DiCarlo’s Pizza is a family-owned pizza shop located in the heart of uptown Westerville. It's not your average pizza shop.
Their pizza is Ohio Valley style. “Our pizza is distinctly different, it has a crunchy crust, savory sauce, and the cheese and pepperoni are put on after the bake,” Mike Carlson said.
Mike is the owner of DiCarlo’s along with his wife Sarah. Mike and his family have lived in Westerville since 2015, but he used to work in New York. Mike wanted to work in his community and make a difference, so he and Sarah opened DiCarlo’s in the late summer of 2022.
“We want to be involved in things like Girl Scout meetings and be the hometown pizza shop in Westerville, not just a business,” Carlson said.
The DiCarlo family traveled from Italy to the United States in 1896. Lorenzo DiCarlo moved to California and opened up DiCarlo’s Bakery. Soon after, Primo DiCarlo opened the first DiCarlo's Pizza at 146 S 3rd St. in Steubenville, Ohio. This location is now run by second-generation Anna DiCarlo and third-generation son David DiCarlo, who both live in Columbus.
The DiCarlo family perfected their pizza-baking craft and recipe, which turned into the Ohio Valley style. Ohio Valley residents take pride in their hometown pizza shop. DiCarlo's also had the first pizza-shop license in the state of Ohio.
DiCarlo’s pizza shops are now located across three states including Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
Mike grew up in the Ohio Valley and Sarah grew up in Westerville, but her mother was from the Ohio Valley, so she grew up eating DiCarlo's pizza, too.
They feel that their uptown location is perfect, but still believe that many things can be done to make it more welcoming and the place to be in Westerville.
DiCarlo’s is located in the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, so they hope to sell alcohol in the future.
Their location also offers a “take and bake pie” that allows customers to make pizza at home in under seven minutes. Everything from DiCarlo’s is fresh - they don’t own a freezer.
The Carlson family loves DiCarlo’s and Westerville, and they hope to be in the community long-term.
