie is a delicious substitution for an actual deep-dish Chicago-style pizza that one can eat in Cincinnati. You can get thin-crust pizzas here (and calzones, salads, etc.), but why would you? Sure, the deep-dish pizzas take a little longer, but they’re worth the wait. Photo via Facebook.com/MiosPizzeria

Mio’s

Multiple Locations
Mio’s has been around since 1975, making “stuffed pizzas” for more than 40 years. What’s a stuffed pizza, you ask? Good question. Basically a deep-dish pizza with a strange name — some of the restaurant’s menus actually list “deep dish” instead of the “stuffed crust” moniker to be less confusing. Whatever you call it, Mio’s thick crust pie is a delicious substitution for an actual deep-dish Chicago-style pizza that one can eat in Cincinnati. You can get thin-crust pizzas here (and calzones, salads, etc.), but why would you? Sure, the deep-dish pizzas take a little longer, but they’re worth the wait.
Photo via Facebook.com/MiosPizzeria
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