And the bracket winner is… JT’s Pizza & Pub, voted the best pizza shop in the city by our readers and social media followers in our CBUStoday pizza bracket.
This Linworth pizzeria was a constant favorite in each round of the tournament. In the final faceoff, it took the biggest slice of votes at 63.8% to defeat Tommy’s Pizza. And, it’s for good reason.
JT’s pizza, which was opened in 2007, is known for its edge-to-edge toppings. Fans love the “Founder’s Favorite,” which comes topped with pepperoni, hand-pulled sausage, mushrooms, and onions — a classic pie that never fails to satisfy. And don’t sleep on their speciality ‘zas, starring the meatball pizza made with homemade meatballs and herbed ricotta.
We want to extend a major “thank you” to all of you for participating in our bracket challenge the past few weeks. We’ve had a blast seeing how the votes shook out, and we hope you did too. Looking for pizza shops around town? Check out our guide.
Round 3
Welcome back to our CBUStoday pizza shop bracket, where we’re asking you to determine the best pizza shop in Columbus.
After our second round of votes, we’re down to two “teams” left:
- Tommy’s Pizza vs. JT’s Pizza & Pub | Tommy’s Pizza earned its way to the championship round by gaining 66% of votes last round. Conversely, JT’s faced a major deficit to start the voting, but stormed back in the second half and gained 57% of votes last round.
Ready to decide who moves on to the final two in our bracket? Cast your vote.
How it works
Beginning today, we will host several voting rounds within our newsletters and social channels to determine Columbus’ best pizza shop. Who moves on is up to you. Vote for your favorites, and the pizza shop with more votes moves on. Simple as that. We’ll go until we have a champion, which will be announced in our Tuesday, March 26 newsletter. You will be able to vote once per round.
How to participate
Vote for the pizzeria you’d like to see advance to round two using this poll. You can vote for all four spots or as little as one. Once we count all the votes, we’ll share an updated bracket and new poll in an upcoming newsletter.
Round 2
After our initial round of votes, we’re down to two “teams” left:
- Tommy’s Pizza vs. Hounddog’s Pizza | This battle features Tommy’s, a 50+ year old pizzeria known for its square-cut, Columbus-style pies, and Hounddog’s, a campus-area favorite known for its iconic “Smokin’ Joe’s” garlic butter crust.
- Sexton’s Pizza vs. JT’s Pizza & Pub | Sexton’s Pizza earned the highest local pizza review ranking from Barstool Sport’s Dave Portnoy when he visited CBUS, and JT’s is a favorite among locals for its edge-to-edge toppings.
Ready to decide who moves on to the final two in our bracket? Cast your vote here.
Round 1
We asked you to share your favorite pizza shop in Columbus. Now — thanks to you and the help of a random generator — we have the official lineup for our bracket.
- Eagles Pizza vs. Tommy’s Pizza | Both are long-standing establishments — Eagles was founded in 1971 while Tommy’s has been serving pies in CBUS since 1952.
- Hounddog’s Pizza vs. Harvest Pizzeria | NBA player and former Buckeye star Malaki Branham says Hounddog’s is his go-to spot in Columbus, while Harvest has been featured in food publications like “Delish.”
- Gatto’s Pizza vs. Sexton’s Pizza | Both of these popular shops were founded by brothers — Joe and Jimmy Gatto and Joey and Jamey Sexton.
- JT’s Pizza vs. Rubino’s Pizza | JT’s was named the “2023 Pizza of the Year” by Pizza Connoisseurs of Columbus, while Rubino’s is a classic staple for Columbus-style pies.
Past nominations
With the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments just around the corner, we’re joining the fun of bracket competitions with a face-off of our own with our CBUStoday pizza bracket.
But first, we need your help nominating the spots you think should be in the bracket.
Using the nomination form below, submit the local spot that has your favorite slice of pie, and we’ll use your nominations to create a bracket and battle it out in our newsletter and on socials.
Need help brainstorming? Check out our pizza guide to get started.
