One Of The First Pizzerias In Columbus, Ohio, Massey's Pizza Is A Longstanding Buckeye State Favorite
By Sarah McCosham|Published March 30, 2023
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Sarah McCosham
Author
I write like it's my job - because it is! I have a Master's in English and love words: crossword puzzles, Scrabble games, Wordle, and, of course, good, old-fashioned books.
I'm a writer and editor at OnlyInYourState, and a contributing writer at Cincinnati Magazine. I love the Great Outdoors and am endlessly awestruck by this beautiful country of ours. Coffee keeps me going, yoga keeps me sane, my kids keep me grounded, and my writing keeps me inspired.
There’s New York-style pizza and Detroit-style pizza. Chicago-style pizza and Neapolitan-style pizza. But did you know there’s also Columbus-style pizza? It’s true. Columbus-style pizza has been traced back to 1934 and is defined by three characteristics: a signature thin crust, edge-to-edge toppings, and smaller, square-shaped cuts. Topping order doesn’t matter as much as other styles of pizza, but many Ohio pizzerias like to put the cheese on first, which leads to deliciously curled pepperonis and crispy sausage bits that are ridiculously good. For the best Columbus-style pizza, you must head to Massey’s, one of the oldest and most legendary pizzerias in Ohio.
The story of Massey’s Pizza began in 1949 when Jim and Dan Massucci and Romeo Siri introduced pizza to Columbus at their Italian restaurant in Grandview. The pizza, baked in deck ovens directly on the hearth, was cut into rectangular strips instead of pie cuts and served in folded brown paper bags to go.
Word quickly spread about this impossibly delicious pizza, prompting the Massey (Massucci) brothers to open Columbus’ first pizzeria on East Main Street in Whitehall. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Family owned and operated since the beginning, Massey's has become the gold standard by which all other Columbus pizzerias operate; in fact, most pizza shops in Arch City use the Massey’s cut rather than the pie cut.
This longtime favorite is a must-visit on the Columbus-Style Pizza Trail, a food trail in Central Ohio that's all about that saucy, perfectly crispy 'za.
Craving something sweet post-pizza? If you're not in too much of a food coma, be sure to order the Cinnamon Bread. Oozing with cinnamon sugar and topped with sticky-sweet icing, this is a next-level cinnamon roll!