You’re driving through Blue Ash, maybe heading back from Summit Park or just trying to figure out where to grab lunch without hitting a generic chain, and there it is. Catch-a-Fire Pizza. It’s sitting right there on Kenwood Road, looking a lot more polished than its humble beginnings as a food truck parked outside MadTree Brewing.
If you’ve lived in Cincinnati for more than five minutes, you know the legend. Jeff and Melissa Gartner started this thing in 2013, basically fueling the city's craft beer revolution with wood-fired crusts that actually had some soul. But the Blue Ash location? That was a big jump. It’s a full-blown restaurant. It’s got the bar, the patio, the high ceilings, and that massive wood-burning oven that stares you down the second you walk through the door.
Honestly, it’s rare for a food truck brand to scale up this well. Most of the time, the magic gets lost in the industrial kitchen equipment and the corporate overhead. But at Catch-a-Fire Pizza Blue Ash, the fire—literally—is still the center of the universe.
The Crust is the Real Hero Here
Most people talk about toppings. I get it. Toppings are flashy. But if the bread is trash, the pizza is trash. Catch-a-Fire uses a high-heat wood-fired method that hits around 800 degrees. This isn't your soggy, delivery-style crust that sags under the weight of grease. It’s got that "leopard spotting"—those little charred bubbles that happen when the dough is fermented right and hits extreme heat.
It’s chewy. It’s crispy. It’s salty in the right places.
If you’re a purist, you go for the Cornerstone. It’s their version of a Margherita. Red sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil, and a drizzle of olive oil. It’s the baseline. If a place can't nail a Margherita, you shouldn't trust them with anything else. Here, the sauce isn't overly sweet, which is a common sin in Midwestern pizza. It tastes like actual tomatoes.
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But then they get weird with it. In a good way.
Take the "One Love." It’s basically a tribute to the reggae theme that permeates the whole brand. You’ve got a crushed tomato base, but they add spinach, artichokes, and these peppadew peppers that give you a sweet-heat kick. It’s a vegetarian pizza that doesn't feel like a compromise. You don't leave feeling like you missed out on pepperoni.
Beyond the Round Dough
Look, sometimes you aren't in the mood for a whole pie. Or maybe you’re that person who goes to a pizza place and orders a salad. Usually, that’s a mistake. At most spots, the salad is an afterthought—limp iceberg lettuce and a single cherry tomato.
At Catch-a-Fire Pizza Blue Ash, they actually use the oven for the "not-pizza" stuff too. The wood-fired wings are a prime example. They aren't breaded and dropped in a fryer. They’re roasted. The skin gets that specific kind of crispiness that only comes from dry heat, and they’ve got this Buffalo or Jamaican Jerk sauce that actually has some depth.
And the cauliflower.
I know, "roasted cauliflower" is the most overplayed appetizer of the 2020s. Every bistro has it. But they do a version here with a lemon-tahini dressing and some toasted pine nuts that actually makes you forget you're eating a vegetable. It’s charred. It’s nutty. It’s better than it has any right to be.
The Vibe in Blue Ash
Blue Ash is a weird mix of corporate offices and family suburbs. It can feel a little sterile sometimes. Catch-a-Fire breaks that up. The space is huge—over 5,000 square feet—and it has this indoor-outdoor flow that works perfectly when the Ohio weather isn't trying to kill us.
The bar is a major focal point. They kept the MadTree connection alive with a massive tap list, but they’ve branched out into cocktails that actually pair with the food. You aren't just stuck with a generic lager. You can get something with a bit of acidity to cut through the richness of the cheese.
It’s loud. It’s lively. If you’re looking for a quiet, candlelit romantic dinner where you can whisper sweet nothings, this probably isn't the spot. It’s where you go after a soccer game or for a Friday night work happy hour that accidentally turns into a three-hour session.
Why the Wood-Fired Method Actually Matters
It’s not just for show. When you cook a pizza in 90 seconds at massive heat, the moisture in the dough evaporates instantly. This creates steam, which puffs up the crust. A standard kitchen oven at 450 degrees just bakes the dough until it’s dry and crunchy like a cracker.
The wood adds a subtle smokiness you can't replicate with gas. It’s the difference between a steak on a grill and a steak in a pan.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Menu
People see "Jamaican Jerk" or "Three Little Birds" and assume it’s just a gimmick. It’s not. The flavors are balanced. They use a lot of local ingredients, which sounds like a marketing buzzword, but you can taste it in the freshness of the dairy.
Also, don't sleep on the "Simmer Down" spicy sausage pizza if you like heat. They don't hold back. It’s got habanero oil. It will wake you up.
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One thing to keep in mind: because it’s wood-fired, the pizzas come out when they’re ready. If you’re in a big group, your food might not all arrive at the exact same second. That’s just the nature of the oven. It’s a small price to pay for a crust that hasn't been sitting under a heat lamp.
Real-World Tips for Your Visit
- Check the Wait Times: Blue Ash gets slammed during lunch and right after work. Use their online waitlist if you’re heading there during peak hours.
- The Patio is Dog-Friendly: If you’ve got a pup, the outdoor seating area is one of the better ones in the area.
- Lunch Specials: They usually have a "Piadina" or a smaller lunch-sized portion that won't leave you in a food coma for your 2:00 PM Zoom call.
- The Dessert Pizza: Seriously. Just do it. The "Stir It Up" with cinnamon, sugar, and icing is basically a giant churro in pizza form.
Making the Most of Your Trip
If you’re planning to visit Catch-a-Fire Pizza Blue Ash, treat it like an experience rather than a quick stop. Start with the wood-fired olives—they come out warm and salty, a perfect primer for your palate. Pair your main pie with a local IPA to balance the char of the crust. If you’re gluten-free, they actually have one of the better GF crust options in the city; it still gets a decent rise in the wood oven, which is a minor miracle.
Skip the standard pepperoni once and try the "Buffalo Soldier." The combination of chicken, gorgonzola, and celery offers a texture profile you won't find at a standard parlor. After you finish, take a five-minute drive over to Summit Park to walk off the carbs. It’s the quintessential Blue Ash afternoon.