Mikeys Late Night Slice’s new location at 1839 N Pearl St. Credit: William Moody | Lantern Reporter
Ohio State students now have a new late-night pizza spot near campus in the form of Mikey’s Late Night Slice.
The new location — located at 1839 Pearl St. — opened Friday for regular hours, which are from 11-2:30 a.m. on weekdays and 11-3 a.m. on weekends. The restaurant will also have a full-functioning bar open at the same time as the restaurant.
Mikey’s Late Night Slice is a Columbus-based pizza chain known for its New York-style pizza served by the slice. According to its website, Mikey’s is also known for more unusual pizza-related items such as the “Pizza Dawg” — a pepperoni-stuffed hot dog that is cut in half, spread out and uses a slice of pizza as the bun — along with the “Cheezus Crust” — a grilled cheese sandwich with pizza used as the bread.
According to Mikey’s website, the chain first came to be after owner Mike Sorboro recognized his disappointment with the city’s late-night street meal options. So, he decided to create his own.
Sorboro launched Mikey’s in the parking lot of his Columbus apartment in 2009. From there, Sorboro would continue to expand the chain with locations throughout the Columbus area, and even a location in Cincinnati.
Jason Biundo, Mikey’s operations director, said the new location on Pearl Street — which will be the franchise’s sixth location in the greater Columbus area — is part of Mikey’s effort to connect with the Ohio State community and embed the brand in the minds of a younger generation.
“[After] 16 years in operation, we’ve only begun to see the power of nostalgia as folks who grew up eating our pizza enter adulthood,” Biundo said.
Though Mikey’s off-campus location will be open this weekend, Biundo said the restaurant’s grand opening will be held Wednesday, with an eating contest to top off the opening festivities.
Biundo said the new location will include swings, a photo booth and the same menu and prices as the other locations.
“The experience is just as important to us as the quality of the pizza,” Biundo said. “There’s nothing on campus that comes close to what we’re offering.”
Henry Campbell, an Ohio State graduate and frequent Mikey’s customer, said is excited for Mikey’s to open because of his experience with different late-night eats on campus.
“When I was a student there was no late-night food anywhere close to where I lived,” Campbell said.
Campbell said he believes students will appreciate the new location.
“It’s nice that students won’t have to walk far to grab a bite during the night,” Campbell said.
