LaRosa's Family Pizzeria in Cincinnati, OH: Stuffed Pizza

Basic Information:

Pizza: LaRosa’s Family Pizzeria

Number of Locations: about 50, mostly near Cincinnati, OH

Location Reviewed: 96 Blackburn Lane in Dry Ridge, KY (just east of I-75, exit 159)

Website: https://www.larosas.com/

Date of Review Visit: October 2025

What I Ordered: Small stuffed pizza with sausage, pepperoni, and ham; cherry Coke to drink

Price: $23.72 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

Summary Review: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Like all stuffed pizzas, LaRosa’s stuffed pizza has 2 crusts: one on top and one on bottom.  While the 2 crusts are not identical, both crusts have taken direct oven heat, and both crusts are on the hard and crispy side.  There is also the hard and crispy super thick crust around the edge of the pizza.  Finally, they sprinkle a lot of spices atop the pizza, way too many for my taste.  The spices don't directly have to do with the crust, but I needed to mention them somewhere.  Score: 6/10.

Sauce: There is no sauce in the pizza; they give it to you in small cups for spreading or dipping.  They offer several sauce options, but I chose the standard pizza sauce.  The sauce uses high quality ingredients and has just the right amount of seasoning with spices.  I really like this sauce, but I kind of wish it was in the pizza.  Score: 9/10.

Cheese: This pizza has a 4-cheese blend that makes the cheese more flavorful than their usual provolone.  There is a very small amount of grease.  Perfecto!  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The sausage is just a little spicy and comes in nice-sized chunks.  The pepperoni is fairly average, but the ham has nice pork flavor and produces little grease.  There are plenty of "toppings" stuffed between the crusts.  Score: 10/10.

Overall Taste: The spices sprinkled atop the pizza combine with the spiciness of the sauce and the spiciness of the sausage to produce too much spiciness for me.  I like my food to taste like what it is, not like a bunch of spices.  Also, the outer crust is too hard and thick.  Score: 8/10.

Pizza Appearance: The appearance is quite pleasing save for the super thick crust around the edge.  

Dining Atmosphere: Most LaRosa’s locations have an excellent casual dining atmosphere, and Dry Ridge is no exception.

Customer Service: I have always enjoyed the service at LaRosa's.

Monetary Value: The price is somewhat low given the quality of pizza and dining experience you get. LaRosa’s stacks up far better than its casual dining competitors in this category.

The Final Judgment:

LaRosa’s is a Cincinnati favorite, but I prefer their regular pizzas over this stuffed pizza.  The stuffed pizza has too much spiciness, plus the crust is too hard and thick.  Score: 88/100.

Jockamo Upper Crust Pizza in Indianapolis, IN

Basic Information:

Pizza: Jockamo Upper Crust Pizza
Number of Locations: 6, all near Indianapolis, IN
Location Reviewed: 9165 Otis Avenue in Indianapolis, IN (1 block east of Fort Harrison State Park)
Website: https://www.jockamopizza.com/
Date of Review Visit: October 2024
What I Ordered: small (10") pizza with sausage and pepperoni
Price: $16.24 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust at Jockamo Upper Crust Pizza is somewhat thin and somewhat hard.  The crust tends to crack underneath the pizza, which makes the pizza hard to eat.  You can barely taste the bread that makes up this crust.  I don't like the texture or taste of this crust.  Score: 4/10

Sauce: The sauce is slightly overspiced, but only slightly.  It appears in upper levels of quantity, which is rare for a thin crust pizza.  Score: 8/10

Cheese: The cheese appears in high quantity and produces little grease.  Thus, it scores at the upper end in my rating system.  Score: 10/10

Toppings: The sausage is pretty tasteless and bland.  The pepperoni has a little pork flavor but no more.  Both toppings appear in adequate quantity.  Score: 7/10

Overall Taste: The overall taste is on the bland side.  The overspicing of the sauce actually helps the overall taste; this may be the first time I have written that statement.  Score: 7.5/10

Pizza Appearance: The pizza has a very white appearance due to the cheese.

Dining Atmosphere: The Fort Ben location has an excellent large dining room with large windows and comfortable seats.

Customer Service: They cooked my pizza fast, but everything else was slow from refilling my drink to bringing my check.

Monetary Value: The price is too expensive relative to what you put in your mouth.

The Final Judgment:

Jockamo Upper Crust Pizza makes a passable pizza, but it does not score on the upper end in my rating system.  On the Indianapolis pizza scene, I prefer Jack's to Jock (amo's).  Score: 76/100

Gelsosomo's Pizzeria near Chicago, IL

Basic Information:

Pizza: Gelsosomo's Pizzeria

Number of Locations: 10, mostly near Chicago, IL
Location Reviewed: 5184 S. Franklin Street in Michigan City, IN (in front of Meijer on US 421 just north of I-94 exit 34B)
Website: https://gelpizza.com/
Date of Review Visit: September 2024
What I Ordered: small (10") deep dish pizza with pepperoni and sausage; Dr. Pepper to drink
Price: $24.88 (includes drink and tax but not tip)
Photo:

Summary Review:  4.5 stars (out of 5)

 

Detailed Review:

Crust: Gelsosomo's offers a true Chicago style thick crust that is at least 2 inches thick.  The crust has the crispy texture you would expect, and the sauce and cheese blend well with the crust.  Score: 10/10

Sauce: This pizza has lots of sauce.  The sauce had a nice tomatoey taste at first, but a bitter flavor grew on my taste palette the more I ate.  I would like this sauce more without the bitter end.  Score: 8/10

Cheese: This pizza has a thick layer of cheese baked right on the crust, which is where it should be for a deep dish pizza.  I like it.  Score: 10/10

Toppings: The sausage comes in nice big chunks and has a mildly spiced pork flavor.  The pepperoni is unremarkable.  Both toppings appear in abundant quantity.  Score: 9/10

Overall Taste: The big gobs of sauce dominate the taste, and therefore this pizza has more of a bitter taste than I prefer.  Score: 7.5/10

Pizza Appearance: This pizza looks like the robust deep dish pizza it is.

Dining Atmosphere: Gelsosomo's has a nice casual dining atmosphere with nice booths and a few TVs for entertainment.  I enjoyed the dining experience here.

Customer Service: The table service was quick and attentive on my visit.

Monetary Value: While the price is expensive, it is not the most expensive pizza of this type I have ever had.  Thus, the value is about average.

The Final Judgment:

I enjoyed the food and service at Gelsosomo's.  Only a fresher, more tomato-tasting sauce like the sauce at Lou Malnati's or Uno's keeps this pizza from being elite.  Score: 86/100

Brittany's Brick Oven Pizza in Madison, IN

Basic Information:

Pizza: Brittany's Brick Oven Pizza (B-Bop's)
Number of Locations: 1
Location Review: 2034 Lanier Drive in Madison, IN (on SR 7 just south of SR 62)

Website: https://www.brittanyspizza.com/
Date of Review Visit: May 2024
What I Ordered: personal (6.5") Sinister Six pizza (6 meat pizza), Mr. Pibb to drink
Price: $13.58 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

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Summary Review: 5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Locally known as B-Bop's, Brittany's Brick Oven Pizza uses an award-winning recipe for their crust that requires slow proofing the dough for 2-4 days.  The crust comes out crispy and even blackened, but it still has a fresh doughy taste.  This is one of the best crusts I have ever had.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: The sauce has a thick texture and fresh tomatoey taste.  It appears in adequate quantity.  What's not to like?  Score: 10/10.

Cheese: This pizza has a nice thick layer of yummy white cheese that does not produce a lot of grease.  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: Strangely enough, only the bacon stands out among the toppings: it is slightly crispy and has a slight smoky flavor.  The other 5 meats blend together to produce a fresh pork flavor but are indistinguishable from each other.  Score: 9/10.

Overall Taste: I would have liked to have tasted the individual meats a little more, but the overall taste is hard to beat.  Score: 9.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The blackened areas give this pizza very much a wood-fired appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: B-Bop's has a basic dining atmosphere with nice chairs and 1960's music programming on TV's.

Customer Service: The service was quick and witty.

Monetary Value: For high quality pizza, the price is surprisingly low.  Large pizzas are an even better value.

The Final Judgment:

We have a new high scoring pizza!  B-Bop's is a tiny shop in a small town, but you won't find better pizza anywhere.  Score: 96/100.

Lombardi's New York Pizza and Wings in Evansville, IN

Basic Information:

Pizza: Lombardi's New York Pizza and Wings
Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 3311 N. Green River Road in Evansville, IN (south side of Schnuck's parking lot)

Website: https://www.facebook.com/lombardispizzaandwings/
Date of Review Visit: May 2024
What I Ordered: 1 slice of pepperoni pizza, 1 slice of sausage pizza, fountain drink
Price: $8.06 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

 

Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: True to its name, Lombardi's makes New York style pizza, and therefore it has a thin, floppy, foldable crust.  They sell pizza by the slice, but the crust is not hard and crispy like most pizza by the slice places.  In the pizza by the slice universe, this is a solid crust.  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: As usual for New York style pizza, this pizza is somewhat undersauced.  What sauce exists has a fresh tomatoey taste.  Score: 8/10.

Cheese: Unfortunately, this pizza is also somewhat undercheesed.  The cheese does not produce much grease, so that's a plus.  Score: 6/10.

Toppings: The sausage is so sparse I ordered a 2nd slice just so I could judge the sausage; it has a pleasant pork flavor.  The pepperoni is unremarkable.  Score: 5/10.

Overall Taste: The sparse toppings really let this pizza down, and the overall taste is a little unremarkable due to the lack of toppings.  Score: 7.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza's appearance looks sparse due to the lack of toppings.

Dining Atmosphere: Lombardi's had quick counter service from a friendly guy on my visit.

Customer Service: The dining room is the bare minimum with no TV's or other entertainment.

Monetary Value: Pizza by the slice usually has high value due to its low price, and this one is no exception.  The better-than-expected quality helps on the other side of the value equation.

 

The Final Judgment:

Lombardi's is some more and better toppings away from having one of the best pizza-by-the-slice options I have ever eaten.  Despite its flaws, I recommend coming here for a quick lunch if you are in the Evansville area.  Score: 79/100.

LaRosa's Pizzeria in Cincinnati, OH: Montgomery Inn Pizza

Basic Information:

Pizza: LaRosa's Pizzeria
Number of Locations: around 60, mostly near Cincinnati, OH
Website: https://www.larosas.com/
Location: 3291 Heritage Green Drive in Monroe, OH (near SR 63, in the same strip mall as Kroger)
Date of Review Visit: October 2023
What I Ordered: small (8") pan Montgomery Inn Pizza with pulled pork, 20 oz. Cherry Coke to drink
Price: $11.75 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Summary Review: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

The Macro:

Crust: LaRosa’s offers three choices for crust: thin, super crust, and pan.  On this visit, I chose my usual choice: the pan crust, the thickest of the three options.  The pan crust has perfect thickness; it has the crunchy outside but chewy inside texture that makes for a good thick crust.  The pizza is well-baked, and the bottom of the crust has that special LaRosa’s taste that I still have not quite figured out.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: The sauce on this pizza is Montgomery Inn's standard barbecue sauce.  Although it is a tomato-based barbecue sauce, it is very sweet, sweeter than any tomato sauce I have ever tasted.  I like this sauce on ribs more than I like it on a pizza.  Score: 8/10.

Cheese: The pizza is well-cheesed, and LaRosa’s uses only high quality provolone cheese, the perfect pizza cheese.  Hence, there is a very small amount of grease.  Perfecto!  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The pulled pork is very tender and has a fresh pork flavor.  The pork comes in large chunks, and therefore it tends to be concentrated on some parts of the pizza and scarce on others.  Score: 9/10.

Overall Taste: The sauce makes the overall taste of this pizza too sweet, a statement I have rarely made in this pizza blog because I usually like sweet tastes.  Eating this pizza is more like eating cheese covered pork on bread than eating a traditional pizza.  Score: 7.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The concentrations of the pork give the pizza an unbalanced appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: The Monroe location has no dining room, although many of LaRosa's locations have nice casual dining rooms.

Customer Service: I have always enjoyed the service at LaRosa's.

Value: The price is somewhat low given the quality of pizza and dining experience you get.  LaRosa’s stacks up far better than its casual dining competitors in this category.

The Final Judgment:

LaRosa's and Montgomery Inn are both Cincinnati legends, and I make sure to eat at both every time I go to Cincinnati.  But I prefer them separately rather than this combination, and I prefer LaRosa's double sausage pizza to this pizza.  Score: 88/100.

Raimondo's Pizza in Fort Wayne, IN

Basic Information:

Pizza: Raimondo's Pizza
Number of Locations: 1
Location Reviewed: 2608 W. State Blvd. in Fort Wayne, IN (just west of Price Elementary School)

Website: https://www.raimondospizza.com/
Date of Review Visit: October 2022
What I Ordered: large (14") pan pizza with sausage and pepperoni; fountain drink
Price: $16.83 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

 

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

The Macro:

Crust: Raimondo's offers pan and hand-tossed crust options.  I chose the thicker pan crust.  The pizza does indeed have a nice thick pan crust, almost a Chicago-style crust.  It is brown and crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.  This crust is excellent.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: The sauce appears in adequate quantity, but it is very overspiced.  I tasted the spices more than I tasted the tomatoes, and that is not my style of sauce.  Score: 6/10.

Cheese: The cheese appears in above average quantity, but it leaves quite a bit of grease.  Hence, a mandatory deduction applies.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The sausage appears in tiny ground up bits.  It has some spices but no real flavor.  Likewise the pepperoni has a little spice but no real flavor.  Both toppings appear in high quantity.  Score: 6/10.

Overall Taste: Several components on this pizza are overspiced, so the overall taste is rather lacking.  Score: 6.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza's appearance is dominated by the crust, as you would expect on a pan pizza.

Dining Atmosphere: Raimondo's has a no frills dining area with just some tables and chairs.

Customer Service: The service was friendly and attentive on my visit.

Monetary Value: For a 14" pan pizza, the price is down right cheap. Therefore, the value is high.

The Final Judgment:

My like for this pizza begins and ends with the crust.  I can see why some people like it in total, and I would come here at least occasionally if I lived in Fort Wayne.  Score: 81/100.

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria (Pizza Review #100)

Basic Information:

Pizza: Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria

Number of Locations: 81, mostly near Chicago, IL

Location Reviewed: 1050 E. Higgins Rd. in Elk Grove Village, IL

Website: https://www.loumalnatis.com/

Date of Review Visit: May 2019

What I Ordered: Personal Malnati Chicago Classic Pizza (8” deep dish sausage pizza); Coke to drink

Price: $11.99 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photos:

Summary Review: 5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: True to its name, the crust on the pizza at Lou Malnati’s is an inch thick Chicago-style butter crust baked in a pan.  They do also offer a thin crust option, but I have no idea why.  I have not yet seen anyone do this style of crust better than Malnati’s does.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: This pizza features a thick layer of sauce spread over the top.  The sauce has some chunks of tomato, which I don’t like.  However, the most important thing to me about any tomato sauce is that it tastes like tomatoes, and on that metric this sauce passes with flying colors.  Score: 8/10.

Cheese: The cheese seems to be 100% mozzarella, and it appears in high quantity even though I had to look for it under the thick layer of sauce.  Score: 9/10.

Toppings: The sausage is an entire layer, and as you would expect on a Chicago-style pizza it appears in nice fresh chunks.  This is my favorite kind of pizza sausage.  Score: 10/10.

Overall Taste: Everything comes together really well.  Maybe this pizza has a little too much sauce with a few too many chunks of tomatoes.  Score: 9.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The sauce and crust dominate the appearance, as usual for a true Chicago-style pizza.

Dining Atmosphere: The Elk Grove Village location has a dark dining room that is well-decorated with antique light chandeliers and antique-looking chairs.

Customer Service: The service was friendly and excellent, but the pizza took longer to make than it should have considering they weren’t that busy when I came here at 3pm on a Wednesday.

Monetary Value: The price is reasonable for pizza of this quality.  Therefore, while this is not cheap pizza, it does offer good value.

The Final Judgment:

A Chicago classic, Lou Malnati’s ranks right up with Uno’s and LaRosa’s as my favorite pizzas available.  Score: 93/100.

Monical’s Pizza Restaurant

Basic Information:

Pizza: Monical’s Pizza Restaurant

Number of Locations: around 60 across 4 states; based just south of Chicago

Location Reviewed: 850 W. Main Street in El Paso, IL (I-39 exit 14)

Website: https://www.monicals.com/

Date of Review Visit: August 2018

What I Ordered: 8” pan pizza with sausage and pepperoni; Dr. Pepper to drink

Price: $9.46 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

Summary Review: 3 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Monical’s offers 2 crust options: thin and pan.  As will come as no surprise to regular readers of this blog, I chose pan.  The pan crust is thick but not super thick, and it has a nice crispy on the outside but chewy on the inside texture.  Overall, this is a pretty good pan crust.  Score: 8/10.

Sauce: The tomato in the logo suggests that the sauce will be the strength of this pizza, and the tomato tells the truth.  The sauce has a thick consistency, appears in high quantity, and has a nice tomatoey taste.  What more could you want?  Score: 10/10.

Cheese: This pizza does not have a ton of cheese, but it produces a lot of grease.  As good as the sauce is, the cheese is equally bad.  Score: 3/10.

Toppings: The sausage appears in small chunks but has no flavor whatsoever.  The pepperoni comes in thin slices with just a little spice.  There is also a “topping” of spices sprinkled all of the pizza; I never care for this many spices.  The two real toppings appear in decent but not overwhelming quantity.  Score: 6/10.

Overall Taste: The overall taste is very underwhelming.  The sauce saves what could be a disaster.  Score: 6.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza has a nice crust-dominated pan pizza appearance.

Dining Atmosphere: Monical’s has a nice dining room with antique sports equipment hanging on the walls, but the entire room smelled like beer.  The independent Baptist I am does not like that smell.

Customer Service: The service seemed rushed even though they were not super busy on my visit.

Monetary Value: This is not the best pizza around, but it is pretty cheap.  Therefore, the value is pretty good.

The Final Judgment:

Monical’s is definitely not elite, but it has some things going for it.  I would stop at Monical’s again if I found myself near one.  Score: 73/100.

Jack's Pizza in Indianapolis, IN

Basic Information:

Pizza: Jack’s Pizza

Number of Locations: 9, all near Indianapolis, IN

Location Reviewed: 86^th St. and Michigan Ave. in northwest Indianapolis

Website: https://jackspizza1966.com/#home

Date of Review Visit: June 2015

What I Ordered: Small (10”) pizza with sausage and pepperoni

Price: $10.34 (includes tax but not drink)

Photos:

Summary Review: 5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Jack’s Pizza has an odd crust: it is thin and crispy but not too thin.  The crust is ¼ to ½ inch thick under the entire pizza.  The crust is loaded edge to edge with toppings, and my pizza was baked just the right amount.  This crust is different, but I like it.  Score: 9/10.

Sauce: I didn’t notice the sauce much, but not because the pizza is undersauced.  Rather the sauce blends in very well with the rest of pizza.  When I did specifically put my tongue on the sauce, it had a yummy tomato-y taste that was not the least bit overspiced.  This sauce is very good.  Score: 9/10.

Cheese: The cheese appears in great quantity and produces almost no grease.  The cheese tastes like good quality mozzarella or provolone.  Sometimes I would downgrade for using only 1 type of cheese but not when they include this much of it.  Excellent!  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: Both meats are a little spicy but neither is overspiced.  I could still taste the meat over the spice.  They appear in good quantity also.  What’s not to like?  Score: 10/10.

Overall Taste: All of the parts are very good, but then they sprinkle some extra herbs over the cheese.  As a result, you taste only the herbs at first.  The extra herbs tend to wear on your palette until you get used to them, and only then do you start tasting the rest of the pizza.  The overall taste would be far better with fewer extra herbs.  Score: 8/10.

Pizza Appearance: The abundant plain white cheese dominates the pizza’s appearance.  The jacks (the metal kids toy) printed on the front of the box are an odd touch.

Dining Atmosphere: (not applicable due to no dining area)

Customer Service: The service was prompt and fine.

Monetary Value: Jack’s makes good quality pizza.  The price is high (remember that no drink is included in the price I posted above), but it is nowhere near the most expensive pizza around.  Thus, the price/quality ratio grades out pretty well.

The Final Judgment:

Congratulations Indianapolis! You have a 90+ rated pizza that is among the best I have had anywhere.  Stop here and enjoy it often.  Score: 90/100.

LaRosa’s Family Pizzeria near Cincinnati, OH

Basic Information:

Pizza: LaRosa’s Family Pizzeria

Number of Locations: about 50, mostly near Cincinnati, OH

Location Reviewed: 5130 Camelot Drive in Fairfield, OH

Website: https://www.larosas.com/

Date of Review Visit: October 2022

What I Ordered: Large pan pizza (14”) with extra sausage and extra cheese, cherry Coke to drink

Price: $23.32 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Disclaimer:

LaRosa’s Pizza is my first love among pizzas.  It is the pizza that got my entire pizza passion started.  Having grown up in Cincinnati, I still remember the special occasions that always involved my family getting a LaRosa’s Pizza.  I tried to be objective with this pizza review, but you can imagine how that went.

Summary Review: 5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: LaRosa’s offers three choices for crust: thin, super crust, and pan.  On this visit, I chose the pan crust, the thickest of the three options.  The pan crust was perfect thickness; it has the crunchy outside but chewy inside texture that makes for a good thick crust.  The pizza was well-baked, and the bottom of crust had that special LaRosa’s taste that I still have not quite figured out.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: LaRosa’s sells its pizza sauce separately, and for good reason: it is a fantastic sauce.  The sauce uses high quality ingredients and has just the right amount of seasoning with spices.  I really like it.  Score: 10/10.

Cheese: The pizza is well-cheesed, and LaRosa’s uses only high quality provolone cheese, the perfect pizza cheese.  Hence, there is a very small amount of grease.  Perfecto!  Score: 10/10.

Toppings: The sausage is high quality, but unfortunately the pizza lacks somewhat in quantity unless you order the double sausage as I did.  This potential for skimping leads to a deduction here.  Score: 8/10.

Overall Taste: As you might expect given the above, the taste is fantastic.  I almost never give perfect scores in taste (just what does a perfect tasting pizza taste like anyhow?), but for my first love in pizzas....  Score: 10/10.

Pizza Appearance: The appearance is quite pleasing save for the low amount of sausage.  

Dining Atmosphere: LaRosa’s has a casual dining atmosphere, but some of their newer locations are carry out only.

Customer Service: I have always enjoyed the service at LaRosa's.

Monetary Value: The price is somewhat low given the quality of pizza and dining experience you get. LaRosa’s stacks up far better than its casual dining competitors in this category.

The Final Judgment:

LaRosa’s is a Cincinnati favorite, and it remains my favorite pizza even though I have not lived in Ohio since 2005.  If you find yourself in Cincinnati, stop by LaRosa’s so that it can become your favorite too.  Score: 94/100.