Background
Husband-and-wife, Christian and Mindy Strong worked in management at LaRosa’s, Cincinnati’s largest local pizza chain, for nearly two decades before going into the pizzeria business for themselves in 2012.
Shortly after opening in Newport, Kentucky, their Strong’s Brick Oven Pizzeria quickly gained a loyal following. Two years later, Christian and Mindy opened a second location in nearby Hebron, Kentucky, followed by a third in Lawrenceburg, Indiana in 2016.
Click here to read my interview with Christian Strong before he and his wife opened their Lawrenceburg location.
The Menu
All three Strong’s locations feature 10 specialty pies with one of six signature sauces, build-your-own calzone and pizza options, and appetizers ranging from salads to a plate of three Italian meatballs. The Hebron and Lawrenceburg locations also serve chicken wings, french fries and have a kids menu with a chicken fingers option.
The base for each pizza is a crispy, but not-too-thin wood oven baked crust. The most popular sauce is the plum tomato sauce, which has a fresh tomato zing versus the sweeter, more ketchup-y tasting base sauce of LaRosa’s. Other pizza sauce options include a vodka cream, pesto cream, buffalo cream, diavolo or olive oil base. Each are equally delicious.
Why I like it
For me, the secret to Strong’s pizzas is in the combination of sauce, fresh ingredients and crust. The toppings are always fresh and each specialty pie offers a delicious combination of flavors. As a bonus, every slice is easily foldable for maximum pizza consumption. I also like the fact Christian Strong remains committed to keeping his boutique pizzeria chain limited to three locations so he can frequently visit each to insure quality.
My Recommendations
For the full Strong’s experience, I suggest visiting the original Newport pizzeria.
Why? Because, I have a soft spot for the late 1800s, three-story brick house the pizzeria occupies. The indoor dining space located on the first floor is small and has plenty of character. There’s also a quaint outdoor patio wedged between one side of the house and a neighboring retaining wall.
As far as pizza is concerned, I’m a big fan of the Consentino. The pie is made with mozzarella, plum tomato sauce, roasted red peppers, sausage and fresh sliced garlic.
The Newport location also has a limited selection of canned-and-bottle craft beer. If the pizzeria is busy, the wait staff will typically check your I.D. and then let you grab a bottle or can from the beer fridge.
For more informations about strong visit strongsbrickovenpizza.com or tap on the icon locations in the Google map below.