Anyone who follows Facebook groups devoted to Cuyahoga Falls knows that one of the regularly recurring questions is: “What’s the best place to get pizza?” This also provokes 30 or 40 quick replies that prove little other than that – surprise – different people like very different kinds of pizza. Some like thick crusts, some like thin; some like deep-dish, others not. There’s no such thing as “the best pizza,” here in the Falls or anywhere else that has at least two different pizzerias. It all depends on what you like in the way of pizza.
As a result, I’m not going to suggest that Lucci’s Place on State Road has the best pizza in Cuyahoga Falls. I can only say that I get one of their pizzas– if not two– every week, and have never been disappointed after having consumed more of their pizzas than I like to admit to (as one of my compensations for living like a hermit this last year, I threw dieting to the winds and indulged my gustatory cravings far too often). Lucci’s Place does what I like in a pizza very well, for a reasonable price.
What do they do well? Lucci’s Place makes a thin crust which is tasty and never doughy. Their basic sauces are delicious but don’t overpower the toppings. I prefer the white sauce, since I get mostly vegetable toppings, but the red is good as well if you like meat toppings.
Finally, their staff is friendly and cheerful, even when, as was the case last summer, they were working in temperatures that must have come close to those inside their pizza ovens.
Are there any downsides? Not to their pizzas or their service, certainly. Neither has ever disappointed me. The restaurant is strictly carryout, but over this last year, when neither I nor many others have been willing to dine anywhere inside, that has worked just fine. Unfortunately, Lucci’s is only open in the evening until 9pm on Thursday through Sunday, so if you get a pizza craving in the early part of the week, you’ll have to go elsewhere. For those who get the late-night munchies—and pizza is wonderful when you get the late-night munchies, especially if they are the result of beer—Lucci’s won’t be able to help you.
All that said, however, if you decide that you just don’t want to make dinner again tonight yourself—I’m not a bad cook, but there are times when I want something other than my own cooking—a Lucci’s pizza is really a great alternative to the various chain pizzerias or frozen. I’ll go back to counting calories when things return to normal, whatever the new normal is going to be, but until then Lucci’s is a regular for me.
For more information about Lucci’s Place and to view their menu, visit luccisplace.com.
