The best weekend meal starts and ends with one word: pizza. A fan favorite of high school students across America, pizza has revolutionized weekend eateries and redefined a traditional “family meal.” However, there is no such thing as a “normal” pizza. 

Each pizza restaurant has a different take on what makes a good pizza, and this creates themes of local, regional, and chain pizzas. Cincinnatians have a diverse set of options when going about choosing their pizza, but arguably one of the most marketed pizza options in Cincinnati is LaRosa’s Pizza.

Here are two bold claims straight from LaRosa’s website: “Today we continue to be your #1 family pizzeria and Greater Cincinnati’s favorite Italian restaurant” and “LaRosa’s is the number one pizza in Cincinnati.”

In order to remain as unbiased as possible, I forced my family out to pizza at LaRosa’s, which is harder than it seems, I promise you. How much sauce can you put on a pizza? I do not think I could have seen more sauce if I went to Prego’s headquarters. The crust was nicely thin, and the cheese, if you will, was lost in the sauce. Overall verdict: four out of ten. You are much better off spending your money on the calzones, which are incredibly superior to the LaRosa’s pizza.

I am sure you are waiting to hear about Dewey’s pizza. I am just going to cut to the chase, this pizza is delicious. Their specialties and seasonals are curated perfectly. I mean, the first special on their menu is “Don Corleone” and if you thought that lyric was good on Meek Mill and Drake’s “Going Bad,” you should try this pizza. 

Dewey’s has addictive crust, as well as a perfectly balanced tomato sauce-to-cheese ratio. Overall verdict: nine out of ten. Why nine you ask? Dewey’s is a little expensive for me to get on the daily. This restaurant is an ideal out-to-eat dining option, but unfortunately does not work well for the midnight munchies delivery order.

Now that we have covered the big two, it is time to get a little more local. These next two local pizza joints I would highly recommend: Ramundo’s Pizzeria and Bub’s Pizza Bar. Fantasy Football fans would call these restaurants “sleepers” because that is what they are, and if you have eaten at either of these restaurants, you know what I am talking about.

These pizza joints have a strong, dedicated fanbase, and a knack for making great pizza: a stellar crust and an outstanding tomato sauce-to-cheese ratio. Both of these places have something special to offer to potential customers. 

Ramundo’s has a 26-inch pizza challenge for two people to finish in ten minutes, where the winners get the pizza for free, their photo taken, and a free shirt. However, if you lose the challenge, you pay for the pizza, get your photo put on the wall of shame, and get a t-shirt saying “Challenge Failed,” a stark reminder of your inability to eat pizza quickly. 

Bub’s, on the other hand, depending on the location, is open to either 2am or 3:30am, which is clutch when you need a midnight pizza. In addition, Bub’s offers the 16 or 24 inch pizzas, which is smaller than the Ramundo’s challenge, but is there if you are throwing a rager of a party and need a massive pizza to compensate for the hungering appetite. 

The official verdict for Ramundo’s Pizzeria: seven out of ten. This place closes at 9 p.m. and that is just unacceptable for highschoolers looking to get delicious pizza, however their saving grace is the cheap 1-slice, the Ramundo Bites (a personal favorite), and simply having exceptional Cincinnati pizza. 

The official verdict for Bub’s Pizza Bar: eight out of ten. Great option for late night pizza craving along with family-sized pizzas at a relatively low price. The taste is a given here, Bub’s is always leaving you wanting more but the stomach pain is the only thing holding you back. Specialties are on par with Ramundo’s, nothing crazy, but still has some solid choices. 

You may think I am eating biased pizza, but this is what you get for a journalist on a budget for good pizza in about a week and a half. So, in order to balance my selections I am going to quickly share some honorable mentions with their verdicts: Mio’s Pizza (six out of ten), Fireside Pizza (six out of ten), Mod Pizza (seven out of ten), Little Caesar’s (five out of ten, thank god for Hot-N’-Ready), and Pizza Hut (two out of ten). Disclaimer, I did not eat these pizzas in the past two weeks, so each of the restaurants mentioned are capable of a higher or lower rating except for Pizza Hut, which is just the worst pizza ever. 

Classmates and faculty alike, I hope in some way I have given you a little insight into the next pizza you eat on the weekend and I hope you find a restaurant that has the pleasure of being “your favorite pizza place,” because that is the best part. I hope you enjoy the journey of finding the best pizza, because I sure am! Until next time, I have been Drew Brown, and you are watching Disney Channel.