REVIEW | Betta’s Italian Oven
Rated #1 Pizza – Cincinnati Magazine!
If you love pizza, Betta’s Italian Oven is a must-visit. And you don’t just have to take my word on it…they got a very well-deserved award from Cincinnati Magazine – Best Pizza in the Queen City.
Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember)
Now…I have a very special place in my heart for this hometown pizzeria. And in the practice of full-disclosure – I was the first waitress at Betta’s Italian Oven. Yes, the first waitress. Ask Will, the owner, he’ll vouch for me.
I went to Xavier University, just down the street, and would stop by every few
weeks after class (while Willie was still prepping the restaurant to open). I bugged the living hell out of that poor man, reminding him that I’d love to work there and to call me when the restaurant was ready. I suppose my persistence paid off, because I was rewarded with a job and access to the best pizza outside of Italy!
Betta’s is the type of Italian restaurant that you WANT to go to. Family owned. Family operated. Family recipes. Catching a theme? Yes, FAMILY. There are even little kiddos running around. It’s the way a family owned Italian restaurant should be.
I have fond memories of my time working at Bettas – constantly busting Willie’s chops, listening to the Italian CDs on repeat, laughing with Cheryl (Will’s wife) and sneaking back to kitchen to chat with my girl, Clara (Will’s sister). I even got my best pal, Tony, a job there as a “pizzaiolo”, where he learned the craft of making amazing wood-fired pizza. It really is an art-form and Tony will tell you any day of that week, that maneuvering that pizza peel is a GIANT. PAIN. IN. THE. ASS.
My family has come to love this place. It’s a go-to spot for a relaxing night with good food. Uncle Joe and Jane had out-of-town guests (their old neighbors that moved to Canada), so decided to have some folks up to Willie’s to enjoy some pizza pie and a few good laughs.
The Verdict
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