A special report by The Tremonster
Crust Pizza (1020 Kenilworth Ave., 216.583.0257) has become a staple in Tremont since opening in 2012 and continues to attract Cleveland’s pizza lovers every day. The Tremonster team went to the original Crust Tremont location to meet its co-owner, Megan Griffin, and to see how their team creates this fan-favorite pizza.
When we asked Griffin to tell us something that Tremonsters may not know about the popular Crust pizza, she let us know it’s all about the dough. The Crust team makes the dough fresh every morning, which, Griffin explained, is a process perfected when the team first started. The Crust owner-operators took their time when developing the recipe and technique for their dough because they know it separates their pizza from all others and keeps people coming back for more.
As Griffin completed her morning routine, she elaborated on the technique used to make Crust pizza so beloved: “The main thing is making the dough. You have to have the right amount of flour to yeast to the temperature of the water—that’s really important. How long it mixes for . . . Everything down to our pizza sauce is homemade. Getting the seasonings right . . . and everything!”
Every step of the Crust process is quite special, including topping pizzas with high-quality, West Side Market-sourced ingredients.
Another feature that keeps Cleveland residents coming back for more is the Destroyer—a 32-inch pizza which always sits invitingly atop Crust’s deli counter, ready to be sold to passersby by the slice. The Destroyer is a thin-crust, fold-over, New York-style pizza that is hard to find anywhere else in the CLE.
Griffin’s favorite item on the menu is the capicola pizza, which she says is their specialty. Their Spanish chorizo also holds a special place in her heart because it’s a topping not often found on pizzeria menus.
It is the season to take a seat at a picnic table beneath the yellow umbrellas of Crust’s patio and bite into a slice of Tremont’s home-grown, one-of-a-kind pizzas, subs, or salads. You’ll be glad you did.
