Fireside Pizza

Visiting Cincinnati for the weekend and we love to support local spots vs. Chains when we eat.
That being said, we had great service, the pizza was delicious. I’m still thinking about my seasonal pizza with bacon, pineapple, red onion, jalapeño and pesto. My husband and son shared a custom pepperoni and three cheese and we enjoyed a Chicago «root beer». We enjoyed it very much.

I got my pizza for carry-​out and only had to wait about 5 minutes extra after I arrived to pick it up. In the short time I was in the venue, I liked it. Lots of seating for a small space, good bar area, and a TV with a baseball game on.
I got the seasonal pizza which had red sauce, pineapple (seemed fresh), bacon, jalapeño, and an herbal drizzle that tasted cilantro-​based. The crust was excellent – crunchy and a little chewy in the middle – and the sauce was tasty. The only downside was the drizzle, as I’m not sure I would’ve chosen that flavor to highlight the rest. It was still good, just not my first preference. Overall great pizza, good vibe, and excellent service for carry-​out!

The ambience is one for the books. Every detail was well executed, from the record cover system and refills are easy to access. Food was delicious although it did take awhile, it was well worth the wait. The pepperoni was the best, wild recommend.

This place has a very cool setting inside an old firehouse. We were brought here by family who had visited before. They have a decent list of pizzas, in addition to being able to make your own. We ended up doing pepperoni and sausage with mozzarella, and it was excellent. I also had the root beer, which was very tasty.

I think that the pizza here is ABSOLUTELY delicious, but I would definitely not all it «New York Style.» (It’s not thin enough, for one thing…) But anyway, it’s absolutely yummy, especially right out of the wood fire oven.
The first time we went, it was a bit confusing because no one came to greet us, give us menus, or take our order and we didn’t realize we needed to go to the counter where a board is displayed. Later, we saw people having their order taken at their table though, so that’s still a little puzzling, but whatever.
We’ve had the margharita and other vegetarian options. All really delicious and highly recommended if you love a good wood fired pizza! Much better than Dewey’s (which now I just don’t even want anymore) and less pretentious (also cheaper???) than A Tavola’s ambience.

A great and inexpensive pizza place! I called ahead for a large group (30+) and they were very accommodating. The food was served very quickly and the staff was friendly. I look forward to eating here more often!

Thanks for donating 70+ pizzas to Our Daily Bread on Tuesday this week. The pizza great and you made a lot of people happy

I eat a lot of pizza. I love it. I want to eat it almost every other day. My wife and I have been to Fireside twice over the past few months. We loved it the first time but foolishly didn’t get back until now. First time we got the white sauce pizza. This time we got the margherita and it was gorgeous. Like a double rainbow of pizza and flavor. Brick oven pizza is wonderful. I hope they never change what they’re going. It was a little loud in there since it was a Friday night and the entire place is wood and bricks, but Ricky Skaggs’ gorgeous mullet comforted me throughout the experience. (They use record covers for table markers for servers).

My favorite place to get pizza in Cincinnati. Hands down.
I’ve had a lot of pie in my day, and their pizza is GOOD. It’s one of my favorite things to order a pizza, sit at the bar, order a pitcher, and watch a movie. Some nights they have live music. Ceras (sp?) is an awesome bartender. She’s very attentive and is happy to let us pick a movie.
Great food. Great vibe. Great people.

I’m a huge fan of the architecture and the atmosphere here! They even kept the fireman pole! The Tony the bartender was spot on with his defeat in of the pesto pizza w sausage — make sure you add their version of hot sauce! Oil infused with red pepper-​yum! You can’t go wrong with this wood fired pizza!

I used to love this place and hope they read this review as I’m knocking down my review a few stars for my experience here yesterday. This place has gone downhill since added TVs. I like the idea of having them for game days or just something to watch if you’re sitting at the bar but it seems to have now become all about the tv. It seems that if they are not busy the workers turn it into their own personal home theater. They were all sitting at the bar watching Guardians of the Galaxy with the sound turned up to movie theater levels. We sat all the way at the front away from the bar and could barely hear each other.
I want to like this place. The pizza is good, the space is beautiful but now it feels like you are interrupting the staffs movie watching.
It was best when they had a juke box– though I often asked if they could turn it down too. Apparently someone there is against conversation of peaceful atmospheres.

I was impressed with Fireside on my first and only visit. We stopped in on a Saturday night and the place was empty, which was kind of weird. But we had our order taken right away, and the ladies at the bar were all very nice. The place itself is very cool, being an old firehouse. I love the open kitchen and being able to see their huge wood fired oven. The bar itself was on the small side, but there are a ton of tables to hang out at. Going based on the reviews, I wanted to try the white pizza with bacon. We also ordered the red legger. The white pizza was amazing and definitely lived up to the hype. It was cheesy and garlicky and the added bacon was perfect. The Red Legger was also good, with pepperoni, onions and roasted red peppers. I am not a pepperoni fan, but this was a solid pizza. Their crust is really damn good, its thin and crispy, and you cannot beat the char you get from a wood fire oven. Fireside is a little out of the way for us, but if in the area, I will definitely go back. Check it out if you haven’t.

If you’re looking for a laid back place to enjoy gourmet pizza, this is defintiely it. Everything about Fireside is unretentious, but that doesn’t mean that details fall to the side. All the ingredients are fresh and plentiful on the pizza. The sauce is thick and flavorful. The crust is perfectly wood fired and thin– don’t expect crispy, this is the kind of pizza you fold in half. Their salad was also fresh and large for the price.
It was a little confusing walking in– to get menu’s you walk up to the bar and then seat yourself and walk back up to the bar to give your order/​pay. Then, they bring out your pizza.
The atmosphere is laid back but I wouldn’t say comfortable. It is the middle of the winter so the concrete floor and wood chairs felt cold, but it was fitting for environment. I could imagine it being welcome in the summer. The staff was friendly and the vibe in the place on a Sunday evening made it feel almost as if it was a dive bar.

Cool atmosphere in an old firehouse! The pizza was good, the crust was nicely done. Beer selection was ok, just limited choices.

A big group was recently leaving Festival of Lights (Cincinnati Zoo) and we’re going to grab dinner at Dewey’s Pizza on the way back to a friends house. It was a large enough group that we knew Dewey’s would be packed and with 3 kiddos under the age of three and 8 adults, I wasn’t interested in a long wait. My wife and I have been to Fireside a lot (maybe a dozen times) and we suggested it as a a better alternative (we do like Dewey’s too). No one else really knew about Fireside and they were reluctant to agree. By the end of the meal, everyone was very happy that we pushed for Fireside. The pizza is great, the drinks are great, and the service and atmosphere is great as well! I go for a basic pepperoni and cheese; my wife loves the Greek Pi. The root beer on draft is really good if you aren’t drinking alcohol. The location isn’t bad, but there isn’t anything else around it — hopefully Fireside is the start of what’s to come in Walnut Hills.

We tried this place for a last minute meal on a Saturday. I was afraid of a wait but there was plenty of seating. The atmosphere is really cool– old brick firehouse with a big door that I assume will open in the summer. It’s very bright, which was odd, but they ended up dimming the lights later. If sitting at a table, order food and drinks at the bar and they will bring it out to you.
So with the food– Two salads to pick from, we got a Caesar, which was plenty for two. For the pizza– there’s either a 9″ or 14″. We got a 14″ and had leftovers. For toppings, there isn’t an extensive list which was a little disappointing, but we got sausage (real sausage, not balls of disgustingness), pepperoni, and mushroom. I thought about extra cheese but I’m glad I didn’t because there was plenty. The crust was thicker than I had expected, but still really good. Nice crunch on the bottom. The pizza itself was awesome! The only thing I will criticize was that the bottom was clearly done before the top, leaving the top lukewarm and not melty enough for me. We had Pabts on tap, $ 2/​pint :) They also have a small but good section of different crafts to try.
All in all, a good place and we will be back!

Cool place. Love the creative reuse of an actual firehouse that went into service on July 1 1870.
The pizzas range in variety and you should be able to find something to suit your taste. While you wait for your pie, play the Pac Man/​Galaga arcade game or put some coins in the jukebox for some good tunes. I most recently smashed a pizza with my wife at Myrtle’s Punch House (they deliver there). Great flavor and fresh ingredients. I’ve had the Greek and White Pie, and Pesto Plus.
Life’s too short to eat Larosa’s and other chains. Give Fireside a try.
Historical info:

Their crust was as good as anything I’ve ever tasted. Wood-​fired, excellent red sauce. quality ingredients. Great beer (Ommegang and several others) on tap. This place is a winner for fans of great food and drink.

I love this place and make a regular visit at least 2 times a month. The pizza is excellent thin crust wood fired pizza with just the right amount of ingredients. Their Caesar salad is the real deal complete with anchovy fillets. Good selection of wine and craft beer round it off. It’s a very friendly atmosphere and great prices. I like that they open the firehouse out to the street when the weather is warm. It’s the perfect casual neighborhood place. It’s one of my top 3 favorite pizza places. My other two favorites are Enoteca Emilia and Betta’s.

I broke into Fireside Pizza with a group of nine. The space has great ambiance, and the servers are friendly. In an odd twist, you need to order your pizza first, at the bar with any drinks and they bring your food out to you. If not seated at the bar they’ll give you a stand with an album cover (that’s vinyl record sleeve) to you to mark your order.
My group and I ran the gamut from meaty to vegetarian on this trip and ordered appropriately. The pizza, beer and other drinkers were delicious and in-​general the experience at Fireside Pizza was fantastic.
However, they had live music that night. The space is a bit cavernous which lends itself to «big sound» which made it very difficult to hear others in the group as we spoke. Depending on whether you want to hear what you and others are saying, or you want to hear good music (and the music –jazz– was good) call ahead and plan accordingly.
I’ll be back for sure. Even if I just take the pizza to-​go.

I recently ordered Fireside Pizza for a work community service project in Walnut Hills, we’re supporting local businesses, so ordered carry out pizza and salad for our event.
Our delivery driver was very friendly, prompt and brought in the food right to the room for our event. We ordered one of each of their pizzas — MARGHERITA
red sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil, roma tomatoes; REDLEGGER
red sauce, fresh mozz, pepperoni, red onion, roasted red peppers; GREEK
extra virgin olive oil, provolone/​mozz mix, spinach, red onion, kalamata olives, feta; WHITE PIE — extra virgin olive oil, provolone/​mozz mix, shaved parm, fresh mozz, rosemary, garlic; PESTO PLUS — basil pesto base, shaved parm, fresh mozz, topping of your choice all were delicious and the large is large we had plenty of leftovers to leave with the organization we were serving.
Thank you Fireside for great pizza in the Walnut Hills area of Cincinnati.

Who woulda thunk this awesome pizza place was in this part of town? Best part is I work a short walk away from it.
I finally came here with co-​workers around 11:45am and it was slowly getting packed. Service was quick, everyone was friendly and the building has its old firehouse charm. Fireside’s style is similar to the trending restaurants in the OTR area.
I love white pizza and read plenty of good reviews on it, so I went with that option and obviously added the bacon! Even the cashier said that is one of the best choices!
It was so good, I absolutely loved the soft yet crispy crust. The cheese was gooey and the bacon added the perfect kick to flavor up this pizza. I would add an extra star if the pizza had ricotta cheese, cuz normally the white pizzas I’ve tried have this cheese base and it definitely adds a different layer of flavor that you don’t get with mozzarella and provolone cheeses.
The price was excellent and the personal pizza was more than enough to satisfy a person for lunch/​dinner. Safe to say, I will be coming back and I can’t wait to try other options.

This is the best pizza I have had so far in Cincinnati. If you like a good thin crust, you have to try this place. A straight shot down McMillan from Clifton, it’s easy to find (in an old fire house).
Had a house salad with Ceasar salad dressing. The salad dressing was really good! The Redlegger Pizza with pepperoni, mozzarella, red peppers was very good too. If you like big chunky ingredients, it’s not that kind of pizza, it is more like NY style with quality toppings and sauce. Everyone in my party was pleased. I will definitely go back.

While making a visit to Cincinnati some local friends took us to Fireside for lunch, and I must say this place is awesome!!!
I ordered the 9inch personal pizza with the Parm/​mozz mix, red sauce, pepperoni and bacon.
(They had tons of options for toppings, sauces, and cheeses; which makes it good for everyone)
The pizza came out (I believe to be coal fired or wood fired) beautifully charred, topped with fresh ingredients, it was amazing!
As you can see from the photo the first bite couldn’t wait!
Next time I’m in Cincinnati I will make sure to visit Fireside Pizza without a doubt!!!
PS– Excellent price for a handcrafted fresh pizzA!!!

This is hands down, my favorite pizza in Cincinnati! It’s one of those pizzas meant for pictures where the cheese is stringy and gooey and perfect. Yum! I usually get the Redlegger and try one of the pesto or white sauce pizzas. It’s $ 18 for a larger sized pizza, and it’s more than enough to feed two people. Alternatively, you can grab a personal size pizza for $ 9.
The atmosphere is amazing. It’s in kind of a run down neighborhood, and there isn’t much to do around the area, but it’s still worth a trip here! They took an abandoned firehouse and made it their own hip place! I love that they kept the fire pole and that the place still looks like a fire station.
They have a bar where you order your pizza and drinks, then they give you a record album to take back to your table so they know where to send it. The place is huge and can definitely accommodate large parties. They have some booths, and some picnic style tables. By the entrance they also have a station with utensils, napkins, parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes and their infused chili oil.

For months, my husband wanted to come to Fireside Pizza. His friends and clients raved about this place. We decided to come on a Sunday for dinner. I liked that their pizza is cooked in a wood-​fired stove in the oldest fire station in Cincinnati. Walked in and absolutely love the nostalgia and simple décor. My favorite is the old mural on the brick walls. The restaruant is not that big. Their seating on the right and the bar is on the left hand side.
You order at the bar and they bring the food out to you. We got the large garlic pizza and added bacon with two craft beers for $ 33.00 with tip. Pricing was not bad! We got our pizza at a reasonable time. I loved the crust and thought it taste delicious. My husband on the other hand was not too fond of it. He thought that there was too much cheese and the crust was not airy like other wood fired pizzas.
Overall, I really liked dining in and enjoyed our time there. I would mostly come back with a friend and try the pesto pizza. I’m sorry that my husband did not like their pizza that much.

Really great pizza in a very cute gutted-​out fire station
Ambience/​Service: Really cool vibe at this old fire station on McMillan that has been gutted out and is a nice communal pizza shop. On a nice day, this makes for a great place to eat and relax as the big main door out front is great for getting some sun and feeling like you’re outside. Service is fairly standard — order at the bar and they’ll give you a big vinyl sleeve as your «number» so that staff know which order goes where.
Food: The format is 9″ and 14″ pies with about 7 options. They do half-​pizzas and one 14″ was just right for the two of us. I did half with the seasonal pizza which was purple potatoes sliced thin, kale, and goat cheese. As it turns out, I had a similar pizza at a place in town just a few days ago. This was BY FAR better. I was stunned how much flavor was packed onto a really nice, thin crust. The only quibble I had with this pizza was that the potatoes were left a bit undercooked. Having tried to cook a pizza with thinly sliced potatoes once, I know how hard it can be. Nevertheless, it was still an excellent pizza.
I would totally come again. I think this is different than Dewey’s but I would probably crave and go out of my way to go to this place as much as I do for Dewey’s when I’m in town.

Such a welcome addition to the Walnut Hills area! I first experienced their delicious pizza when they were a food truck and was pleasantly surprised with the quality… the fresh toppings, the perfect sauce-​to crust-​to topping ratio, and the crusty char that comes with eating a wood fire pizza. That char reminded me so fondly of my Italian grandfather from New York, who never met a pizza that was too well done. In all of his years in visiting Cincinnati, we were never able to replicate, to his complete satisfaction, a New York style pizza (he – and I – liked Larosas, but to those of you who have had New York style pizza, you know that ain’t it). He would have given his complete stamp of approval to Fireside and would have loved their new permanent spot! Especially during the summer when the gate is open to the street… like a scene straight out of Brooklyn!
Whether you get one of the specialty pizzas or you create your own… if you’re taking it to go, stop at the bar and have a drink while you wait. The bartenders are friendly and knowledgable and will be able to recommend a perfect beer for you from their extensive collection.
Or get a two for one Walnut Hills experience and stop in at Myrtle’s for a punch bowl and order a Fireside Pizza (they deliver to the bar on the weekends!!!)

I tried Fireside Pizza, many moons ago, at a Farmer’s Market. I was dying to eat it again. I love wood-​fired pizza — it really doesn’t get better than that.
Although the area of Walnut Hills is a little shady and questionable, Fireside has really convenient and ample parking.
You order your pizza at the bar. The menu is super simple — I WAS hoping that they’d have garlic knots. But, I can appreciate simplicity so, no worries.
The woman who took our order was awesome — very knowledgeable about the pizza and seemed like she wanted to be there. Loved her.
After ordering a lot of pizza (I had my boys — the husband and son — with me), we were given an old vinyl album cover for our order holder. Very cute.
The restaurant is set up like a cafeteria — this is the area that I was confused about. Are they trying to be a bar that has pizza or a pizza place that has a bar? While I like the laid back, casual atmosphere, I do wish that the table set up was different.
Pizza took pretty long getting out — maybe 30 minutes?
My husband got a pizza with sausage and pepperoni, my teen son got a cheese pizza and I got the Redlegger (pepperoni, red pepper and onions).
Pizza was AWESOME — seriously, some of the best pizza I’ve had. Super crispy crust — I even wanted to eat the edges which is rare! Sauce was fantastic. I snuck a bite of the hubby’s and the sausage was perfect — I only like it if it’s crumbled.
I did like MINE better than his. ;)
If you want amazing pizza, in a casual atmosphere, this is it!

Nice new location! Fireside pizza in the old Walnut Hills’ Firehouse Building, how cool is that?! Very nice interior, exposed old brick, old school vinyl jukebox, PacMan game (!) and simple wooden tables, nice! The neighbourhood is not the best, but the parking is right in front of the door. Many beers on tap and also some decent wine for 6 bucks (Primitivo, yumm!).
We had 2 personal pizzas, the seasonal (brussel sprouts and bacon) and the white pie with bacon topping. The crust was amazing and the brussel sprouts were nicely prepared, however both of the pizzas were extremely fatty, the oil was dripping when we tried to bite :(Also, the bacon (a lot of it, btw!) made pizzas too salty and we did not like the rosemary on the white pie (kind of annoying taste for us).
Next time we will try a different flavour! Would be great if they were a bit less oily, but the place looks promising!

3 days ago, Fireside Pizza officially opened their former fire station garage doors to the public. So all of these chronologically older reviews than 3 days ago are reviews of the pizza truck. This is a review on the new brick & mortar location in Walnut Hills in the former fire station on 773 E. McMillan. I believe there should be a separate Unilocal entry for this location for this vs. their mobile, just sayin’.
First off, the booze: full bar, 4 craft beer taps, various bottles/​cans with focus on locals and regionals, crap pilsners available if you’re living the High Life.
Secondly, the pie: 9″ & 14″ hand tossed pies, choose the sauce (white, pesto, red), choose cheese (4 varieties), choose other meats and veggies.
C.) Ambiance: located in a former fire station house (how cool?!), cool little paintings in nooks on the literally brick & mortar walls. A vinyl 45 juke box plays on random oldies, Elvis, Earth Wind & Fire, etc., and a Ms. Pacman/​Galaga arcade game (!).
Fourthly, service: They have iPad/​wireless ordering at the bar. It was a little awkward, but they’ve really only been open a couple days or so (understandable). But the staff I talked to were all personable and attentive. FYI, you order at the menu board at the bar. They give you a vinyl LP in a stand to mark your table for order delivery. Cool.
I’ve lost count, but anyway: go! If you’d started on your way when you started reading this, you’d be there by now! There is a parking lot across the side street that it sits on. Credit cards ARE excepted. Galaga beckons you!