This Ohio Pizza Place Looks Ordinary Until You Try The Signature Square Slice
Driving down Sunset Boulevard in Steubenville, Ohio, I never expected a simple pizza shop to completely upend everything I thought I knew about how cheese should behave on a slice.
DiCarlo’s Pizza sits at 4531 Sunset Blvd, Steubenville, OH 43952, looking like any other neighborhood carryout until you open that box and realize something wonderfully strange is happening.
The first time someone handed me a square slice with cold cheese piled on top of hot sauce, I thought they had forgotten to finish baking it.
Then I took a bite and understood why people drive across state lines for this stuff.
That lukewarm mozzarella melting slowly from the heat below creates a texture I still dream about weeks later.
Walking through that door changed my entire understanding of what pizza could be, and I have been plotting return trips ever since.
The Cold Cheese Phenomenon That Started It All
DiCarlo’s built its reputation on a method that sounds completely backward until you experience it yourself.
Raw shredded provolone cheese gets piled onto the pizza after the crust and sauce finish baking, creating a contrast that somehow works better than it has any right to.
My first encounter with this technique left me staring at the slice for a solid ten seconds before I trusted myself to try it.
The cheese starts cool and slightly firm, then gradually softens as the heat from the sauce and crust works its magic from underneath.
Watching that transformation happen in real time while you eat turns every bite into something different from the last.
People either get it immediately or need a few slices to come around, but I fell into the first camp without hesitation.
Now I cannot imagine going back to fully melted cheese after tasting this version.
Square Slices That Break Every Pizza Rule
Forget everything you learned about round pies cut into triangles.
DiCarlo’s serves rectangular pizzas sliced into perfect squares that stack neatly in boxes and somehow taste better because of their shape.
Each square offers a different experience depending on where it came from on the sheet.
Corner pieces deliver extra crust for those who love a good chew, while center cuts focus your attention entirely on that sauce and cheese combination.
I always grab a mix because I cannot decide which style I prefer, and honestly, both have earned permanent spots in my heart.
The thin crust underneath stays crispy enough to hold everything together without fighting back when you take a bite.
Eating these squares feels less formal than tackling a traditional slice, almost like pizza decided to relax and stop taking itself so seriously for once.
Sauce That Carries the Whole Operation
Without the distraction of bubbling melted cheese, DiCarlo’s sauce has nowhere to hide and absolutely rises to the challenge.
Tangy and slightly sweet, it provides all the flavor foundation the pizza needs while the cheese plays its textural role above.
I noticed the sauce more at DiCarlo’s than at any other pizza place I have visited, probably because it stays so visible under that layer of shredded provolone.
The balance leans just acidic enough to cut through the richness without making your mouth pucker.
They spread it evenly across every inch of crust, ensuring no bland bites sneak into your box.
Some pizza joints treat sauce like an afterthought, but here it clearly gets the respect it deserves.
After my third visit, I started appreciating how much work that sauce does to make the cold cheese concept actually succeed.
Crust That Knows Its Place
DiCarlo’s crust walks a perfect line between sturdy support structure and enjoyable eating experience.
Thin enough to let the toppings shine but substantial enough to handle the weight of sauce and cheese without flopping over, it does exactly what good crust should do.
I appreciate that they do not try to make the crust the star of the show with fancy seasonings or excessive thickness.
It tastes faintly yeasty with a hint of salt and bakes up with just enough browning on the bottom to add a toasted note.
The edges crisp up nicely while the center stays tender, giving you textural variety across a single slice.
No one finishes a box of DiCarlo’s and complains about the crust, which tells you everything you need to know.
It simply works without demanding attention, which feels refreshingly honest in a world of gimmicky pizza bases.
The Carryout Counter Experience
DiCarlo’s on Sunset Boulevard keeps things straightforward with a counter, a menu board, and a steady stream of customers who know exactly what they came for.
No hostess stand or table service complicates the process here.
Walking in, you immediately smell baking dough and tomato sauce, which makes waiting for your order feel less like waiting and more like anticipation building.
The staff moves quickly without rushing you, taking orders, and boxing pizzas with the efficiency of people who have done this thousands of times.
I always watch through the window into the kitchen area, fascinated by how fast they assemble these pizzas and get them in and out of the oven.
The whole operation feels designed for people who want great pizza without any fuss attached.
You order, you pay, you leave with a box of something special, and that simplicity somehow makes the pizza taste even better.
Pricing That Makes Sense
DiCarlo’s charges prices that remind you pizza should be accessible, not a luxury item requiring a second mortgage.
Marked with a single dollar sign on review sites, it delivers serious value for people feeding families or just satisfying personal cravings.
I have walked out of here with enough pizza to feed four people for less than I would spend on two fancy sandwiches elsewhere.
The quality never suffers despite the reasonable cost, which makes me wonder why other places feel the need to charge so much more.
Students, families, and anyone watching their budget can eat well here without stress.
You get generous portions of that distinctive cold cheese pizza without emptying your wallet in the process.
Affordable pricing combined with memorable taste creates the kind of loyalty that keeps places like this thriving for generations.
Hours That Work for Real Life
DiCarlo’s operates on a schedule that covers lunch through dinner most days, opening at 11 AM on weekdays and running until 9 PM.
Saturdays start a bit later at 2 PM, while Sundays offer a 12 PM to 7 PM window for pizza cravings.
I appreciate that they stay open late enough on weeknights for me to grab dinner after work without racing against closing time.
The consistency of their schedule means I can plan visits without worrying they might be unexpectedly closed.
They close one day a week to give staff a break, which seems fair for a place that cranks out pizza at this volume.
Knowing exactly when I can get my cold cheese fix removes the frustration of showing up to locked doors.
A reliable schedule matters more than people realize, especially when specific cravings strike at predictable times.
Location on Sunset Boulevard
Sitting at 4531 Sunset Blvd puts DiCarlo’s in an accessible spot where locals can easily swing by on their way home or during lunch breaks.
The location offers straightforward parking and visibility from the road, making it simple to find, even for first-time visitors.
Sunset Boulevard itself carries steady traffic without the chaos of downtown, creating a comfortable middle ground for a neighborhood pizza place.
I never struggle to find a parking spot, which removes one of those small annoyances that can sour a dining experience before it starts.
The building looks unassuming from the outside, which somehow fits perfectly with the no-frills approach to pizza inside.
Steubenville might not show up on every food tourist’s map, but this address deserves recognition for keeping a unique pizza tradition alive.
Sometimes the best food hides in plain sight on ordinary streets.
The Reputation That Precedes It
DiCarlo’s carries a 4.5-star rating across more than 500 reviews, which tells you this is not just my personal obsession talking.
People consistently show up, try the cold cheese concept, and come away impressed enough to leave positive feedback.
I read through dozens of reviews before my first visit and found the same themes repeating.
Folks either grew up eating this style and feel nostalgic, or they discovered it as adults and wished they had found it sooner.
The few critical reviews usually come from people expecting traditional pizza who feel confused by the preparation method.
Once you adjust expectations and embrace the uniqueness, though, most people end up in the fan club.
A rating that high with that many reviews suggests consistency, which matters tremendously in the restaurant world where quality can swing wildly from visit to visit.
Why This Pizza Stays With You
DiCarlo’s creates the kind of food memory that resurfaces at random moments, weeks after you eat there.
I will be doing something completely unrelated when suddenly I remember that specific texture of cool cheese warming against my tongue.
The pizza challenges your expectations just enough to make an impression without being so weird that it feels like a gimmick.
It tastes legitimately delicious, not just interesting, which separates it from novelty foods that rely on shock value alone.
Every person I have brought here had the same reaction: a moment of confusion, followed by understanding, followed by asking when we can come back.
That progression happens naturally because the pizza earns its reputation through flavor, not marketing.
Places like this prove that doing one thing exceptionally well beats trying to be everything to everyone, and I keep returning because that lesson tastes so good.