Emilio's thin, square-cut pizza and a 'Shirley special' salad draw longtime fans

Speakers at Emilio's emphasized the restaurant's distinctive thin crust and square-cut (sometimes called 'tavern-style') pizza, a format they tied to older Columbus pizza traditions. A family member described how the cut and crust reflect local tastes and the shop's long history serving neighborhood customers.

The family member recounted the origin of the restaurant's 'special salad': "She she decided to to bake the pepperoni first and then put it in the salad for Emilia, my dad's partner," the speaker said, explaining how the item evolved from a staff member's tweak into a signature offering. Staff explained that for takeout they often package dressing on the side "so it doesn't get soggy" and let customers toss the salad at home.

Speakers also noted that, after a review by Dave Portnoy about a year earlier, the shop sold more plain cheese pizzas than before; they said customer preferences had shifted slightly while the pepperoni and 'all the way' pizzas remained popular. Speakers described the pepperoni as having a noticeable tang and the crust as thin and crunchy, reflecting a local palate that favors that style.

The conversation compared pizza styles across regions and framed Emilio's as a local example of Columbus tavern-cut pizza rather than deep-dish or Detroit styles.