Three to try, if you are in the area:
Adriatico's.
This is on 11th avenue, by Campus. They have two crusts. A traditional flat thing, and the thick. Go with the thick. On the boards they would call it a Sicilian. It is roughly an inch tall, with cheese singed all around the edges. Provolone mostly, but with some mozzarella in the blend. The crust is crunchy on the bottom, and chewy on the top. It is filling to an absurd degree.
But I haven't mentioned the sauce? Why? Because it needs its own paragraph. You'll see tomato sauce on the menu. It is a misprint. What you are getting is a garlic sauce that happens to be red. Eating it is like having your tongue hit with a garlic hammer. People's major complaint is that the sauce is to garlicky. This is like complaining about the ocean being too wet. They're missing the point
And the toppings? Pepperonis that are two inches in diameter, placed one to a piece. Half ounce pieces of sausage laid so thick you can barely see cheese. If you get the bacon you'd best follow it up with an angioplasty.
You can eat the pizza in. It feels like an old time pizzeria. But because the pizza has so much thermal mass you could probably drive it from Columbus to Mexico and still enjoy it piping hot.
Donatos
Thin, sweet sauce, more toppings then you can shake a stick at. At Donatos the cheese is essentially substrate, existing to make sure the toppings do not escape. Get the thin crust and overorder. You'll find out your desire to eat it far surpasses the portions they give.
Rotolo's
There are five or so of these now. They have one crust option. They have one sauce option. The crust is of a medium thickness, with a crunchy outside and chewy top. It is the kind of pizza that is cut in a grid. A party pizza if you like. Rotolo's is a contradiction. It is best eaten immediately, but they only do pickup and delivery. It looks like a snack pizza but fills you up like a firehose. It has a wonderful sauce you can barely taste under the incredibly dense toppings.
If you go get a small cheese, and eat it in your car. You can't go wrong, but this is the easiest way to go right.
Mama Mimi's
There are three of these now, well distributed through Columbus. All take and bake, all excellent. These have a thin crust, and many different sauce options. Where Mimi's makes their mark is with flavor combinations. You could get a plain cheese but you'd be missing the whole point of going. Any of their award winners are deservatively excellent. What makes Mimi's unique is their impressive range. Pestos, white sauces, tomato bases, and tons of non traditional pizza toppings are what make Mama's worth visiting.
