Cincinnati’s culinary scene is always perennially underrated, and that extends to our pizza.
There are plenty of longtime community staples (Trotta’s, Adriatico’s and the like), but it feels like our city’s pizza game has drastically leveled up in recent years. Here are five of my personal favorite spots for a pie in the area. As always, this is just my opinion — plenty of great restaurants I love aren’t on this list, and might pop up in a future article. The five spots listed below, however, are places I’d go back to again and again.
Trophy Pizza
Multiple locations in Evendale, Rookwood
The most authentic New York pizza you’ll find in the Queen City, Trophy’s slices are as big as your arm and sport the kind of crust that’s begging you to fold it in two. Co-owner Jim Rowe moved from Brooklyn to Cincinnati during the pandemic and eventually opened his own shop in Evendale in 2023. Since then, it’s become widely known all over town as the best place to have a small taste of the Big Apple. Their pan pizzas are pretty great, too.
Wayfarer Tavern
635 6th Ave, Dayton, KY
The region’s most eccentric pizza spot might also be its best. Owner Mike Dew once described the restaurant’s menu as “like if we were a nice steakhouse that served pizza instead of steak,” which seems accurate given that the restaurant serves oysters, French onion soup and wagyu beef carpaccio alongside its pizzas. Don’t think that the pizza isn’t the main focus, though. Wayfarer’s pizza is wholly unique, fusing Detroit and Midwest tavern-style pizzas together to create something you’re likely not going to find anywhere else in the country. Keep an eye out for their special collaborations with other restaurants, too; recently, a joint pie with Galactic Fried Chicken featured the restaurant’s own tenders, chipotle honey mustard, chicken skins and spice rubs with a confit garlic cream white sauce and a five-cheese blend.
Ramundo’s Pizzeria
Multiple locations; Mt. Washington, Mt. Lookout, Liberty Township
While it’s yet another New York-style spot, Ramundo’s should be on everyone’s go-to list thanks to what feels like a rarity in today’s economy: at each of their locations, you can get two gargantuan slices and a drink for ten bucks. Good luck finding a deal that cheap at any other by-the-slice spot around. The specialty pizzas are worth checking out, too, like the King Works — named after former NFL star, current NFL coach and Cincinnati-born Austin King — that features pepperoni, spicy sausage, mushrooms, fresh onion, green pepper, banana pepper, pineapple, smoked bacon and extra cheese.
Strong’s Brick Oven Pizzeria
Multiple locations; Newport, Florence, Reading, Cheviot, Lawrenceburg
The appeal of this one is in the name. Cooked Neapolitan-style in a brick oven, this regional chain has been transporting customers all over the Tri-State to Naples, Italy since the first location opened in Newport in 2012. Surprisingly, the brick ovens at Strong’s are gas-powered rather than wood-fired, which results in a crust that’s slightly softer than your average brick-oven pizza and — if you ask me — way more delicious.
Camporosso
247 Dixie Highway, Fort Mitchell, KY
This pizzeria — housed in an old gas station from 1934 — is all the way out in Fort Mitchell. Owners Eric and Amy Redfield (“red field” in Italian is “camporosso”) have stuffed two giant pizza ovens into the cozy space, which allows guests to sit at the bar with a glass of wine or bourbon as they watch their wood-fired pizzas get made from start to finish; if you’re the type that goes to Dewey’s and stares through the glass at the pizzaiolos, this is a thousand times more fun. Personally, I’m a big fan of their “All the Meat!” pie, which sports cup and char pepperoni, sausage, sopressata salami, applewood-smoked bacon and shredded mozzarella. And the restaurant regularly puts out dazzling dessert specials, like a recent puff pastry dish that was filled with ricotta cheesecake. Worth the trek out of the city? Absolutely.
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