DiCarlos Pizza

This is not the same dicarlos I grew up on in the valley. The crust was paper thin, the cheese was not the quality it use to be and the cheese was melted. The original dicarlos pizza serves the squares with a mounds of fresh, mozzarella cheese waiting to melt as you bite into it. When picking up my square, it flopped down my hand as the discounted cheese slid off. This it isn’t the original dicarlos pizza. And now the pepperoni roles are the size of a cinnamon role? What happened to the rolls that were about 6−8″ long. I miss the quality of pizza I grew up on

I have been eating DiCarlos pizza for the vast majority of my life in the Stuebenville/​Wheeling area. When I moved to Columbus, I was excited to discover locations in Pickerington and Hilliard. My visits to the Pickerington store provided me with good quality in that great DiCarlos style. Soon after discovering the Pickerington location, it closed. We started frequenting the Hilliard location. We were pleased to discover the same great familiar DiCarlos taste. In August, we moved out of the area. We were now over an hour away. We made the trip to Hilliard in September just to have the Dicarlos pizza we had been missing. What a disappointment to find they were closed. When we called to inquire, we were told it was temporary and they had closed for remodeling. Unfortunately, they changed more than the décor. It quickly became apparent that they had changed the sauce, the pepperoni was now being cooked with the crust and the amazing trademark cheese had been replaced with a pathetic substitute. The crust was now limp and dripping with puddles of grease from the pepperoni and the texture of the cheese didn’t even remotely resemble the delicious real cheese that helped make DiCarlos the treat that it had always been. What a huge disappointment! Dicarlos Hilliard quickly went from a 5 star pizza place to a one star. Shame on you Dicarlos for not staying true to the taste that made you a leader in this style of pizza. We will not be making the one hour trip again. We will instead drive East to the locations along the West Virginia border that made the DiCarlos name what it is, especially the locations on Main St in downtown Wheeling and Moundsville. I will never understand why, when you have a great formula for success, you would feel the need to cut corners and change it. In addition, this location has started dictating to customers the quantity we can order. Gone are the days of ordering one piece or any other number that suits our needs. Had we tasted one piece of the new recipe, we would not have ordered the additional pieces that we were required to order.

Ah, this was definitely worth the time to stop in while visiting Columbus from St. Louis. This is classic Steubenville-​style pizza and a style I miss. The crust is classic and the sauce spicy. Of course, the uncooked provolone cheese is what defines this style of pizza. It was like old home day with the customers being from throughout the Ohio River Valley.

I’m from the Ohio Valley and grew up eating this pizza. Getting hungry just thinking about it!

The cold cheese added after everything else is cooked is fantastic. The taste of the cold cheese combined with the cooked crust and sauce really works well together. Like other people have said it’s not a greasy pizza which I appreciate. Grease has its appeal but sometimes overpowers the taste of all the ingredients. Keeping the cheese and other toppings cold (I think it might be just the pepperoni that is added after being cooked) yields a unique and flavorful pizza.
It is expensive though. I’d say the quality does come near the price justification but it’s not enough and still a big put off from ordering this stuff over something else. They take a page from nearly every pizza joint out there and charge more for additional toppings… a ton more like nearly every pizza joint out there. Which puts me off even more.

Went to DiCarlos for the first time in awhile. In addition to a tray of cheese pizza, we ordered the breadsticks because our 10-​year old nephew was with us (and I think all kids love breadsticks). These held a special treat-​a thin layer of cheese in the middle. Pretty good stuff.

DiCarlos Pizza serves the Ohio Valley style pizza, where the pizza is baked first without the cheese, then the cheese is sprinkled on at the end. This leads to a crisp crunch crust with a half melty not-​so-​greasy layer of delicious cheese on top. My wife’s family is from Bellaire/​St Clairesville area, so it’s among their favorite styles of pizza. I don’t think it’s a pizza style that’s loved universally, but I would say that I’ve bought in on my wife’s taste for pizza and have come to enjoy DiCarlos.
With that said, since the DiCarlos in Pickerington closed a few years ago, this DiCarlos location is the only one I know of in Columbus that serves this style of pizza. It’s not as good as the original DiCarlos location in Elm Grove, but I’m more than ok with making the 15 min drive to Hilliard instead of the 2 hour drive to Elm Grove for this!
At $ 15 for a large «tray» of pizza, it’s not the cheapest… but it’s still more affordable than the newer craft pizza places that are popping up all over town lately.
If I could only choose 5 different Central Ohio pizza stores to eat from for the next year, DiCarlos would be one of them… along with Harvest, Bono, Benny’s, and Papa John’s.

If you’re unfamiliar with Ohio Valley style pizza then I suggest you open your mind, get yourself a carry-​out out pizza (yep, it’s square) and eat it hot in the parking lot.
For us, the DiCarlo’s name means: thick, crispy crust, fresh provolone cheese and big, thin-​sliced pepperoni laid on top after the cheese has melted. Delicious and filling, we «fight» over the corners. What’s more, this pizza reheats really well!

I will not be eating this again. The sauce tasted «cheap» and putting ice cold cheese on after its baked only made the pizza cold. The cheese barely melted and the pepperoni looked like something you would get out of a bake at home kit. Horrible quality. The crust was about the only thing that was decent. I am not sure what all the rave is about this place. I would rather eat a frozen pizza. For the price I paid I could have bought about 6. My kids love pizza and will typically eat any. One wouldnt even taste it after seeing it and the other took one bite and refused to eat anymore. Its just awful!

Well I spoke with corporate, specifically David Dicarlo himself. He said the franchise owner is terrible and they have had many complaints. The owners franchise lease is up in December and David said it would not be renewed. Their plan is to temporarily close this location, remodel, then sell to a new owner with a revised contract.
I will update my review accordingly when the new ownership takes over.

This is a different type of pizza than anywhere else I’ve had. They cook the pizza with just the dough and the sauce– then they put the cheese and the pepperoni on afterwards. I thought that the crust was phenomenal and the sauce was thick and good too. I wasn’t a huge fan of putting the cheese and pepperoni on afterwards, and they barely put any on, but it was still good. The cost of the pizza for a large was $ 15.95, and that was reasonably priced for how big it was. I eat whole pizzas all the time but could barely eat of half of this one.

I am from Cambridge and in my book nothing tops Wally’s pizza. From a co-​worker I had heard there was a store that sold pizza similar to what I told him Wally’s was like and lo and behold I found Dicarlo’s. I had tried to get Dicarlo’s a few months ago but the store was closed (or no one answered the phone) but this time I was able to place my order for some pepperoni, mushroom and extra cheese.
I arrived 15 minutes later and my pizza was ready to go. There is no place to sit, inside or outside, so be prepared that this is takeout only. unless you do like me and eat a few pieces in the car while it’s hot (which I’d highly recommend). First of all this pizza is almost exactly like my favorite pizza from Cambridge. It’s cooked fresh to order with dough and sauce and then the toppings and cheese are added when the pizza comes out of the oven. They call this West Virginia style I guess. I call it «most delicious pizza ever style» though!
The cheese melts just slightly in the box so you get the fresh cheese taste but also the melted taste. As you can see from my picture when you ask for extra cheese you certainly get it. It’s a very high quality cheese and tastes full flavored and slighlty buttery and perfect. A good cheese separates the average run of the mill pizza from the best and Dicarlos has fantastic cheese. The pepperoni though here is certainly worth mentioning as it surpasses Wally’s in both taste and size. It’s very slightly larger (thicker) and tastes more seasoned than any other pepperoni, save perhaps The Flying Pizza, that I’ve tasted on pizza. The sauce is a tangy, sweet sauce, which I would have liked a bit more of. The sauce was sufficient while eating the first few pieces in the car but by the time I had gotten back to the office and eat the last couple of pieces the breading had absorbed the sauce and it made the pizza slightly dry.
And lastly, the actual pizza dough is superb. It’s very New York style like (which is maybe why I love this style of pizza) despite being cut into squares. It’s got a nice crispness on the bottom and is slightly more doughy in the middle. It’s slightly thicker than the Wallys pizza I’m used to so the pieces are more filling, but I don’t have a problem with that. The only downside is as per above, maybe get a bit more sauce if you plan to reheat some as the bread soaks up a bit of the sauce.
All in all Dicarlos is KICKASS pizza and while you may or may not think it’s the best pizza in Columbus, you should try it as there’s nothing like it in Columbus. That’s right, there are over 1,000 pizza places in this city and all the neighboring suburbs but there is nothing at all like Dicarlos pizza. So if you’re looking for something different and delicious I’d highly recommend Dicarlos.

Not a «do over». Pizza Hut pan pizza style crust was good. Not my preference but good. Toppings are not heated/​baked on these pies. They are applied after the crust with sauce comes out of the oven. Pepperoni was right out of the package & cheese wasn’t all melted. Disappointing. $ 20 down the drain:-(

I really dig this pizza, and it’s absolutely worth a try. What makes it unique is that the cheese and toppings go on after the pizza is cooked, so the cheese kind of melts while you eat it. You’ll also love Dicarlo’s if you’re into a crispy, crunchedy crust. The unmelted cheese and that crunchy crust really make for an interesting and different ‘Za experience.
I ordered 4 slices of their pizza. Even if you just order a slice, they still heat it up for you and put the cheese on last, so you aren’t missing out on the full DiCarlo’s experience. 4 slices came out to be $ 4.40, which isn’t too bad for lunch. The green peppers were just okay, but I thought the plain cheese was better.
There’s no place to really sit inside (besides a bench, which is more for waiting rather than eating). Maybe they could throw a couple of tables inside or on the sidewalk so people could linger a little bit.

You have to give DiCarlos props for serving up a unique pizza. Indeed, if you’re a fan of all things pizza, you have to give this Ohio Valley version a try.
Baked on a square crust, with a zesty crushed tomato sauce, the toppings are then piled on, with the cheese ending up half melted. No, there’s not a TON of cheese, but that suits me fine. There was nothing overly spectacular tasting about the toppings (sauce was very good), just the unique way in which they’re piled on top.
I also fired up an order of pepperoni rolls (really hoping that they would be comparable to a West Virginia pepperoni roll — they weren’t — just some pepperoni baked inside some pizza dough). Don’t get me wrong, any pepperoni/​dough combination pleases my palate, these just weren’t the WV style for which I longed.
If you’re a pizza fan and want to try something new, you realy need to visit DiCarlos. I don’t think I’d make the long drive for a repeat visit, but boy am I glad I made it the first time. A very high three stars. If you go just on uniqueness — bump it up to 4, easily.

For all you non «valley» people give it a shot! Don’t let your stereo type of what pizza should be stop you. Embrace the cold cheese and eat a piece in the car as soon as you get the box!
They are a little skimpy on the cheese… I usually get extra on the side
Best way to order is cheese and pepperoni on the side… Can’t risk the cheese melting :)

A different kind of pizza. Toppings are good, but the crust is killer.

Not my thing– I thought I was eating so-​so homemade pizza or something I ordered in a school cafeteria. I don’t get this Ohio Valley pizza. I know it is great for some people. I work with a lady who will drive from Pickerington to this place because it reminds her of home.
I need more cheese on my pizza and I like it melted nicely on my pizza. Their pizza looks like they are watching their budget on cheese. I paid $ 15.95 for a one topping (half sausage & half bacon). It was a big pizza but $ 16 without multiple toppings or much cheese seems a little too steep. This price point is my main issue with the place since it is too expensive for what I received.
The crust was decent as it was better than cardboard or or cracker crusts. I actually think if I could stick 3 to 4 toppings on this thing with another bag of cheese and bump this place to 4 stars. I like the crunchiness along with soft gooeyness of the crust. The sauce is a little sweet for my taste and I harp on the lack of cheese again.

As an Ohio Valley native, I am very familiar with this style pizza. The pizza at this location is very close to the Di Carlo’s back home. The sauce is a little sweeter, but good. One difference is a tray is smaller, at 16 slices. It fits in a large pizza box.
If you love pizza, you owe it to yourself to try Di Carlo’s!

Amazing homemade pizza with fresh toppings, and unique style.
If you are from the upper Ohio Valley than you have one question. Let me answer it for you, yes it is as good as back home. Much better than the Dicarlos that was a Tuttle road.