The Oldest Operating LaRosa’s In Ohio Has Been Serving Mouthwatering Pizzas And Calzones For Over 70 Years

Here in Ohio, we might be best known for our Cincinnati-style chili and Graeter’s ice cream, but the Buckeye State also has quite the Italian culinary repertoire. LaRosa’s was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1954 by Donald “Buddy” LaRosa, its flagship restaurant located at Boudinot Avenue. Over 70 years later, the original LaRosa’s location in Ohio still stands, serving delicious pizzas and calzones to the fine folks in town. Read on to find out more about this iconic gem, and one of the best restaurants in Ohio, if we may say so.

What does "Italian food" mean to you? In Ohio, "Italian food" is synonymous with one restaurant: LaRosa's.

In 1954, LaRosa's opened its doors on Boudinot Avenue in Cincinnati, Ohio, offering a taste of the Old Country in a city best known for German fare and brews.

Everything on the original menu was inspired by Buddy's family recipes. His Sicilian-born father didn't think the concept would take off, but Buddy had a vision *and* heart, two ingredients essential to a longstanding restaurant.

From pizzas and calzones to spaghetti and minestrone, the menu at LaRosa's is all about classic Italian comfort food. It's love on a plate. Ohioans loved LaRosa's then, but today, it's become a bona fide Buckeye State icon.

While the restaurant has since become so much larger than Buddy LaRosa could have ever imagined, the original location at Boudinot Avenue remains -- and it's a fan favorite.

Inside this charming and long-standing restaurant, you'll find rustic booths, tables topped with parmesan and red pepper shakers, and classic pizzeria decor.

LaRosa's is, above all, a family restaurant, and you'll be warmly welcomed as soon as you walk through the doors.

This is what Buddy envisioned when he opened his first restaurant on Boudinot Avenue: a place where families and friends could gather and enjoy food and fellowship.

While the flagship restaurant has undergone renovations and changes over the years, its heart and soul have stayed true to Buddy's original concept...

...as have the delicious pizzas and calzones!

Have you dined at the oldest LaRosa's in Ohio before? This historic restaurant on Boudinot Avenue is an Ohio icon!

Hey foodies…did you know that there’s a Cincinnati Streetcar Food Tour With Findlay Market? You can sample the best dishes from more iconic restaurants in town.