Citizen Pie

Overall the experience was good. The pizza was tasty and the service was friendly and quick. For a neapolitan style pizza I was not blown away as with other reviewers. I just consider the pizza as good. Price was not over the top for the quality of preparation and ingredients. Everything seemed fresh, which in my book is a definite plus. One reviewer complained that the center of the pizza seemed thin/​overcooked. After eating the pizza here I understand what the review was describing; however that is what neapolitan style pizza is really like. After enjoying this style pizza throughout Europe I can attest this is how neapolitan pizza is. Location is in the Waterloo Art District across from Beachland Tavern, which puts it at prime location to cater to the music scene. I would recommend Citizen Pie if you are in the vicinity, but I will not make a trip just to get a pie.

Super location. Cross the street and your at the Beachland! Pizza reigns king at Citizen Pie. No ups or extras just high quality pizza period. Fresh ingredients, thin crust and wood oven baked. Seating could be a problem, there are about 24 seats in the shop. A couple of picnic tables out back would help.
Grab a beer and eat your pie. in and out in 30 minutes. We would love an antipasto salad added to the menu. Beachland+Citizen Pie=Great Night Out!

OMG, Citizen Pie is the urban pizza of my dreams.
For starters, l love the bomb location across the street from The Beachland Ballroom. The inside of Citizen Pie is small, but full of amazing character. The neighborhood vibe is warm and welcoming, as if everyone knows each other… and the interior is cozily decorated with fun pop art and inspiring Andy Warhol quotes.
But the star of this show is their homemade dough. The dough used on their pizza is d-​e-​l-​i-​c-​i-​o-​u-​s. I’m not normally a fan of eating the crust on pizza, but this is hardly crust… its more like really, really good bread. The pizza also only takes 90 seconds to cook thanks to their 15,000 pound Stefano Ferrara pizza oven. This large oven, straight from Naples, cooks the pizza so speedily, that it actually takes longer to assemble the pizza with ingredients then to cook it. You can check on their website for their «dough-​meter» to gage how much they have left daily, since its made fresh daily.
Onto the good stuff… the Mushroom pizza and Collinwood Supreme are both worthy of six stars. The glory of the Mushroom pizza is the thick brie and bacon (that zings it with flavor), and the Collinwood achieves the most awesome balance of sweet (Italian sausage) and spicy (green chile). There’s no possible way their ingredients could be fresher. For dessert, try the tartufo, a delicious combo of ice cream, rum and chocolate.
Citizen Pie doesn’t deliver, but I can’t imagine that this shockingly authentic pizza would travel well. Once you try Citizen Pie, I doubt you’ll ever go back to any other pizza. You’ll lick the box clean.

The Pizza here is amazing get the Cacio E Pepe and add what ever you want. You won’t be sorry

Citizen Pie is awesome! I walked in and out with my pizzas in about 7 – 10 minutes. Such good service and they are very friendly. The oven is super cool and it cooks so quickly! The pizza is AHMAZING. It’s exactly like the pizza in Europe that I’m always craving, but can never find here.
I will definitely be here more often! A+!!

Just got home from our first visit to Citizen Pie and we couldn’t be happier! On the advice of the lady who checked my husband out, we pulled over and had a slice before getting home… DELICIOUS! We will definitely be back.

Citizen Pie is just what the doctor ordered. I stopped here before a show at Beachland Ballroom (Located across the street). This wasn’t a life-​shattering original idea– the place was packed with people who were also trying to grab a bite to eat before 8:30 show time.
Seating is pretty limited, but thankfully we were able to score two stools near the window. Pizza was served up after about 15 minutes, an impressive feat considering the crowd.
I love when wood-​fired pizza is done right: Chewy with just the right amount of crispy char. And Citizen Pie does it right.
My husband and I split a Caponata which was topped with Mozzarella, Ricotta, Oil Cured Olives, Eggplant, Cherry Tomatoes, Pine Nuts, Currants, and Basil ($ 15). Such a great combination! Everything was subtle so it probably could have used just a touch of salt to bring out some of the flavors, but red pepper flakes got the job done.
One pizza was just the right amount of food for my husband and I, but if you’re particularly hungry, you might want to claim your own pie. There’s no judgement here.
Winner winner pizza dinner!

Pizza was spectacular, certainly in the top 3 pies I’ve tasted in Cleveland. Sat at the bar, which overlooks the area where the pizzas are made and talked to the very friendly owner while he threw together one delicious looking pizza after another. They are serious about using the best ingredients and their pizza oven is something to behold. This is a pretty small place, so seating felt a little limited, but I would go back many times even if I had to eat this pizza standing on one leg.

I went back to Citizen Pie at the invitation of one of the owners who reached out to me to discuss what they do. I appreciate people who take pride in what they do so I felt I had to give them another chance. So I headed over to the Collinwood neighborhood which is the next area in Cleveland that is on the upswing. No problem with parking during the day, but I’m sure it can be a bit harder when there are events at the Beachland Ballroom.
Went with the Margarita pie again, although this time I added on the mushroom slices and I have to say that my experience was near perfect. Where the first time I admired the individual quality ingredients they never seemed to come together; this time the pie was perfectly cooked and the result was amazing. With any pizza you want the crust, sauce and cheese to come together to make a whole that is greater then the sum of its parts and that is exactly what happened. When you get this alchemy your taste buds sing.
This time the crust was tasty all the way across; with the center still a bit saggy, but that was explained to me as part of the style. The sauce had just the right level of sweetness to set off the saltiness of the cheese and the meaty flavor of the portobello slices. With pizza such as this the secret is the simplicity of using high quality ingredients and letting the true flavors come through.
If you are looking for some high quality Neapolitan Pizza you have to check out Citizen Pie; it is the type of place that you will have strong feelings about one way or the other.

Excellent pizza, probably the best I’ve had in Cleveland. Similar to pizza we had in Naples.
We ordered the spinach which was a wonderful combination of flavors. Everything beautifully fresh.
I would give Citizen 5 stars if the pizza had been baked another minute and If they offered water. I would even have paid $.50 for a cup and a pitcher of water. The pizza is served on a pan. Since we were splitting it we used napkins as plates.
We had the tartufo desert. When we were in Italy it was in many restaurants. This was far better than anything we tasted there. Bravo citizen pizza!

The key to all excellent food is high quality ingredients. In this area, this place excels above every pizza joint I have been to.

Had heard a lot about it and couldn’t wait to try it! Went on a Friday night and what a treat. After my order was taken the pizza appeared in front of me in a few minutes. Have to say it was one of the best pizzas I ever had. I thought I might have some to take home but that was impossible. I ate the whole thing. I sat at the counter and talked to some friendly people. The owner was there and I spoke to him and told him how much I enjoyed it. He was very nice answering my questions and telling me about the oven from Italy and all the ingredients he uses. Can’t wait to go back and told all my friends about it.

Best pizza I’ve had in Cleveland! Had never been to this area before, but I’ll definitely be coming back for this. If you’re a fan of thin crust pizza — try this place!

Okay, we were hungry for dinner and wanted to order out, but couldn’t decide on a place… then I remembered bookmarking Citizen Pie here on Unilocal.After looking through the photographs, my husband and I were sold. Plus, it’s only a fifteen minute drive from our house in Cle Heights. We order for pick-​up, and it’s fifteen minutes till it’s ready, so my dude leaves right away.
We ordered two pizzas ($ 30)…the Margherita and the Caponata.
First, the pizzas are smaller than expected for $ 15.00 each. But, I think this is ok because it must be superior ingredients and quality.
First, I see the small boxes and I’m like, whatever. Then I pick them up. They’re super light. The pizza was cold, and very, very flat and mooshy. The sauce on the Margherita pizza was very acidic. I couldn’t eat it, and my kid gave up as well.
The Caponata tasted much better, yet cold and mooshy as well. I liked the toppings but there was barely any on it… one pine nut per three pieces? One currant on one slice? Why was this pizza so much money? It looked nothing like the Unilocal photos! There were teeny pieces of eggplant and roasted peppers; diced, nay, minced!
The best part of the pizza was the crust. I liked the crust… it’s a pity that’s all I wanted to eat of the pizza. The individual components (except the red sauce) were high quality, but it just didn’t work as the ratios were off, and the product does not hold up, even for fifteen minutes.
Our dinner ended with me making something else for the kid, and apologizing to my husband for suggesting this place, which was such a disappointment.
Now, if you must try this place, eat there. Do not order it for take away. It’s too fragile.
I’d only try this place again if I dined in. Maybe then it would be better!

As I said on Facebook, I got a pie to take home and only half made it to my door because I needed to eat it RIGHT AWAY. This place has everything going for it. Friendly staff, delicious pizza (I’d say top five for sure in CLE if not higher) and a cool location. Wish I lived closer, but I work about five minutes away so that works for me!

The best pizza and staff around. A true pizza lover experience. When in Waterloo you must stop here!

We’ve been anticipating Citizen Pie’s opening and were so pleased when we visited. Friendly service. Wonderful pizza.
When it comes to Neapolitan pizza, I have a hard time ordering anything other than Margherita, but we also ordered a Puttanesca, and a Spinach Pie and would order each again!
The space is cozy and glowy, and a great spot to stop on a cold night. There is not a ton of seating inside, so you may have some neighbors at your table, which is great because the world needs more neighbors at tables.
Can’t wait to go back!

This is absolutely bang-​on Neapolitan pizza. They follow exacting technique and deliver perfect little pies. Expect to eat a whole one on your own. Yes, it is a bit pricey, but like a great cocktail, it’s worth paying up if you want it done right. The interior is spartan and tight but does its job. I wish this was on my side of town, but it will always be on my radar when I’m heading to the Beachland.

As you enter this pizzeria, senses awaken. Naturally fermented dough, the warmth of wood burning from a clay oven and a mural on one wall –of revolutionary types– a riot of pattern and color. From the moment I walked though the doors, I knew I was in for a treat. Clearly, this is an operation that takes itself and its product seriously.
On a recent visit, I ordered the Roman– red sauce base with burrata, smoked mozzarella, gaeta olives and green chiles. The heat from the chiles and the saltiness of the olives balanced well with the cream of the burrata. The dough, neither overly dense or too thin was much more than a device to deliver cheese and toppings to face. While the toppings were clearly a thing of beauty, the star of the show was evident. The dough, cooked to perfection under the direction of a well practiced craftsman was unlike anything else in the city. The chew, the texture, the seasoning were all exceptional. The Vegetable Calzone, consisting of ricotta, mozzarella, spinach, roasted peppers, eggplant and gaeta olives didn’t disappoint either. A pillowy pocket of creamy cheese and vegetables that were cooked properly to al dente. As I ate, a scary blissed-​out expression flashed across my face.
The care and precision in the making of pizza seems to be a thing of great passion shared between the owners and chef. The otherworldly results of this very focused menu of pizzas and calzones are evidence.

Really great wood fire pizza.
Really good. I would say best quality pizza in Cleveland!
Deluxe.