1. Marco’s Pizza
A new Marco’s Pizza opened this week at 431 S. Locust St. in Oxford as part of the new Bishop Square development, which already includes a Tim Hortons.
The company has grown from its roots from 1979 in Toledo to operate about 900 stores in 35 states, the Bahamas, India and Puerto Rico, doubling in size over the past five years.
FIRST REPORT: New restaurants, retail shops coming to Oxford
“Our foundation is our dough. We make it fresh daily,” said Dan Koloc, operations manager for the Oxford, Lebanon and Harrison locations. “Our cheese is never frozen. We use a three-blend cheese and it’s never frozen and we have fresh ingredients. We make our sauce daily. The recipe came from Italy and it hasn’t been changed.”
Butler County locations include Middletown, Monroe, Hamilton, Fairfield and Liberty Twp. Warren County locations include Mason, Lebanon, Springboro and more.
MORE: Best area PIZZA: We asked for your favorite, and here’s what you said
2. Rapid Fired Pizza
Rapid Fired Pizza is a fast-casual concept that serves fresh made, 11-inch thin crust and nine-inch pan pizzas in just 180 seconds
It’s set to open a new location this year at Stockton Station in Fairfield. Locations opened last year in Middletown and 7 W. High St. in Oxford.
Kettering-based Rapid Fired Pizza offers its own craft pizza selections or a choice of more than 35 fresh toppings and a dozen different sauces to create one’s own pizza.
MORE: Rapid Fired Pizza to open new location in Fairfield
3. LaRosa’s Pizzeria
A LaRosa’s Pizzeria franchisee is replacing an existing delivery and carry-out location with “a full dine-in experience” at 8178 Highland Pointe Drive in West Chester Twp. near a Walmart.
The new 4,700-square-foot restaurant of the family-owned, Cincinnati area pizza chain will open in the spring, seat 120 people and include a party room capable of accommodating up to 40 people and a call-ahead pick-up window that will be only the third in the entire LaRosa’s chain.
It will replace a nearby delivery-and-carryout location on Fountains Boulevard that opened in May 1992.
LaRosa’s was founded in 1954 on Cincinnati’s West Side by Buddy LaRosa. It is now a $164 million restaurant company with 65 pizzerias serving neighborhoods in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee.
MORE: LaRosa’s relocates, expands with new Butler County dine-in location
4. MOD Pizza
Fast-casual pizza restaurant MOD Pizza opened in December 2016 at 7240 Outfitters Way in West Chester Twp. near Cabela’s.
The location is the restaurant’s first in Butler County and is across the street from Liberty Center.
MORE: MOD Pizza opens in West Chester
Founded in Seattle in 2008, MOD Pizza operates nearly 200 locations. The restaurant offers five sauce options, six cheeses, eight meats, 20 toppings and seven different “Finish It” items for the final touch.
MOD’s individual artisan-style pizzas are made on demand, allowing customers to create their own pizzas and salads, using fresh-pressed dough, signature sauces and over 30 toppings, for one price. Gluten-free crust options are available upon request.
MOD Pizza also serves salads, milkshakes, craft beers and wine.
5. Brixx Wood Fired Pizza
Brixx Wood Fired Pizza opened in Warren County in December 2016.
The 4,000-square-foot restaurant at 9640 Mason Montgomery Road, Deerfield Twp., replaced a Burger King. It’s the first Ohio location for the small chain, which started in North Carolina in 1998 and has 34 restaurants in 10 states.
All wood-fired pizzas are built on house-made dough and 10 inches with artisan-style crust with varied toppings on each one, or the ability to create one’s own
MORE: Brixx Wood Fired Pizza opens in Deerfield Twp.
The restaurant’s menu includes seasonal pasta dishes, salads and sandwiches complemented by 24 craft beers on tap, 14 wines by the glass and cocktails. All pizzas are topped with fresh ingredients and cooked in a wood-burning oven.
To help those with food allergies or dietary restrictions, Brixx uses turbinado sugar in its traditional and whole-wheat dough, making it 100 percent vegan. It also offers gluten-free pizza dough and gluten-free bottled beers.
New craft beers arrive weekly and highlight a variety of local and national breweries.
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