AH, Ohio Valley Pizza, nothing quite says, I’m from the middle of nowhere like making up your own style of pizza (or something). Now if you’re not from Steubenville or Toronto you may not know exactly what Ohio Valley Pizza is. First off, it is the best pizza on the face of the earth. Secondly, there is no contesting the first fact because I said so. HAH. Anyway the first thing that you’ll notice that is odd about our favorite pizza is that it’s square. Square as in it’s made in a square pan and then cut into square pieces. Then you’ll notice that the cheese isn’t melted all the way. The uncooked toppings are put on after the sauce, base cheese (minimal), and dough are cooked. You always have to make sure to have a slice ASAP before everything melts on the drive/walk back to your place. You’ll also notice that our pizza sauce isn’t really much of a sauce at all as much as it is just stewed tomatoes. Also the crust is a mix between a deep dish and thin crust. It is very much Focaccia bread, if you’ve ever had that. Oh, and the best part is that you buy it by the slice. So I can just walk up on any given Tuesday and get dinner for 2 bucks. The “by the slice thing” causes considerable issues for those who are only used to ordering this way. I’ve heard of more than a few people that have walked in to pizza joints in other cities and walked out with 8 large pizzas when they really just wanted 8 pieces. Anyway that was my much delayed description of the best pizza on earth, I hope it’s brightened your day considerably.
Honestly, I don’t know of any other place on Earth that makes pizza like we do. This begs the question: are we ahead of our time when it comes to making pizza, or are we just fucked up?
I’m voting for the latter. ;`)
-C
Ok, I have to contest. Giannamore’s takes the award for best pizza anywhere. It has all the same qualities, but definately is better!
Eh, I’m an Iggy’s guy myself. Grew up with it doen the block and all.
I think we are ahead of our time by the by.
DiCarlos…4 with extra cheese and peppers. mmmmm
I found your site by accident and couldn’t stop reading. You keep a captive audience. I’m new to Steubenville from Pittsburgh (funny, since everyone else around here seems prone to do the opposite).
Anyway, there is a pizza place in Pittsburgh that also also puts the cold cheese on the top and serves it like that. They also serve in in squares and it is all sold by the slice. Sounds pretty much identical to Iggy’s, though I’ve yet to try it. I’m an old school pizza fanatic. Iggy’s and DiCarlo’s are the only places that I’ve been recommmeded.
Thanks for the compliment Tim! You’re going to make me actually start writing in this again! Iggy’s is the best of the bunch in my opinion as I’ve stated before and will say again! LOL. Hope to hear back from you.
All my relatives and I love Iggy’s pizza. My Niece and I are having withdrawal symptoms for Iggy’s pizza. We were arguing on who will run from Nashville to Ohio to pick it up. I said I have a box with a 12x15x15 inch Styrofoam cooler in it that is one-inch thick walls and lid. I wondered if we could figure out how much pizza would fit in that and if I sent it to Iggy’s with a return over night UPS label and my credit card number if there was a way for Iggy’s to fill the container with pepperoni pizza and send it back to me. If this works I know of about 100 people from Ohio down here that might do the same thing.
My family and I left Toronto 5 1/2 years ago. We (8 of us) are having Ohio Valley pizza withdraws!!! That is NO joke. How can we get it shipped to us???
Woah there Karleen! I found about 3 of your comments in my inbox (they were getting sent to the moderation thing)! I’ll be home in a few weeks and can ask them if they’d mail some pizza out your way.
Ronald – I’m sure if you gave them a ring they’d be more than willing to send you the pizza. I’m not sure about the credit card thing though. As far as I know the one by my still accepts cash only. Oh and remember to order on Tuesday… it’s 50 cent a slice night and all!
No one makes it like the Valley. My wife and I grew up there and my dad had his own shop for awhile, Bill’s Pizza. We live in Columbus now and can not get through pizza with out flash backs to the way it should be. Flat out, Columbus Pizza sucks!!! Giannamore tends to be what we get when ever we return to visit but DiCarlo’s is always good. My dad worked for them when he was young and that was how he got started, which got my cousin started, and now he has his own chain. We just learned tonight that there is a new place in town called the Original Stuebenville Pizza Company. I hope and pray that it is what we all know and love. I will often talk of the our pizza to people up here and they look at me as if I have a third eye. If they only new the crap they were eating.
Long live Ohio Valley Pizza.
well, if as everyone says that Iggy’s Pizza is the best on this world… why dont they open brances around the world as in the Arabian Gulf Area (e.g ) ther is alot of pepole whom is consern about tastein a new kinds of Pizza there…>>>> And To whom conserned !!
I can’t believe I found this site!!!!
I am from Daytona Beach, Florida. My relatives are from Steubenville and on vacations we would eat at Decarlos, Ray’s, and Iggy’s. They all are good….I can not for the life of me figure out why this is the only place we can find that kind of pizza….it is the best in the whole world. IF the price of gas was not so high I would consider making a road trip for it. Has anyone found out if they can ship it????
I love articles like this. There are so many hidden food gems in the US, it’s always refreshing to read about new ones. Should I ever find myself in or around Ohio Valley, I’m hitting Iggy’s.
Oh, and ask any Italian – pizza should be square. That’s just how it is.
Cheers Nick!
I talk about the pizza there all the time. I live in Phoenix,az now. People think it sounds gross or dumb to add the cheese on afterwords. I wish I could it it everyday. The only place I have had pizza similar was when I was in rome,italy. i didn’t see how it was made but it tasted just like the ville’s pizza. the weigh it and you pay by the kilo. which actually made it quite cheap…
The Pizza Place in Parkersburg, WV is the greatest pizza of all time. They have one in Myrtle Beach, SC also.
dicarlos is the best
Oh yes, DiCarlo’s is the best. I have to get it every time I visit my parents in Martins Ferry. There was also a place in St. Clairsville that had a very sweet sauce, but i can’t remember the name at the moment.
The place in St.C is called Home Pizza. In addition to DiCarlos’ I would also recommend Bruno’s in Elm Grove (Wheeling); Home in St.C; Zontini’s in Martins Ferry; and Osso’s in Washington, PA.
“Tami says: as anyone found out if they can ship it????”
DiCarlo’s in Elm Grove will ship it. I’ve thought about getting them to just give me a tray with sauce only and cheese and pepperoni in the bag. That way, after I make the 6 hour drive back to KY I could heat the crust and throw the toppings on myself. Each DiCarlo’s has a different tasting pizza, too. I’m an Elm Grove guy only. Where else can you wait in line for 45 minutes to get pizza with only 3 possible toppings…cheese, pepperoni, and extra cheese (unless you count pepper rings)? I’d kill for a tray with extra cheese right now.
I live in Beaver County, PA, and Stuebenville isn’t that far. I think I’m going to be making a trip there next tuesday. Nothing wrong with driving an hour for pizza.
I just found this website with stumbleupon and I don’t know how many of the older posts still visit or even look at this website but for those of you who moved to Columbus and love DiCarlo’s they are alive and well in Hilliard and Pickerington
Hilliard is in old Hilliard on Main St. and Pickerington is right off of 256 Refugee I believe.
I work for The Columbus Dispatch and a guy I work with told me about them and the one in Picktown, and living in Hilliard I had to give them a try, this pizza is AMAZING, nothing like it has ever crossed my lips and doubt ever will again. I make it a point to order DiCarlo’s probably twice a month now, the crust is what makes it come together.
Lucky go to Ambridge Pa. I think the name of the place is Fire House Pizza next store to the Police station. I now live in Cleveland Ohio and when I go back home to visit I stop in and pick some up. You can order a tray of unbaked, take it home bake it yourself. I make some when I get home and I freeze some for later. Not sure if they ship or not.
Sorry the name is Pizza House (AKA Police Station Pizza)
I have a link On the Pizza Shop.
http://www.pizzamaniac.com/index.php/archives/2005/08/06/pittsburgh-square-pizza-tour-pizza-house-aka-police-station/
So happy to see people sharing the same sentiment about the pizza back home. I am from just across the river near Stuebenville and have since moved to southeast OH. Pizza here is nothing like back in the Ohio Valley. I am partial to DiCarlos myself — need to find out how to get some shipped.
sorry for the typo — Steubenville
Anybody have a dough recipe ?
There is also a Dicarlo’s off of Tuttle in Dublin, and a similar one on campus. But Giannamore’s is the best, hands down.
I’m a Wellsville, Ohio native living in Columbus now and they can have their Donatos and Rotolos pizza with its cracker like crust and nearly burnt toppings. Thank Heavens for DiCarlos in Pickerington. It gets me through till I can get back home and refill my freezer with a pan or 3 of Nick’s Pizza : )
I grew up in the Ohio Valley and my family was in the Pizza business. They owned Yannni’s Pizza in Wellsville, Ohio in the 70’s. I’ve lived around the country and overseas since then. There is absolutely no better pizza in the world then there, hands down. I don’t care where you get it. If it’s local owned it’s good. I would recommend Bosco’s Pizza in E. Liver pool though which is owned by my cousin, so I’m partial. If you haven’t ate pizza from the Ohio Valley you’ve never had real pizza.
I grew up in the Ohio Valley; now live in South Florida.
DiCarlo’s Pizza is the best pizza, hands down.
My family and I get DiCarlo’s in Weirton, WV every time
we’re in town visiting.
Wally’s Pizza in Cambridge, OH. The best around.
Larosas in Cincinnati and Northern Ky is the best
there is no pizza out there that compares to larosas in cincinnati. best pizza in the WORLD!!!
My husband and I now live in Charleston, SC. I grew up in the Ohio Valley and DiCarlo’s was synonymus with pizza until I moved away from the area. My Dad worked at Weirton Steel and when we had to pick him up from work at night, we would get a treat of DiCarlo’s pizza. There were always requests for the ends versus the middle pieces. Or we might go to the drive-in and get pizza on the way.
I used to work at Ohio Valley Hospital before it became Trinity. One of the anestheiologists I worked with was a DiCarlo whose family owned the place in Steubenville.
My best friend, who now lives in Florida, got her husband (originally a born Clevelander-Ohio) hooked on Dicarlos when they visited her Mom in Weirton where my friend grew up.
By the way, DiCarlos also makes the best Italian bread and rolls you can find. I have found some bread close to theirs but not the same. The chain pizza places just aren’t the same. I agree with John Yanni — you haven’t had pizza until you have Ohio Valley style!!!
I wish I could duplicate the pizza dough or even get close to hold use over until the next trip back home anyone has anything close or any info would be good.
Thanks Keith
Just stumbled upon this site. Grew up in Cincy area. Chester’s in Hamilton is the best in the world. You can have it shipped but nothing is like fresh and eating it in the car as soon as you pick it up. Carry out only. Now I’m craving it!
the firehouse in Ambridge, PA (35 minutes outside downtown Pittsburgh) is definitely the place to get Ohio Valley Pizza in that area. Note- they are only open on the weekends.
Another place would be Tony R’s Pizza in Sewickley PA on the Nevin ave. A tiny place in a little house run by Tony R and his 2 sons. Tony is the best – he still does all the deliveries himself.
Help!
Friends of our’s moved from Ohio Valley to Colorado and won’t stop talking about a thin crust pizza with sausage, charred peppers, tomato sauce and lots of garlic and mozzarella. I want to surprise them to have one shipped but they have not given me the name of the place. I know that the restaurant shippes ppizza all over the world.
Any ideas?
I grew up in Wintersville and have lived ( and eaten pizza) in ten states. DiCArlos was always unique and delicious–nothing else like it. UNTIL I went to Venice, Italy last week.
I got away from the tourist areas where the food is bad or overpriced, and had a few slices. Lo and behold the crust tasted very similar to DiCarlos. A great pleasure to find my home town pizza in the region pizza came from.
This is definitely the best pizza in the US, other than maybe the occasional wood brick oven pizza. The comment about making up our own style of pizza in the middle of nowhere, while amusing, is not at all accurate though. Primo DiCarlo, the originator of “Ohio Valley” or “Tray” pizza, brought the recipe home from Italy following WWII. Before that, nobody here knew what pizza was. That is why it is most similar to that found by Doug in Venice.
I am into D&G Pizza and Center Pizza in Beaver Co. PA. I also like Bruno’s in Calcutta and Di Carlos in Newell.
I live in San Antonio TX now, and I am seriously in withdrawl for Ohio Valley pizzas. I am looking to find a sauce recipe. My wife and I have searched all over the net, and we can’t find any. Any help?????????? PLEASE!!!
I recently relocated to Charleston, SC after growing up in Weirton and going to college at West Liberty. Hands down – there is no better pizza than what is found in the Ohio Valley! I grew up eating Giovanni’s (no longer exists) and became addicted to Elm Grove DiCarlos. Every time I go to WV to visit family I bring a tray back to SC with me!!! I’m lucky if I make it off the plane without eating it all! I love telling people about it down here, but with I could fix my cravings with the square pizza. If anyone knows of some places in Charleston that have “Ohio Valley Pizza” please share – I need my fix!
Good pizza it is, but sorry folks, New York has you beat and I know of a few pizza places in Tidewater, Va. that do as well.
Still, your style is damn good and tastey, so that’s all that matters.
I grew up in Florida and moved to Wellsville. I started eating Nick’s Pizza and found it very delicious until they changed the recipe somehow. Now, I eat Bosco’s and DiCarlo’s and hands down the best.
re pittsburgh – dicarlo’s is great. but give betos a shot on banksville road. that’s my favorite.
by far the worst style of pizza ever invented… not something the Ohio Valley should be proud of
I can’t believe no one bothered to post the best pizzeria in NE Ohio. Fernando’s Wedgewood in Youngstown. Reasonable priced, WONDERFUL! Sure beats DiFara’s $5 slices. You get a pie for $9.