MOD Pizza came to Portland from Seattle a few years ago, and it became a go-to of ours. My brother and I would meet our aunt there for dinner, Jeff and I would grab take-out salads and pizza when we didn’t know what we wanted to do for dinner, but we knew for sure that neither of us wanted to cook. Upon moving to Ohio, we found other pizza chains, similar to MOD, but nothing was quite the same.

MOD Pizza |West Coast Pizza Comes to Ohio

Fast forward a year or so, not only did MOD come to the greater Columbus area with a location up on Polaris, a second location opened on the North side, on Sawmill Rd (suuuuuper stoked to have MOD Pizza so close to home)

One of the biggest differences that we noted when we moved was the difference in pizza. It’s HUGE.  The variety of pizza in Ohio, freakin’ phenomenal. As much fun as it has been discovering the different pizza places (and style), there is something to be said for familiarity. When I found out that MOD was here, I was through the roof.

MOD Pizza follows the Chipotle & Subway business model in the sense that you work your way down the line, adding what you’d like, omitting what you don’t, and ultimately creating your perfect pizza or salad, 100% unique to your tastes.  Here’s where MOD differs from the other two business models.

No matter what you add (or omit) to your pizza (or salad) the price doesn’t change. You can load it up as much as you want. Add alllllll the meats? Go for it. Want every single vegetable option except for pineapple? Awesome. Triple cheese, extra sauce, doesn’t matter. Price is the same.

As you walk in, you start at the left end of the counter, (under the really big really bright arrow) and make your choice between pizza or salad. Pizza you say? Cool. Which would you rather? The 11″, which is the most commonly ordered size, the Mini, which is 6″, or the Mega Dough Thick Crust, which is 11″ as well.

From there, it’s time to get down the business of flavor.

Should you not feel like putting together your own combination, the fine folks behind MOD have a menu that you can choose from, with selections such as the Dominic (white sauce, asiago, fresh chopped basil, red onion, sliced tomatoes, and mild sausage), The Dillon James (mozzarella, asiago, fresh chopped basil, garlic, sliced tomatoes, red sauce), The Caspian (mozzarella, gorgonzola, bbq chicken, barbecue sauce, sliced red onions) and that’s just to start.

Want to see the rest of the MOD menu? [Click HERE]

  Personally, what I want on pizza varies day to day, and as such, I tend to prefer to change it up each time based on what looks good to me at the time that I’m standing and ordering.

Once you’ve dressed your pie, it goes into the oven, comes out, gets sliced, and served up onto the pass and your name is called, the last choice that you’re faced with is the sauce.  Should you opt to (MOD is clearly big on personalization) you can finish your pie with any of the following sauces.

BBQ Swirl

Fig Balsamic Glaze

Hot Buffalo Sauce

Mike’s Hot Honey

Pesto Drizzle

Ranch Finish

Red Sauce Dollops

Sri-Rancha Sauce

Siracha

The finishing touch in my mind, however, is not the sauce. It’s not the pizza at all. It’s the drinks.

Marion Berry Lemonade and Caramelized Pear Iced Tea both pack so much flavor and so much tang, (seriously Y’all. My mouth is watering thinking about them as I write this.) Plus, the ice from the fountain, it’s the real good crushed kind, that all fellow ice chewers will celebrate right along with me).

Without fail, as soon as I pay for my meal, I take my glass and head straight for the drinking fountain. Then my deliberation starts, do I want to go the lemonade or the iced tea route? (Depends on the day, really)

Sitting outside on the patio, watching the breeze ruffle the tall grasses of the landscaping and the cars roll down Sawmill on their way to whatever errands they had to run, or home after the work day while sharing a meal with friends was the perfect way to wrap up my own work day.

Want to work together? Hello@cookeatexplore.com