Pizza from Meister's Bar

Hidden in the pizza paradise that is the Grandview/Upper Arlington/Columbus area, the pizza from Meister's Bar is an admirable take on Chicago style deep dish pie. The 16-inch deep dish is big enough to feed four people, some most likely entering a coma upon finishing a third slice.

The thin-crust pie is not particularly authentic to the Windy City area. It lacks the liberal cornmeal dusting that is common in Chicago thin pizza. It is a more traditional tavern cut pizza that is common in much of Ohio.  It's worth a try if somebody is too delicate for the deep dish. However, deep dish pizza is the star attraction.

The deep dish pies were served with variable levels of toasted crust. The first visit had golden edges, while subsequent pizzas were served with well-done edges. The overall difference was mostly cosmetic, although the texture of the browned crust made it a little tough to chew.

The bar has a decent selection of beers and is a sports bar humming with activity during Ohio State games. It sometimes gets hectic, especially during big football games.

Overall, Meister's offers a solid version of Chicago deep dish pizza. If I were ranking non-chain deep dish pizza in central Ohio, I would rank Wholly Joe's near Polaris best, Meister's (a.k.a. Pi Pizza) second, Tristano's third and Fabian's dead last. B.J.'s brewhouse, a chain out of California, offers a close take on Chicago thin crust pizza, but B.J.'s deep dish has more in common with Pizza Hut than Lou Malnati's. While the Meister's deep dish doesn't claim the local Chi-Town Crown, it is almost as good as what you'd get in the City of Big Shoulders.