Adriatico’s storefront on Neil Avenue. Credit: Paradise Thomas | Lantern Reporter
Late nights, game days and student organization meetings at Ohio State are often accompanied by the cheesy comfort of Adriatico’s New York Style Pizza.
Slinging pies since 1986, Adriatico’s is a staple of the Ohio State community and was voted best pizza by Lantern readers this year. Greg Fortney, owner of Adriatico’s New York Style Pizza at 1618 Neil Ave., said he opened the Columbus pizzeria after working at an Adriatico’s in Cincinnati during his college years.
“During my senior year I built the shop here in Columbus, and I just really liked everything about Columbus. So I ended up moving here and just operating the shop,” Fortney said.
Adriactico’s serves pizza, salads and pasta among other entrees, as well as various appetizers. Their base pizza prices range from $5.99 to $33.99 depending on size and crust type. Toppings and specialty pizzas are also available.
Fortney said being a part of the Ohio State community for so long has allowed Adriatico’s to be ingrained into the overall Ohio State experience for many students, alumni and faculty.
“Actually, we’re part of the OSU fabric,” Fortney said. “We’ve been on campus for a very long time. Being here since 1986 has given us the opportunity to employ a lot of students and serve our pizza to a lot of students and faculty, and they’ve turned into alumni and now their children are starting to eat it. It’s been just a wonderful relationship.”
Ca’Marea Snipes-Thomas, a third-year in special education, said he was introduced to Adriatico’s during a program in his residence hall, and since then it has been his go-to pizza place on campus.
“It’s one of the best tasting pizza places on campus,” Snipes-Thomas said. “I have tried a couple of others, but Adriatico’s has definitely been one of my favorites amongst every other pizza place. It’s just convenient that we can use our BuckID cash to purchase anything from that pizzeria.”
With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the restaurant industry and the traditional dine-in experience, Fortney said Adriatico’s is no exception.
“From the day the governor shut down our dining room, our sales dropped dramatically,” Fortney said. “Campus just isn’t the same right now. We have very high hopes that it will return in the fall and next year will be more of a traditional college year, but this past year has been trying to everyone.”
Despite the pandemic, Fortney said Adriatico’s is staying true to their quality as they have over the past 35 years. Everything is made from scratch, from the dough to the cheese, which is aged in-house.
“It’s really hard to do it all, and so when you’re lucky enough to have the campus embrace you like they’ve embraced us for so long, it affirms that we’ve done a good job, and it’s just terrific,” Fortney said.
Justin Smith, a second-year in environmental policy, said his first taste of Adriatico’s was at a club meeting — its uniqueness as well as its affordability is what made him want it again.
“I think it’s unique definitely, and also just because of the style of pizza that it is,” Smith said. “And it’s also bigger than most.”
Snipes-Thomas said the quality of Adriatico’s pizza is consistent and keeps him coming back to them.
“Adriatico’s has some great pizza,” Snipes-Thomas said. “I know every time that I ordered from them I’ve received a warm pizza — it’s never a miss. It’s always a vibe whenever I order from them and so I’m a big fan.”
