Dayton, Ohio Pizza

I grew up in Dayton, Ohio, and actually love that style pizza (thin, crispy crust). I grew up on Cassano's, Marion's, Joe's, etc.

I do think Cassano's is trying to get back to the taste they perfected in the 60s and 70s For a long time, their pizza just didn't taste like Cassano's.

Marion's has remained the same, but I understand a fire destroyed its Centerville location near the Dayton Mall.

Joe's is a little more unheralded ... it's a tiny joint on Airway Road, but still going strong for nearly 40 years.

Does anyone know if Hoagie's Pizza is still in operation?

Not sure about hoagies. When did the marions by the mall burn? Its been prob 4 months since I have been to that location. A sausage pizza from there is top 3 pizzas for me. I usually eat at Flying Pizza. Either at its downtown Dayton location or there new one in Cinci.

I heard Marion's burned down around the holidays. I was in town in late November and ate there!

I've never eaten at Flying Pizza ... what's it like?

Jeff,

There are two Hoagie's listed.

Hoagie's Pizza on Brandt Pike
http://yp.yahoo.com/py/ypMap.py?Pyt=Typ&tuid=F-YPC-SA-136866514-96675229-M&ck=3417018021&tab=B2C&tcat=7737232&city=Dayton&state=OH&uzip=45402&country=us&msa=2000&cs=4&ed=zUhRD61o2Ty6so4PbRaA5mkqFa7r66ORAxZyEMjRM8RQ&fb=1&stat=:pos:0:fb:regT:1:fbT:1
http://c66.yellowpages.com/displaygif/sbc/83/991383.jpg

and

Hoagie's Pizza House on N Dixie
http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps2.py?Pyt=Typ&name=Hoagie%27s+Pizza+House&desc=(937)+890-5522&csz=Dayton+OH+45414&country=us&cs=9&ed=9Uspkq160Sy_u88cNIvCaKLbrTzAV6Zh2ek1xjZu2COg5_NJ.4tx343e_Y3B93jaoBc-

Which one are you talking about? I'll have to try it.

Had a Joe's Deluxe two nights ago...man....that's the best pizza in Dayton, for my money.

Second favorite is Giovanni's, in Fairborn.

Marion's a close third.

Cheers,
SWOG

The Hoagies I used to eat at was on Airway. But I think the one on North Dixie is the same place.

flying pizza slices taste like the stromboli pizza you get at university and 13th in greenwich village which i think of as my favorite pizza in the world. the squares are touted as sicillian style and have a thicker crust. i'm a slice devotee. there is a flying pizza on high street in campus area of columbus, ohio also. might be my distate for that neighborhood which influences my opinion that it isn't as good as the dayton flying pizza.

I think I'm going to chow down on Joe's and Cassano's when I hit Dayton next week. It seems Cassano's is getting back to where it was back when Vic owned it.

Flying pizza is a New York style pie. Its my son and Is thursday ritual. He loves to get a slice of cheese pizza there.
Cassanos is so hit or miss anymore. Would have listed as top 3 20 years ago. When it is done right it is easily one of my favorites. A medium pep with that salty crust is heaven. When done wrong I end up throwing most of it away. Sadly its prob a 20% chance I get a good one anymore.

yeah, la prova e nel gusto. cassano's was consistently one of the tastiest original pizzas previous to the sell out to hostcorporation and subsequent buy back. mom donisi wouldn't recognize what passes for italian food magnifico these days. the urbana store issues fare unrecognizable to one of a certain age. not bad just not cassano's. i stick with sparky's in urbana (the reincarnation of the old michael's) though i should refrain altogether in favor of salad.

I'm still wondering if anyone knows if the Hoagie's Pizza House on North Dixie is the same place that had several restaurants in the 70s. One was on Airway. I remember their pizzas were on foil...and delicious!!

don't know about Hoagie's, haven't noticed it, but haven't been up on N. Dixie a lot lately. I do think Cassano's is getting better again, also (at least the Stroop location).
I also like Joe's. I've decided the best pizza in Dayton is now Troni's on Dorothy Lane. LOVE it. I think it's much more NY style (I lived in the area for a while but am no expert) and taste than Flying (which I've not liked much lately). Try Troni's.

I decided to bump this thread rather than start a new one in order to keep Dayton, Ohio pizza lore consolidated in one spot.

We ate at Marion's Pizza in Centerville this week. The crust was, quite frankly, appalling and was not the Marion's of my youth.

The crust that I have always enjoyed there was a unique, very thin, chewy, classic Cassano's style, with a wood fired like taste and a bit of bottom charring. The pizza we got this week was thicker, almost like a supermarket thin crust frozen pizza, and had no charring, it was just "baked" and white on the bottom. And the crust had a slightly bready and spongy feel. Still fairly thin, but WAY out of the parameters of classic Dayton thin crust pizza.

I suspect that stupid MBAs must be calling the shots at that chain now, sacrificing quality for margins. I bet it's some cheap premade crust (and perhaps the crusts in the past were premade also, but they were better stuff.)

$13 for a plain cheese 13 inch pizza, and no discounts or combinations and rarely a coupon deal, is A LOT in this economy. Add to that a mediocre crust, plain tomato sauce for the pizza sauce, and a cafeteria ambience, and Marion's ranks as not quite so special. Even the photos of the Kenley Players on the walls won't bring us back soon.

I can make a lot better at home, and I buy about the same or a bit better for half the price. There's absolutely no need for me to pay $13 for a mediocre pizza out unless there is something special about the place.

Sad to see quality sacrificed like this in a local institution.

MiD


don't know about Hoagie's, haven't noticed it, but haven't been up on N. Dixie a lot lately. I do think Cassano's is getting better again, also (at least the Stroop location).
I also like Joe's. I've decided the best pizza in Dayton is now Troni's on Dorothy Lane. LOVE it. I think it's much more NY style (I lived in the area for a while but am no expert) and taste than Flying (which I've not liked much lately). Try Troni's.

Troni's has the best tasting NY style pizza pies in the Greater Dayton area.

If you like the Cassano pizza from years ago and actually had loads of topping, there is a hidden gem on Salem Ave, called El Greco's. Its not a pretty place but man they make an awesome pizza!! Nate ( the owner) uses provolone  cheese  and loads of toppings.
They also make awesome subs.
Pam

donw9876

Re: Marions
$13 for a plain cheese 13 inch pizza, and no discounts or combinations and rarely a coupon deal, is A LOT in this economy. Add to that a mediocre crust, plain tomato sauce for the pizza sauce, and a cafeteria ambience, and Marion's ranks as not quite so special. Even the photos of the Kenley Players on the walls won't bring us back soon.

Ah, that's a shame.  We haven't been to the new one down by Dayton Mall since it reopened-- we usually go to the Kettering location, which seemed fine when we had it... months ago.  Yeah, we don't go out for pizza too often.  :)  (And the next time, it'll be Troni's, so don't hurt me, Dayton people!)

For what it's worth, those free coupon circulars carry a nice 25% off Marion's coupon from time to time.  I remember seeing it fairly regularly last summer and have seen one within the past couple months.  There's some limits on what days it's valid, but I forget the specifics.

We live in Warren County so we don't see any coupons in the local coupon magazines for Marion's. For the money, there's a lot better around Dayton now.

We like Marion's for the memories it provides for us, but they are overpriced for what they provide IMO. It would cost a fortune to feed a small family there now.

Ron's in Miamisburg is my favorite for a classic Dayton style pizza.

Wow there is still a Ron's around?  I use to eat there alot when the one in Middletown was open, I also worked at the one in Springboro many,many years ago. I Know the Middletown location closed over a decade ago, and I am pretty sure the Springboro location closed?

That would def be a trip down memory lane.

TRONI'S...Russ

Russ Jackson


TRONI'S...Russ

Probably the best in SW Ohio.

We moved to the Dayton area after I retired from the AF in 1992 (wife got a job at Wright-Patt) and were immediately disgusted by "Dayton-style" pizza. Hopefully it was better in the past, but Cassano's and Milano's are by far the worst I have ever tasted. I wasted a lot of time and money since then, trying to find an edible pizza in this area - then I found this website by accident, and read about Troni's. I have never been to NYC so I can't compare it to theirs, but quite simply it is by far the best pizza in this area IMHO. We went there last night for the second time, I never base an opinion on one visit since any place can have a bad day, or an outstanding day. If anything it was better than the first visit. The pizza is as good as any that I have had anywhere, anytime.

Roadkill Bill


We moved to the Dayton area after I retired from the AF in 1992 (wife got a job at Wright-Patt) and were immediately disgusted by "Dayton-style" pizza. Hopefully it was better in the past, but Cassano's and Milano's are by far
 the worst I have ever tasted. I wasted a lot of time and money since then, trying to find an edible pizza in this area - then I found this website by accident, and read about Troni's. I have never been to NYC so I can't compare it to theirs, but quite simply it is by far the best pizza in this area. We went there last night for the second time, I never base an opinion on one visit since any place can have a bad day, or an outstanding day. If anything it was better than the first visit. The pizza is as good as any that I have had anywhere, anytime.

Troni's is the best I have had in Ohio (except for a couple of now defunct pizza joints - and one who changed their recipe -in Cinci) and I have been here since the first part of 1977 - born in NYC and raised in Yonkers, NY and Troni's comes quite  close to a NY style taste in their pizza pies - btw it is owned and operated by an Albanian family!

It may not look like much from the outside:


but inside the food is fabulous:

...even the takeout leftovers..

  ..their pizza is heavenly:

baughman


Wow there is still a Ron's around?  I use to eat there alot when the one in Middletown was open, I also worked at the one in Springboro many,many years ago. I Know the Middletown location closed over a decade ago, and I am pretty sure the Springboro location closed?

That would def be a trip down memory lane.

I just saw this question (sorry). The main Ron's in downtown Miamisburg with their obscenely delectable Dayton style pizza is alive and kicking. They serve until midnight in the tavern half of the place, so it's great for a late night bite.

I don't know of any branch locations that are still in operation but there was a Ron's sign in the window of the tavern in the center of Bellbrook when I drove through there a couple of months ago. Maybe they are a "reseller".

 My wife, the kids and I. Made the trip up to Miamisburg to eat at Ron's thursday afternoon. Was def worth the trip. Tasted pretty much the same as I remember. That they still use fresh sausage is a major plus. Got a 15" sausage pizza and we ate it all.
  The bonus is that right across the street is the Hamburger wagon so we stop and got a cpl of those also. IT was amazing to watch the line always had around 3-5 ppl in it the whole time we sat in Rons.
 
 On a side note. Made the trip up 68 to visit my mom on friday. Noticed in Bellefountine ohio there was a Rons. It has been there for years, but was wondering if its part of the chain?
 We took 75 back home and hit Kewpee. So this weekend was a plus to good food and my waistline. 
  I could have made it a even better trip if I wasnt so busy making fun of the wife as we went through Urbana. Could have hit Crabills also.