Best pizza in Cincy area...where?! (Columbus, Dayton: costs, floor, to move)

[abr7rmj]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

Just to comment on that Marion's being built in Mason. My cronies and I have been sitting across Snider road and marveling at the construction. Seems to be one of the most disorganized developments we have seen. The corner of Snider and Tylersville where it is being built sat vacant for years. I feel part of the reason is the land has some severe drainage problems.

So we are enjoying watching them move dirt and then move it again. For the past several months there has been heavy duty earth moving equipment there like you expect on an Interstate. As I previously commented, the Marion's pizza joint is huge. They now have most of the 4 walls up.

But what catches our eye is the amount of dirt they move and then move again. It is like no that is not going to work, we have to make it deeper and wider. What looked like a simple driveway off of Snider Rd now looks like it is going to be about 4 lanes wide with a substantial culvert underneath it.

The original information said the land parcel is 9 acres and the first two occupants would be a medical dermatology building and Marion's. The medical building has appeared complete for a few weeks now, but there is no driveway, parking, etc. access yet. Two sides of the corner lot, which all of us locals knew was a drainage problem by the cattails which sprang up there in the spring, they appear to just keep widening and deepening.

By my engineering eye, the outlots they spoke of seem to be keeping smaller and smaller. I simply do not understand why they do not throw in the towel, dig a big ditch, and install a large drainage pipe from the two culverts from the north side of Tylersville down to the creek on the southest side of the property. They just keep moving dirt and reducing the effective usable area. A burried drain pipe can have a parking lot on top of it, with drains into the pipe. What they currently have now is not only unattractive to the eye, but sacrifices valuable serface area.

We will keep informing you as it develops.

Since I'm a big fan of Marion's and am very interested in how they'll fare in Cincinnati, I'm going to have to go check out that construction. I'm curious to see just how big this location is going to be.

And I wouldn't think Marco's will compete with Marion's much in the sense that Marco's is more of a take-out location while Marion's is much more of the traditional pizza parlor where you go in, order, eat your pizza and drink your sodas or beer. All of the Marion's locations I've been to also have game areas for kids, though I'm not sure if that's a positive or negative for parents.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by abr7rmj

Since I'm a big fan of Marion's and am very interested in how they'll fare in Cincinnati, I'm going to have to go check out that construction. I'm curious to see just how big this location is going to be.

And I wouldn't think Marco's will compete with Marion's much in the sense that Marco's is more of a take-out location while Marion's is much more of the traditional pizza parlor where you go in, order, eat your pizza and drink your sodas or beer. All of the Marion's locations I've been to also have game areas for kids, though I'm not sure if that's a positive or negative for parents.

The B-dubs across the street on Snider Rd is one of the larger one's in the area. They were in another location in Mason for about 10 years when the owner realized he was losing business due to parking limitations, so he acquired the property at the southeast corner of Snider and Tylersville and built a new one. My cronies and I gather there to solve the world's problems and quaff down our draft beer.

My eye tells me the Marion's is larger in square footage than the B-dubs. Another thing we wonder about is the height. It is abnormally high, almost to the point we were betting it may be two stories. But that would make no sense. It also makes no sense they would build it that high, since the interior space requires heating and cooling.

I am not familiar with the other Marion's locations, but yes come and check this one out. It appears they are attempting to create the Taj Mahal of pizza joints. I know I have never seen a larger one.

From my observations, they are squeezing the outlots down to smaller and smaller size, and also abutting a drainage ditch. In my observation, in this development Marion's is the King of the Hill and just might end up owning the whole hill. I hope they can swallow the entire amount.

[abr7rmj]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

The B-dubs across the street on Snider Rd is one of the larger one's in the area. They were in another location in Mason for about 10 years when the owner realized he was losing business due to parking limitations, so he acquired the property at the southeast corner of Snider and Tylersville and built a new one. My cronies and I gather there to solve the world's problems and quaff down our draft beer.

My eye tells me the Marion's is larger in square footage than the B-dubs. Another thing we wonder about is the height. It is abnormally high, almost to the point we were betting it may be two stories. But that would make no sense. It also makes no sense they would build it that high, since the interior space requires heating and cooling.

I am not familiar with the other Marion's locations, but yes come and check this one out. It appears they are attempting to create the Taj Mahal of pizza joints. I know I have never seen a larger one.

From my observations, they are squeezing the outlots down to smaller and smaller size, and also abutting a drainage ditch. In my observation, in this development Marion's is the King of the Hill and just might end up owning the whole hill. I hope they can swallow the entire amount.

Here is the Marion's at the Dayton Mall. It looks two stories but it's not - just really high ceilings:

Google Image Result for http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/19537102.jpg

[kjbrill]

[quote=abr7rmj;24316188]Here is the Marion's at the Dayton Mall. It looks two stories but it's not - just really high ceilings:/quote]

Yea that looks like what I expect the one in Mason to end up like. Just surprising for a pizza joint.

We are all waiting to see what their draft beer afternoon prices will be. They can put a big hurt on B-dubs if they undercut them. We are not too proud to go for the best price.

[Ohioan58]

I seem to remember $5 for a small pitcher of draft, at Marion's locations in Dayton. You pick up your food at one counter, and a separate smaller counter has a barman for drinks, and you pay separately for drinks.

About deals: Marion's in Dayton runs coupons in Reach Magazine for 20% off pizzas (only), but I don't recall ever seeing happy hour deals. Aside from the coupons and rare specials that get reported widely in the media (such as a rollback to 1965 prices they did a couple of years ago in celebration of a chainwide anniversary), Marions does-not-EVER-do-deals. Ever ever ever ever. Except for individual lunch specials. It's against their religion or something, I think.

Two things also: there is some "special" pizza they offer that has double cheese - it's LOUSY - the best bet is to specify your own ingredients, and only go three toppings absolute tops. Secondly, ask for the "old oven", which crisps up the crust better. If the Mason location doesn't have an "old oven" it should be shut down for code violations.

I'm sort of jaded about Marion's. They overplay their specialness and history and their product is moderately expensive for pizza.

Maybe that's why people like their product so well. And it's a large traditional pizzeria that you usually don't see, the size of a Cici's, perhaps --- except the food isn't, er, swill.

[natisfynest]

QueenCity Pizza

[swale]

There are a lot of ex-New Yorkers on here. All of you, in particular, have to try one of the Flying Pizza stores, either the Fields-Ertel one or one of the three in the Dayton area.

I grew up in the Bronx, and Flying Pizza is identical to some of the better local joints in NYC. The owners moved here from Astoria. They even sell a Sicilian (square) slice!

The great New York pizza hunt | We search for the thinnest crusts and the biggest slices in town | Photo 1/15 | Metromix Cincinnati

[Ohioan58]

Originally Posted by swale

There are a lot of ex-New Yorkers on here. All of you, in particular, have to try one of the Flying Pizza stores, either the Fields-Ertel one or one of the three in the Dayton area.

I grew up in the Bronx, and Flying Pizza is identical to some of the better local joints in NYC. The owners moved here from Astoria. They even sell a Sicilian (square) slice!

I grew up on Flying Pizza in the Dayton area and I agree that it's the bomb, but it has its local haters who don't believe that it's that good or that authentic. There are a few other joints around Cincinnati that supposedly do better. One place in Dayton called Troni's is hailed by a few NY pizza fanatics as the only acceptable local pie. I've had it and IMO it is not a lot different from Flying Pizza.

The stuff Marion's sells is what is called "Dayton style" pizza, and Dayton style pizza is supposedly a variation of an older style called "St. Louis style".

[Ohiogirl81]

Mmmmmmm ... Flying Pizza ....

[abr7rmj]

Love hitting up Flying Pizza when I'm in Centerville, though I prefer Johnny's which is just down the street and does New York-style even better.