Day 27b, 2025: DiCarlo's Pizza (Columbus, OH)

   

exterior

DAY 27: OCTOBER 27th, 2025 - Part 2

LOCATION: DiCarlo's Pizza (15 E 2nd Ave, Columbus, OH 43201)

GUEST(S): Scott Wiener, Robin Rothman, Eidref Laxa, Paulie Gee

ORDER: 1 cut of Original (with cold pepperoni)

REVIEW: 

The face of the Ohio Valley pizza style. In 1945, Primo DiCarlo returned home from World War II to Steubenville, Ohio, eager to recreate the pizza he’d fallen for in Italy. Working out of his family’s bakery — not yet a pizzeria — he began experimenting. What came out of that oven wasn’t quite Italian… it was something brand new. And thus, Ohio Valley–style pizza was born. DiCarlo’s Bakery became the accidental birthplace of a local legend. The family recipe eventually spun off into what is now DiCarlo’s Pizza, the pizzeria chain proudly carrying on Primo’s unintentional invention. So what makes Ohio Valley pizza so unique? Each slice starts with a square, medium-thick crust that’s baked with tomato sauce and a dusting of cheese only. Once it’s out of the oven, that’s when the fun begins — fresh provolone cheese and toppings are layered on cold. Yep, post-bake. No second trip through the oven, no bubbling cheese, just pure juxtaposition: warm, crunchy crust meets cool, creamy cheese. The first bite is a sensory plot twist — crispy bottom like a De Lorenzo’s Tomato Pie, topped with soft, half-melted cheese that keeps you coming back for another square. If you’re new to the style, start simple. I recommend bringing a friend and sharing a box of six slices of the “Original” with just extra cheese. You’ll taste exactly why this unintentional innovation has been winning over Ohioans for generations. Thank you, DiCarlo’s — both bakery and pizzeria — for turning a happy accident into a whole new style of pizza.


PHOTOS:

interior

menu board

kitchen

"Box" of 6 slices

slice of original with pepperoni

underside

Day 27

VIDEO:

link: https://www.tiktok.com/@31daysofpizza/video/7571318537663417631

MISCELLANEOUS:

Scott Wiener, Robin Rothman, Sean Taylor

1. Robin Rothman and I love dark chocolate and pistachio at Jeni's Ice Cream.

Eidref Laxa, Scott Wiener, Paulie Gee, Robin Rothman, Sean Taylor

2. After two days of non-stop pizza, pizza freaks Eidref Laxa, Scott Wiener, Paulie Gee, Robin Rothman and I piled into Paulie's car and got a non-pizza dinner at Lindey's. 

RATING:

 4.58/5

• VALUE:
   4.5/5


• AMBIENCE:
   2.5/3


• TASTE:
   9.5/10


• SERVICE: N/A

16.5/18 = .917 x 5 = 4.58