Ohio Street Pizza King

I think pizza is a serious business! I seriously LOVE it and I think everyone has a favorite pizza place. Everyone has an opinion. Mine just happens to start with one simple question: Can you make an unforgettable sausage and pepperoni pizza? That's my benchmark. No specialty pizzas. No trendy toppings. No distractions. If you can't nail a classic sausage and pepperoni pizza, I'm probably not coming back. This might be harsh but I believe if the foundation isn't there, nothing else on the menu is going to save you. Today - I'm going to talk about Pizza King on Ohio Street. Pizza King is the definition of "don't judge a pizza by its building." Tucked between the old Family Video building and Players Pizza, it's surprisingly easy to drive right past if you don't know it's there. The outside isn't flashy, and the inside hasn't changed much in years. Honestly, I hope it never does. There's no attempt to be trendy. No giant TVs. No elaborate décor. No gimmicks. It's simply a pizza shop focused on making really good pizza. I almost always call ahead and order carryout. They'll cook the pizza for about sixty cents more, and by the time I get home it's cooled to that perfect temperature where you can actually taste everything without burning the roof of your mouth. Most of the time though I already burnt my mouth because it's hard not to grab a slice on the way home. Every time I open the box, it looks exactly how I want pizza to look. The cheese is evenly browned, the toppings run almost all the way to the edge, and the crust has just enough color to promise a little crunch. If you're one of those people who doesn't eat crust, you'll appreciate that every bite has toppings. If you're like me and eat every last piece, you're going to be happy either way. The funny thing is, I probably never would have stopped here if it weren't for someone I worked with at UW Oshkosh. She also worked at Pizza King and, without fail, kept telling me the same thing "Pizza King on Ohio Street has the best pizza in town." It took until Cranky Pat's closed for me to listen to her. Crazy thing is that she wasn't wrong and I should have listened much sooner. Better price than Cranky's and honestly twice as good. Let's start with the crust. We always order the thicker crust. It's substantial without feeling heavy. The bottom develops just enough crispness while the inside stays soft and chewy. The edge has a slight flake before giving way to a clean bite. It's the kind of crust that makes you eat every last piece instead of leaving those small edges sitting on your plate. Not a thing I've ever done but...I have watched people do this often so I'm trying to help you all out! The sauce doesn't try to steal the show, and that's exactly why it works. It's balanced. Enough tomato, enough seasoning, just enough sweetness, and enough acidity to keep the pizza from feeling heavy. It complements everything else instead of competing with it. My wife isn't a fan of too much sauce and I tend to agree but I can also tolerate a little more than she can. She never has an issue with Pizza Kings sauce. The real conversation actually begins with the sausage, because this is where every pizza place earns it's reputation. The seasoning is outstanding. It's flavorful without being spicy, rich without being greasy, and every bite reminds you it's there. Just as important, they don't make you hunt for it. Every slice gets enough sausage that you actually taste sausage throughout the entire piece. That might sound like a small thing, but after eating pizza all over Northeast Wisconsin, I've recognized it isn't. Too many places treat sausage like a garnish. Pizza King treats it like it actually belongs on the pizza. The pepperoni is exactly what I want it to be. Nothing fancy. It complements the sausage instead of competing with it, adding just enough salt and spice to round everything out. Our family's typical order is pretty simple because when you find something that works, you stick with it: a sausage and pepperoni on thicker crust for the boys, a cheese pizza for my daughter, and a sausage, fresh mushroom, onion, black olive, and no-cheese pizza for my wife. Every one of them comes out consistently cooked and consistently loaded. Now, before the Murdock Street Pizza King crowd starts typing, let's address the debate. For years I heard Murdock was the better location. My former boss swore by it. After hearing that enough times, I did exactly what any reasonable pizza-loving person would do. I went there and ordered my go-to order. The verdict was surprisingly simple. It's just not better. The sauce is nearly identical, but execution matters. Ohio Street is simply more generous with the toppings, more consistent with the bake, and more satisfying from the first slice to the last. That's what separates good pizza from great pizza. One of the things I've started paying attention to is generosity. If I cut a pizza into slices, how many pieces of sausage am I actually getting? Ohio Street Pizza King consistently lands in what I'd call the generous category. I shouldn't have to search for toppings, and I never do when it comes from Ohio Street. At the end of the day, that's why this place has held the top spot on my list for more than 5 years. It isn't trying to reinvent pizza. It isn't chasing trends. It isn't asking you to appreciate artisan ingredients. It's honestly been good for more than 45 years so they haven't had to change anything! Great crust. Balanced sauce. Outstanding sausage. Proper topping distribution. Consistent execution. Fair prices. And, the family that owns it loves Oshkosh. I've eaten pizza all over Northeast Wisconsin, and there are a lot of places I'd happily recommend. But when someone asks me where they should get pizza in Oshkosh, I don't hesitate. Well, unless they're looking to sit down. I am always talking to them about Pizza King on Ohio Street. For me, it's still the standard. Za Critic Rating: 10/10. Every other pizza in Oshkosh gets measured against this one.