Columbus Pizza Places Square Off
Perhaps you recognize this Columbus pizza problem: When texting friends about getting together for pizza night, the emoji doesn’t look like our style of slice. Granted, when people in most of the country think of pizza, they think of what pops up on your phone—a triangle cut capped off with a thick crust. But anyone who knows and loves pizza knows that the iconic slice is just one of many options out there. And anyone who really knows and loves pizza will make it their mission to try all of them. Nakimba Mullins is such a man.
In 2015, Mullins’ job had him traveling to the far corners of the city. “I would drive around the area and pick up a pizza everywhere I would stop. I figured I’d had every pizza place in Columbus,” he said. Heading down Main Street in Westerville one day, he discovered he’d been wrong when he saw someone walk out of an Italian restaurant with a pizza box. “I was, like, ‘Oh, they have pizza in there?’ ... That place really like stopped me.”
Realizing he’d overestimated his knowledge of local pizza spots, he had an idea. “I woke up the next morning, like, ‘You know something? I’m gonna start a group about this.’” He formed a Facebook group, invited his pizza-loving family members and co-workers, and told everyone to spread the word. The Pizza Connoisseurs of Columbus group kicked off with about 20 people. In less than six years, it has grown to more than 27,000 members—the largest pizza-focused group on Facebook.
Nakimba Mullins, founder of Pizza Connoisseurs of Columbus
Nakimba Mullins, right, presents the Pizza Connoisseurs' annual award to Pizzaroni's owners, from left: Tony, Valerie, Danielle and Dustin Sabatino.
COLUMBUS-STYLE
To understand the popularity of pizza in Columbus, you have to know its history. Jim Ellison, a local food writer and author of Columbus Pizza: A Slice of History, said that pizza came to Columbus earlier than most of the Midwest when TAT Ristorante de Famiglia brought it to town in 1934. Then, in 1950, the first pizzeria in the city—Romeo’s—served slices cut rectangularly, likely to better fit inside the brown paper bags out of which they were served. Two brothers involved in that business, Jim and Dan Massucci, subsequently started their own restaurant, called Massey’s. Their signature square slice would become the hallmark cut of Columbus-style pizza.
Massey’s success was replicated across the city over the next decade: by Tommy’s and Gatto’s in 1952, Ange’s in 1953 and Rubino’s in 1954. 1959 brought Terita’s to the East Side of town and Josie’s to West Broad Street. These restaurants are all still serving pizzas today. And the pizzas they’re pulling out of their ovens are the signature Columbus-style: square slices; thin, crisp crust; toppings all the way to the edge of the pie.
According to Ellison, Columbus was one of the first cities to put pepperoni on pizza. But it’s not just any pepperoni you’ll find on a true Columbus pie; it’s spicy cuts that curl to a crunch on the edges as they cook. This style is called “cup and char,” and the local Ezzo sausage company produces a dynamite variety that is used by shops across town and recognized internationally for its quality. Today, Central Ohio is home to more than 400 mom-and-pop pizza places. It’s these small businesses that the hungry fans in the Pizza Connoisseurs of Columbus are dedicated to supporting.
Pizzaroni's is located at 12998 National Rd SW, also known as Rt. 40, which is East Main Street in Columbus.
GROWING IN POPULARITY
It’s fitting that Mullins started with his own family when founding a group that would end up benefiting so many family-owned businesses. But what is it about Columbus that spawns so many pizza fanatics? I would argue it’s partly location. Our proximity to other major cities means we’re less than a day’s drive from many better-known pizza styles: New York, Chicago and New Haven. Meanwhile, as the cost of living rises in these cities, many residents are relocating to Columbus, bringing their pizza preferences with them. That means you can buy an authentic pie in Columbus in practically any style you want. (The converse does not hold true: Just try to find a square slice on the streets of New York City that isn’t a crusty Sicilian).
But it’s not just the pizza that’s popular. Thanks to the Connoisseurs, pizza fandom has become a pastime. And for that, we have Mullins to thank. “Honestly, my goal when I started this group was to get up to, like, 1,000 members,” he said. Although he hit that number during his first summer, he wasn’t convinced of the group’s staying power. “After the first year, I thought it was just gonna die out.”
Clearly, it didn’t. Mullins speculated some reasons the group caught on. “I want it to stay on topic about pizza. I don’t ever want to get into political things or racial things or anything like that,” he said, adding his team of moderators quickly deletes anything reported as offensive.
I appreciate the group’s positivity. It’s the only corner of the internet where the most consequential argument you’ll find is about whether pineapple makes an acceptable pizza topping (majority opinion: It does not). The group is like internet comfort food: You know what you’re going to get, and it’s never disappointing. Scrolling through photos and glowing reviews of pizza offers a type of mental break that’s hard to come by in the midst of a pandemic and relentless election.
I’m not alone in this. Mullins said he suspects COVID-19 has contributed to the group’s growth, with people staying in and ordering out more. When we spoke in early October, he shared with some surprise that the group had added 1,200 members in the previous month and a half. In the three weeks since our conversation, it has added 1,200 more.
The owners of Terita’s, the previous award winner, mix their own sausage on site.
A Terita’s pizza just out of the oven
WHERE PIZZA CONNOISSEURS EAT
Every year, Mullins marks National Pizza Month in October with a single question poll: Who has the best pizza in Columbus? It turns out most Connoisseurs are firmly in the Columbus-style camp, as evidenced by the annual winners: Tommy’s from 2015–17; Terita’s from 2018–19, and Pizzaroni’s in 2020.
Tom Iannarino, owner of Terita’s, shared what winning the last two years meant to him. “I just can’t believe the difference in our business since they started that [poll]. Just put our name out really quick,” he said. Terita’s is a classic mom-and pop shop. Named for Iannarino’s sisters Teri and Marita, founded by his father and using his uncle’s homemade sausage recipe, the business has involved nearly every member of the family.
This year’s poll winner, Pizzaroni’s, is newer to the pizza game. The Sabatino family purchased a pizza and ice cream shop near Buckeye Lake in 1994, their first foray into pizza. But it wasn’t until 2015 that Pizzaroni’s came to the Columbus area, when Tony Sabatino bought a small shop near Pickerington. He opened up for business with his wife, son and daughter-in-law. Though tastes have changed since the 1950s, the Sabatinos never considered branching out from Columbus-style pizza. “We chose to stay with the style that everyone is used to,” said Assistant Manager Danielle Sabatino.
Pizzaroni’s is known for the crispness of its crust, achieved by finishing the pizzas in a brick oven. General Manager Dustin Sabatino explained that this gives the pies “brick flavor with the speed of the conveyor” and enables the crust to support the weight of the restaurant’s generous toppings. The family also makes their own sausage, and—building on the model established in Buckeye Lake—has ice cream on the menu, featuring Tony’s original hot fudge and peanut butter sauce.
The families that own both restaurants agree on many things: fresh ingredients, never cutting corners, and staying small. Neither restaurant advertises or offers delivery, relying on word-of-mouth and loyal clientele. The Pizza Connoisseurs group has been a key driver of business for both. “Yesterday, people came in, ‘Oh, I saw you on Pizza Connoisseurs; I’ve never been here before,’” Dustin said. Danielle added that winning this year’s poll was “humbling to us and an honor.”
Iannarino expressed similar gratitude for the group. “The smaller shops, that’s what they’ve promoted, instead of the big chains. I think it’s done tremendously for places in Columbus.”
And with so many devoted pizza fans, the Connoisseurs will ensure that the Innarinos, the Sabatinos and hundreds of other family-owned pizza shops across town will continue to do tremendously for us.
A Pizzaroni’s pizza
THE PIZZA CONNOISSEURS OF COLUMBUS’ TOP 10 RESTAURANTS OF 2020
- Pizzaroni’s
- Terita’s
- Pizza House
- Tommy’s
- Stadz
- Ange’s
- Little Sicily
- Dicarlo’s
- Hounddog’s
- Rubino’s
WHERE PIZZA CONNOISSEURS ORDER OTHER STYLES
- New York slices (the classic slice—best eaten folded on a paper plate): East Coast Pizzeria
- Chicago deep dish (thick crust, sauce on top): Meister’s
- New Haven apizza (thin crust, coal-fired): Taft’s Brewpourium
- Ohio Valley (cheese and toppings added after the pie comes out of the oven): DiCarlo’s Pizza
