A Guide To The Best Pizza In The Queen City

Pizza is the ultimate crowd pleaser. Whether you’re going on a date, throwing a party, or looking to sober up after a night out, pizza is the answer. New York and Chicago may be know for it’s pizza styles but Cincinnati has some incredible places to get an amazing slice of pizza. I once spent an entire summer looking for the best pizza in the city so I am more than qualified to take you on this journey and be your guide for the best pizza in the Queen City.

1. A Tavola Bar and Trattoria

Everything from this place is outstanding, this place aims to mirror that of trattorias in Italy and they nail it with their cuisine and atmosphere. They serve classic Italian foods and although their pasta is delicious, you can’t come here and not try their pizza. The pizzas are not your traditional cheese or pepperoni, these are flavorful and cooked in a wood fire oven. Their pizzas range from fig and proscuitto to margarita to a brussel sprout pizza. Other than the margarita pizza, I’ve never seen this combination of pizzas anywhere other than when I was in Italy. They truly have nailed the Italian cuisine and their pizzas are the most similar to the ones I had in Italy and just as delicious. Their combinations may seem odd but once you try it you’ll be glad you did. While you’re there order a spritz and end your evening with a gelato for a true Italian experience. They have on their website about their food that “We make it just like your grandma would, and just like your grandma we care about what you eat and drink.” And if the delicious food wasn’t enough incentive that adorable mindset they have should make you run to either of their locations.

2. LaRosa’s Pizzeria

What is Cincinnati food without Skyline and LaRosa’s? I don’t know, but I also don’t want to know. LaRosa’s pizza is as classic of a food to Cincinnati as is the coneys. LaRosa’s has some very intense fans but there’s also a debate in Cincinnati over the sauce they use on their pizza and if you don’t like the sauce I m here to tell you that you’re wrong. The sauce is a bit sweeter than most pizza sauces but it pairs well with their unique crust and the mounds of perfectly melted cheese. For those who truly won’t eat their pizza because of the sauce, there are plenty of pizzas on their menu without the sauce. Including a pizza that uses Montgomery Inn Barbecue Sauce. It’s definitely unique from any other pizza in the area but its many locations makes it easy to grab some anytime you want high quality pizza but still the convenience of a big chain. They too serve other Italian foods but at their fast casual dining restaurants, their pizza is what they’re known for.

3. Strong’s Brick Oven Pizza

Strong’s like A Tavola uses an unconventional oven to cook their pizza, but when you eat it you know it pays off. Strong’s uses a brick oven to cook their pizza so waiting for a pizza may take a little bit longer than the “thirty minutes or less” pizza chains but every minute you wait you’ll know it was worth it. They offer traditional Italian pizzas like Margarita and a vodka sauce pizza, called Pizza Alla Vodka which has prosciutto and spinach. They also offer traditional American favorites like an all meet and all veggie pizzas. They are a fairly young pizza joint but they have three locations, two in Northern Kentucky and one in Indiana. Their Newport, KY location has brought many across the river from Cincinnati for their delicious pizza.

4. Newport Pizza Company

Also located right across the river in Newport, KY is Newport Pizza Company. Newport Pizza specializes in pizzas you’d never think existed. They have some crazy combinations on their pizzas but every one of them is worth a try. They stack the ingredients on these pizzas, making sure every pizza has more to it than just plain old cheese. They don’t skimp when it comes to toppings. They’ve got Buffalo Chicken Pizza, Pesto Pizza, BBQ Chicken Pizza, A Country Club Sandwich Pizza, Meatball Pizza, Greek Pizza, Veggie Pizza but most importantly they have a Skyline Chili Pizza. Yes, you read that correctly, they have a pizza that has cream cheese, skyline chili and cheese. It is the single greatest invention to come to Cincinnati pizza, thus it was named Cincinnatus. This pizza is next level and everyone deserves to try it. If you’re coming to Cincinnati you have to hop the river for the ultimate Cincinnati pizza experience.

5. Dewey’s Pizza

Dewey’s although a chain outside of the Cincinnati area has earned its spot in this list for the sheer quality of every single pizza they produce. It’s actually impossible for them to make a bad pizza. The love for Dewey’s starts at a young age when you visit one of their restaurants and you can watch them make pizza through the clear glass and laugh when they throw flower at the window. You’re entranced with them and the obsession doesn’t end with adulthood, it simply grows.

Dewey’s offers a huge selection of specialty pizzas but I have never left here with that gross pizza feeling of grease and regret of eating too much. Their ingredients are very fresh and you can tell with each bite. Although they are on this list for incredible pizza, I’d be remised if I didn’t mention their salads, which are single handily the best salads in the world. Better than Panera or any other bistro place you could think of. Their house salad can make any salad hater change their option, and like their pizza they are fresh and very well made.

6. Goodfella’s Pizza

Goodfella’s has become a staple of bar life in Cincinnati. In fact, the only reason I go out to bars anymore is so that I can get a slice of Goodfella’s at the end of the night. It makes the loud music, long bathroom lines, and overpriced White Claws all worth it. When you walk inside of goodfellas you’ll probably be greeted with a line. Stay in line. I cannot emphasize enough that that line is there because this pizza is about to change your life.

You can order a full pizza with countless options but what’s even more popular here is their pizza by the slice. There’s nothing cooler than going into a goodfellas at 1am not knowing what pizzas were created and are just waiting there for you. I’ve gone in and they have a broccoli cheddar, spinach and mushroom, pepperoni and pesto. The chefs here are creative and will play around with different ingredients and you are lucky enough to order them. The slices they serve are massive, so you only need one and sometimes you can even share that slice with a friend, but once you taste it, you won’t want to.