268 S 4th St.
Columbus, OH 43215
614.737.3801
website
It may not be well known outside of Columbus but Mikey‘s late night slice enjoys a lot of love in the city. Each location touts a sizable bar where young people like to socialize, But what really drives people here, and then brings them back, is those enormous pizzas. Every option comes loaded with toppings, and with a series of dips to try on the side. This isn’t the kind of place that you typically carry out and forget. Not to say that the pizza doesn’t go well, it’s just that you will enjoy the experience much more when you see it firsthand.
The pizza is prepared and kind of a hybrid style: Columbus people like their crust thin and crunchy as opposed to the more bready classic. This one is somewhere in between. A few of the pies that are worth the try:
- Pepperoni: The classic of course, and worth a mention for the balance. Too often pepp pizzas are oily because too much cheese and greasy meat and you have to napkin them off. Not so here. Fine without that.
- Buffalo Chicken Pizza: With just a drizzle of buffalo sauce and otherwise relying on lots of cheese and herbs, this is a very likable pie.
- Vegetarian Pizza: Piled high with onions, peppers and other fruits, this one loses nothing in flavor. It’s again the herbs that do a lot of credit and the veggies roasted nicely and softened.
- Vegan Pizza: All vegan cheese and vegetables on top. Not my favorite, but you have to admire the effort to make a true vegan pizza.
- Pepperoni and cheese pizza: As with all Mikey’s pies, a classic and simple take. Mountains of cheese, oodles of garlic and all around a winner.
- Pimento Mac: Pimento Mac & Cheese sprinkled with Crushed Pretzel Pieces. A serious slice of the week.
- Italian Sausage: Sweet, greasy and charming. Good with the “unicorn sauce” (we all know the real name is better)
To truly understand this place is to truly understand that it’s more than about the pizza itself, there are a lot of dipping sauces to sample on the side and in more than one instance they wind up being the star of the show. There’s a garlic version, a thick ranch and a few others. But what’s most loved once went by another name. Unicorn Sauce, tangy smoky and spicy, is good on literally everything. It used to be “slut sauce” but they changed the name for understandable reasons. Just in time, actually, for them to start selling it by the bottle in stores. That’s how popular it is.
It’s cheeky and sassy, but Mikey’s has known how to be edgy without being obnoxious, and that’s a fine line. In fact, this place is an awesome hang out spot. Well worth a visit for the experience, and yeah, the pizza is pretty good too!
Recommendations
- Pizza by the slice is an option for take-out here, but a full sized pie is better. I’d also argue you can more fully appreciate the experience of this place by dining in.
- Don’t skip the sauces, they’re an essential part of the Mikey’s experience.
- If you like those sauces, you can buy them online, too.
Another Food Critic 