O’scugnizzo Pizzeria

Stopped here for a late night dinner while passing through the area. We chose it based upon their Unilocal rating. The building is nothing to write home about, but the pizza, dang it’s good. The pizza is certainly not typical. It’s upside down and find crust is crispy. They’ve been in business for over a 100 years so they must be doing something right, right? For anyone looking for a unique pizza, you can’t go wrong. Also it’s worth point out the staff was very friendly, even let is try some peppers to see how hot they were before we ordered.

Love this pizza! Utica is my hometown but I moved away in 1999 — every visit has to include at least 1 trip to O’Scugnizzo Pizza!

Their pizza is great. The three guys I regularly encounter are friendly and efficient. They can be kind of curt on the phone; it may be because they are typically busy. I usually like their pepperoni pizza. My parents get the sausage and peppers, which is a fantastic pizza. Be warned that it weighs about 10 lbs. When the pizza comes out of the oven they add more sauce to the top. There is a large eat-​in dining area on the right side; service is on the left side of the building. They also have superb antipastos.

O’scugnizzo Pizzeria is a classic Italian restaurant that is known for its upside down pizzas. I was advised to come to this pizzeria for the best pizza in Utica from a local.
Operating for about 100 years in a run down building, the place isn’t so bad once you’re inside ready to eat. Parking lot is on the side and in front, plenty of space. They do offer take out, delivery, and call-​in orders if you are in a hurry.
Pizzas are made differently — upside down here. Pretty solid in my opinion. First, ingredients of your toppings go above the dough. Next, the cheese is spread out above the toppings. When ready, ample amount of sauce is smothered on top. You can ask them to limit the sauce if you’re not a fan of that.
FOOD:
Mozzarella, Peppers, Sausage & Mushroom (⁴⁄₅): Whatever you do, make sure you order sausage in your pizza if you can. The sausage has great flavor and slightly has a spice to it. This was the first pizza I’ve tried and definitely enough for 2 days worth of food if you’re not sharing it. I’m not sure how big the large is, for I’ve tried small only, which still is a lot. Peppers were not spicy and added some flavor with the mushrooms. Although, it seemed like there was about 5 mushrooms total in the pizza. It wasn’t the best pizza I’ve tried so solid 4 stars.
OSP Special (3/​5, Mozzarella, Mushrooms, Peppers, Onion, and Garlic): This was the second food item I ordered from this pizzeria and decided to try the special. I wasn’t too thrilled about this one. The only thing different from the one aforementioned would be the onion and garlic. I couldn’t taste much of the onion honestly, which I was disappointed about. The garlic powder wasn’t too heavily presented, so it added a different taste but didn’t blow me away.
10 Plain Wings w/​choice of 3 sauces (4/​5, Everything, BBQ, and Garlic sauces): I believe they gave me 12 wings instead of 10 wings… Not complaining at all. The worker here was generous enough for me to sample 3 sauces because I wasn’t sure what kind of wings to order. Initially, I was going to get flavored everything wings, but the worker recommended that I order plain wings with side sauces. Everything sauce. Well, I overhyped in my head from co-​workers informing of how delicious the sauce is. It’s a little mix of everything, don’t recall what because it’s a list. I pretty much doused my wings with the BBQ sauce that satisfied my taste buds. Garlic was okay. It was something I preferred than the everything sauce flavor.
Weekday Lunch Specials:
Monday — Sausage, Potatoes, and Peppers
Tuesday — Chicken Riggies
Wednesday — Stuffed Shells
Thursday — Baked Pasta with Meatballs
Friday — Fish Fry
This place offers a variety other than pizza — gluten free options, salad, cold cut sandwiches, pasta, wings, etc. One time, I arrived for the Tuesday lunch special when they informed they «ran out.» Quite disappointing since I went back later that week with «sold out» chicken riggies.
In conclusion, I would come back for sausage pizza and lunch specials.

Classic old family Italian food, low key and not fancy, paper plates and food served on styrofoam. Wings were exceptional, Pizza was so interesting (beer seen anything like it before). Mozzarella sticks were the best I’ve ever had.

Totally disappointed! Ordered a pizza swimming in sauce, bottom burnt and had different topping on each half; one half adequate the other half three of the pieces lucky had cheese let alone double and no sign of the mushrooms or pepperoni! After reading all the positive reviews this pizza was nothing like I was expecting! NEVER AGAIN

I have lived in 4 states and this is still by far the BEST PIZZA EVER!
I was shocked at the bad reviews but clearly those people have taste buds that are only used to canned Spaghetti O or Ragu Sauce. When ever I am traveling back to the East Coast, this is always a place I stop into. I even had a pizza sent to me in Vegas and everyone was raving about it that came over. The people must be ordering wrong. You have to get the sausage pizza not plain. See you soon Oscuginizzo.

Old school pizza joint attracts sketchy behavior in and around the «establishment.» Total drug deal going down around the side of the building and inside. Best pizza upstate.

Nice place to grab a quick pizza with some friends!
After driving by Utica a countless number of times going to and from Albany, I finally was able to try an upside down pizza at one of their local pizzerias. A few friends and I stopped here after the Wine and Chocolate Event this December. We were looking for some decent pizza and wings and were not left disappointed. The establishment has a good amount of seating, although the place is not in its prime; it definitely has a slight run-​down feel. With arcade games, like pac man, and old time booths, this place gives a humble vibe.
We ended up odering a large pizza, half cheese, half pepperoni and sausage with 2 dozen (extra saucy!) hot wings for $ 25. It didn’t take long for the order to be fulfilled and we were eating piping hot pizza in no time. There was really no difference from typical pizza other than the tomato sauce was on top of everything else. If anything, it made it more messy to eat, but it was still pizza; it had all the appropriate ingredients. I wouldn’t say this was an above average pizza; the crust was more Sicilian style with its thickness but it had little purpose beyond being a platform for toppings. It could have done with a bit more flavor. The sauce was good and was well balanced with the cheese and toppings. While it was nothing to write home about, it filled that pizza craving. The wings were cooked well and had a substantial amount of meat on the bones. Boy, did they not skimp on the sauce when I asked for it to be saucy. This was a bonus in my book, although, on the car ride home, I ended up wearing half of it. The wing sauce was standard buffalo sauce, butter and Frank’s, nothing out of the ordinary.
Overall, for the price, it wasn’t a bad place to grab a bite to eat. I wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way to go here again, but I wouldn’t be opposed to going back. It’s good for anyone looking for a simple pizza shop with the Utica twist.

OMG, are you kidding me? The best pizza in Utica, for as long as I can remember. The upside down pizza is legendary!

Love, Love, Love It! The crispy crust & lots of sauce is the greatest. People unfamiliar with an upside down pizza will cry foul but if you open your mind to a unique experience you will be pleasantly surprised. Growing up here in the Philadelphia area, I am used to good pizza, unfortunately all of the pizza places here use the same ingredient supplier, so it is the same olé olé, no matter where you go. O’scugnizzo was a refreshing change of pace. Also their tossed salad was an incredible value, with rolled lunch meat in it, similar to an antipasto at most places. When I’m back in town, I’ll be hitting it up again for sure.

Fine I suppose odd for certain. upsidedown pizza? ok, i get it special pizza for ‘special’ people.
insitution blah blah, its ok, i won a giftcard over the summer and was passing through town again (not stopping!) so it was now or never to use this plastic, so i opted for the pizza over say a chicken parm.
first, the location is sketchville 100%! if it wasnt light, i wasnt coming! i could be too sheltered, but this area made me feel more hartford, less west hartford, can you relate? (Im from ct, so hartford is scary, west hartford not so much)
anyway…pizza, oh yes, not the easiest thing to eat while driving down 90 getting out of dodge (although this travel season i was able to eat a tray of sushi with chopsticks while driving!) did not appreciate the overabundance of sauce everywhere as its made upsidedown. i also guess if i saw them take a wheel of premade pizza out of a box and then put it on their own special metal guard and then put it in the oven i would have maybe had second thoughts while ordering, but i didnt, so i went with it. the staff is pretty rude to customers who recently leave, likely they had words to say about me when i left after asking several questions about their food as i never had dined here. is it safe to say not everyone ordering is a local?
i guess if they had slices available i would have just had one and done, but i did get a small pie with meatball with my 10 buck gc, which came to 10.10. a dime for a pie? why not.
anyway, team pizza forever, but not albany nor ny pie, cant fold this no way no how.

Plain and simple best pizza in town — traditional flavors and wings to die for… go for it when you come to Utica!

Very solid wings, but who doesn’t include Blue Cheese. Also my buddy ordered a salad and it was sent to our hotel but they didn’t include a fork or knife.
Also tried the Steak n Cheese-​it was good not great… but again, who makes Steak and Cheese’s with Mozarella? AMERICAN CHESSE PEOPLE!!!
3.5−4 overall. Wings are 3.75 but I was hungover so they def. tasted better than they probably would have.
In summary, worth it for take out but you can do better. don’t forget to ask for Blue Cheese… To owners: your better than that!!!

O’scugnizzo Pizzeria is the best pizza I’ve had in Uti… ca, it’s the most unusual Pizza I’ve had in NY State, and it’s one of the more delicious pizzas you’re ever likely to put in your mouth (but not one of the most delicious things in general you’re ever likely to put in your mouth, because most of those would probably be sausages or tuna fish).
BTW Daniel: I’m not a local, and I f***ing love Upside Down Pizza, and so did my travelling companion, so… (makes shushing motion). And don’t speak for me.
What to get: Upside Down Slices.
If it were run by actual Italians instead of Italian-​Americans, it’d be O’MiScusi’s Pizza, but it’s not, so these guys would never apologize for anything.
So if you haven’t already heard, what they make here is «upside down pizza.» It’s what it sounds like. It’s made upside down, and everything about it is upside down. It’s just bizarre. Look at the pictures. But it really, really, really works. It tastes delicious. I get some every time I come through Uti… ca.
Imagine if this city was in California, would it be Uti, CA?
Around lunch time, they usually have slices, but during the rest of the day, there might be a wait time, or they may not even be doing slices. Also, there can be long wait times for whole pizzas and other orders.
If it were run by a cartoon dog and Scrappy’s Uncle, it’d be O’Scoobydoo’s Pizzeria. But it’s not, Scoob! And I would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for you meddling kids!
I wasn’t too impressed by the Chicken Riggies here… they just didn’t do it for me. Franco’s Pizza (by the Thruway) makes such exceptional riggies that I’d go there if I were you… come to O’S for the Pizza, the amazing, bizarre, delicious Upside Down pizza.
If it were run by young horny Italian street urchines, it’d be O’Scooters Pizza, and if you’ve been to Italy, you know what I mean.
Also, not only are the wait times bad, not only do they only do slices at lunch, but the service here is pretty awful too. The girl I was with was treated pretty badly because she didn’t know what she was ordering and didn’t know they didn’t do slices in the evening. She is a pretty tolerant young lady, but she came out annoyed. It wasn’t our only experience of this in Utica though, she called it the «Uti…ca attitude.» I mean, what do you expect from a city whose first 3 letters are U T I.
Just kidding, Uti… ca.
If the employees were indifferent to you, rather than mean to you, it’d be O’Shrugging Pizzeria, but alas, they’re not.
Service bad, wait times bad, no slices other than lunch time annoying… upside down slices fantastic! Come and try them!
Oh, and if it were located in my bedroom it’d be O’sareawesomeespeciallymultiples Pizzeria, ahem.

I love unique… 5 Stars for different.
The negative reviews are hilarious but seriously who’s not sick of standard chain pizza.
100 yrs of something different.
Keep going guys!

Team Coaches! Please read! I am the head coach for a junior collegiate track and field program from Chicago and we are in Utica for the National Championships. I accidentally dropped into here last year. Great large carbo loading baked ziti that can fill 20 athletes for only 28 dollars. They take tax exempt forms so it’s a huge plus. So we came again this year for the national championships and I ordered the same for my athletes from here. You can tell that they take pride in what they do and Tom works his ass off for everyone. He has a great attitude and good customer service. So if you are a team in town looking for carbo loading pasta… this is the place to go!!! A special must for Collegiate/​High School cross country/​track and field programs. My athletes absolutely love their food!

If you’re skimming the reviews for this place then you’ll likely start to notice a pattern: The locals love it, everyone else is disgusted by it. This pattern is correct. I went to college in CNY and heard all of my friends from Utica rave about this place. What’s worse, they claimed to be pizza snobs and suggested that no pizza could hold up to O’scugnizzo’s pie. Well Uticans, you’re wrong again.
I take that back actually, they’re half-​right. No place can hold up to O’scugnizzo’s pie. It is likely the worst pizza you’ll ever eat. Worse than something you’ll find in the County jail. Worse than a bad high school cafeteria. Worse than when you cook a frozen pizza and forget to take it off the cardboard and it only comes out half-​done. Uticans love it though. Why?
I’ve found that Uticans, generally, operate in a state of ignorant bliss. The Erie Canal went out, industry collapsed, and their city is a glorified pile of rubble that has all but collapsed into the ground. Most of everything is terrible and barely surviving. But the people there love it. It’s almost like they’ve known that their food is slop for generations but have chosen to rally around it in spite of themselves, suggesting that it’s trash but why bash it because after all, it’s their trash. Generations later people from Utica are used to food in this condition and have been weaned on it, so much so that they think that this is how food is supposed to be prepared. Worse, when served «normal» food, Uticans protest because it’s not «how we do it in Utica» and are unable to eat food that is prepared according to the world’s accepted recipes.
I’ve eaten at several Utica standards during my time in CNY and my visits back since ending college, and the non-​locals have gotten sick every time while the locals manage to digest it without a problem. It makes sense. They’ve been eating this filth all their lives and they’re used to it. The rest of the country, though, is not.
The building is a dump but it doesn’t look that bad because it basically is really only a microcosm of the larger dump that is Utica. The people serving food are noncommittal and overall also sketchy, again basically the norm in most of Utica so if you know where you are then this won’t bother you either.
Onto the food. The sauce stews in a pot and sits there all day, I imagine. Possibly for days or even weeks at a time until they run out. The crust is frozen in industrial size bulks and waits in the freezer for who knows how long. Didn’t really see the cheese or the toppings, although there is not very much toppings on the pizza. Very skimpy in that department but that is the least of your problems compared to the week-​old sauce/​years-​old crust. How this place has not been shut down due to health-​code violations remains a mystery. Then again, considering that that would probably be handled by Oneida County I think that we can close this one with «mystery solved.»
If you’ve eaten pizza in a Westernized nation and know what to expect, more or less, then you should not eat pizza here. You know New York style, you know Chicago style. You may not have heard of Utica style. Things are different in this unfortunate shell of a city in CNY, and they should really disseminate this information. Seriously, they should surround the city limits with billboards warning passers-​by that the food is different here.
And for you Uticans who insist that your styles of food are correct, please, for the sake of the remaining billions of people in the world, back off. We win. The world wins. You’re wrong.

There is only one thing to say. …The BEST…

Wings were good
Antipasto was good with salad dressing homemade
not the friendliest service
Freezing cold inside I think the heat was on 60 – 64
Pizza horrid
Tastes just like Cambells tomato soup poured on top of cheese and a frozen bread crust. Ugh… so it must be a local Utica thing because I’m from out of town and I’m in New York pizza lover not this variety sorry!