Beloved local pizzeria closing after 60+ years

Photo by Thom Jackson via Google Photos

“Man, I’ve been eating your pizza since I was three years old,” I overheard a loyal customer saying to the pizza shop’s owners. “I can’t believe this is happening,” he added. Jack, one of the owners, smiled back.

The tiny, cash-only pizza shop was packed last evening – the kitchen was at full capacity, with the entire staff working hard to meet the demands of everyone trying to get their last pizza in before they say their final goodbyes.

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Zamarelli’s Pizza Palace, located at 4011 Front St. in Grove City, first opened in 1963 and became well-known for their no-frills, Columbus-style pizza and Italian-style sandwiches and pastas. After 61 years of serving the central Ohio community, Zamarelli’s Pizza Palace is closing their doors for good on Saturday night.

The owners were extremely busy and declined to provide comments on the reason they were closing or what’s in store for the business/building.

If you’re wanting to get a final pie before Sunday, keep in mind that Zamarelli’s is cash-only, and that the phone line is busy most of time. Some people in line claimed to have called 100 times before getting through, while others in line told me they’re placing an order in-person, and even then, the wait time was 1.5 hours.

Sounds like it’s worth it, though.

No photo description available. — Photo via Grove City Chamber of Commerce; Owners Tina & Jack Middendorf who met while working at Zamarelli’s in high school. Tina is the daughter of Andrew Zamarelli, who opened up the pizza shop in 1963 using his mother’s recipes she brought to America from Italy in the early 1900s.

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