Rize Pizzeria

I had been wanting to try this place out so when I saw a groupon I snatched it up. Got the BossHogg pizza and it was very good. We picked it up and there was no wait. It was a really good and really different pizza, very messy. I’d like to try one of their more traditional pizzas next time though like just some pepperoni or margherita.

Great, unique pizzas with fresh and yummy ingredients! More of a to go or delivery place in my opinion but they do have an eat-​in area. It only takes about 20 minutes for the pizza if you forget to call ahead. I hope this place has continued success!

I won’t beat around the bush. Get the word out ‘pizza snobs’ and conoisseurs. RIZE makes one of the best world class pizzas right here in NE Ohio (probably in the top 3)! These guys know how to make a proper pizza. The crust is ‘just right’. Light, airy, and flavorful, with the consistency of a great stone oven baked ‘pie’ like you would find in the best multi-​generational New York pizzerias and Italian restaurants. The pizza sauce tastes homemade and fresh, with just a hint of olive oil. The stringy cheese tastes fresh as well, and I dare you to pick up a slice off the pan without some of it oozing down onto your plate or lap. The genie is out of the bottle! What are you waiting for?
UPDATE: I am VERY bummed! RIZE came and went like a thief in the night! I recently found out that they went out of business! Too bad, because RIZE made a truly GREAT pizza (maybe the best in NE Ohio), and their prices were good! I live 3 towns away, and I used to visit there often. I guess most Clevelanders wouldn’t recognize a top tier pizza if their lives depended on it! Seems like the locals chose the national and regional chains over this great pie. What a shame.

The four stars are mainly for the pizza, as that’s what really counts. Lolo and I shared a medium (by «shared,» I mean that I cut up a piece for her and then wolfed down two slices for myself before she started climbing on the tables. So, we had leftovers).
We also «shared» a caesar salad, which I forgot to ask for the dressing on the side, and it was pretty nasty to be honest. Drenched in dressing and it wasn’t very good at all. Skip it.
Service was really nice and they even followed my little tazmanian devil around and made sure she didn’t hurt herself while I fumbled around in my purse to pay. Good times, and surprisingly empty on a Friday night.

The crust alone will make me a regular. It’s light and fluffy, yet crispy, and flavored without being overdone or greasy. Yummmmm. We ordered a Popeye and added Italian sausage, plus an order of Mozzarella sticks. It was enough for three adults, but you could feed four adults with a medium if you had a salad or some wings. The ingredients seemed really quality, the taste was perfect. I ate a cold piece for breakfast, and it was still awesome. The Popeye doesn’t have sauce, but if they use the same sauce for the pizza as they have to accompany the mozzarella sticks, then I am a huge fan. Plus, bonus, they deliver to Bay Village, Westlake, Lakewood, and Rocky River! Cannot wait for our next pizza night. I hope they work on the interior a bit once they get the business really going… They seem to be focused on delivery and added some tables as an afterthought, but it could have a great vibe with a little work..

Great Pizza and huge wings. If you are in the area you have to try it out.

Creative specialty pizzas for around $ 17−18/large makes Rize a bit more expensive then your ho-​hum mid range joints, but cheaper then a lot of places in Lakewood/​north Rocky River. I had a popeye pizza and was impressed. Lots of fresh veggies and good cheese. I am looking forward to trying more of their specialty pies. Keep an eye out for their coupons which get mailed in those coupon packs.

I think their name may be «Rize» because they have risen the bar for delivery pizza joints all over Cleveland by actually using fresh, unique ingredients.
This means a lot to me in particular because if I have to suffer through one more delivery or take-​out pizza place in CLE that uses canned mushrooms I might flip my shiz. Thankfully there’s none of that nonsense here, just freshly made pies with *real* ingredients! What a relief!
We stopped by here after a family workout/​swim at the Lakewood YMCA and man, were we hungry! We decided to sit in, which was actually pretty fun! I don’t remember the last time I ate my pizza where I ordered it. The dinning area isn’t anything fancy, but it’s clean, comfy and great for a quick bite with your family. (Ahem… it’s kid-​friendly AND has lots of outlets/​free wifi!)
I mentioned we were hungry, right? Well, we ordered 6 BBQ wings for the little guy, 6 each of the hot buffalo and garlic, plus a medium pepperoni pizza with mushrooms on half. Oh, and a house salad! It took a while for everything to come out, but I have to admit it was nice to see this local joint busy on a Friday evening. Plus, it definitely made us slow down and enjoy each other’s company for once – a nice relief!
The boy crushed his BBQ wings (exclaimed he was in heaven with sauce covering his face and fingers) and we really enjoyed our hot buffalo and garlic ones! I’m pretty picky about wings and any place that can achieve the seemingly impossible combo of crispy and saucy at the same time wins major points in my book. Rize achieved this with ease – yum! I also really enjoyed the pizza, which was a thicker crust than I’m usually a fan of (I like crispy, thin or chewy), but the flavors were fresh and delicious! I think the middle was a little on the underdone side, but that’s easily fixed. The best part? Fresh friggin’ mushrooms! In fact, they still had some bite to them, which was a real surprise! I didn’t really pay attention to see if the sauce was on the sweeter side like other Unilocalers mentioned, since I devoured my slices super-​quickly. Whoops! Lastly, the salad was huge, made with romaine lettuce and loaded with tomatoes, onion, cheese and croutons.
While we stayed on the safe side with our order, don’t be fooled – they have a ton of unique specialty pizzas and toppings to choose from. I can’t wait to come back and try more!
I’ll end on and even more positive note, which would be the staff. The owners are right back there, working hard to cook up fresh pizzas and the folks they hired are very sweet. They’ll do what they can to make your order exactly what you want it to be. I’d much rather spend my money at a great, local place that uses fresh ingredients than a chain – but hey, I know people are picky about their pies.
Definitely give Rize a try!

OK these guys got it going on, I ordered a COMPLETELY off menu steak house pizza that they had on their facebook page. One that they either made for them selves and too a picture of but, they did not have all of the makings for said pizza in had so apparently they procured all of the items and we got our pie in under an hour… Pretty gangster. My only complaint it is had «Steak Sauce» on it. The sauce was not A1 and lets be honest if you are going to use steak sauce its that one or nothing. I do think the pie which consisted of Rib Eye Steak, Portabella Mushrooms, Blue Cheese and Onions would have been better balanced over all with a white sauce… Noted for Next time,
I think next time I am going to order Spicy Tai Chicken Pizza with a rice flour crust, Peanuts, Bean Sprouts and Sliced Crab Rangoon … if they can pull that off in an hour… Then I will have to give them «I’m Not Worthy» Status

Off to a good start here. We got the Popeye pizza (lots of fresh spinach, as advertised) and really enjoyed it. Nice, fresh ingredients. I prefer my crust thin and crispy, but this standard crust was good, if slightly underdone in the middle. My husband liked his cran-​habanero wings, too. Rize could use a better location, but they’re turning out good food.

Good pizza, but sweet sauce. The owner is a very nice guy and very passionate about his pizza! Will order again, want to try the taco pizza. Give it a try!

I hope the location doesn’t kill this place, because the pizza is fantastic. We tried a basic cheese pizza as first time customers; the crust was perfectly crusty on the outside and doughy on the inside, the sauce wasn’t too sweet, and it was baked well done as it should be. We’re looking forward to trying the specialty pizzas as they have quite a few interesting selections on their menu. Welcome to the neighborhood!