Aponte's Pizzeria & Family Restaurant — Restaurant in Mason

I was born and raised in New Jersey and for 10 years I've attempted to find a good pizza joint in Cincinnati. I read good reviews on Aponte's and its claims on "Jersey style Pizza". We arrived at 7pm on a Sat evening. Parking may be tough because the pub next door gets crowded into the evening.

When we walked in to Aponte's I thought for a second that this was a carryout only facility. There were a lot of people in line and no one to greet you. As we made our way in, we saw the restaurant was very crowded. We were able to sit at the bar with no wait. The place could also use a thorough cleaning, however we did see that each table received a new red cloth table cloth in between seatings. The patrons were made up of elderly people and families. The service staff all looked like there were recently informed that they had a terminal illness. They were literally running around the restaurant and when they crossed paths, they would side step each other as if they were eluding NFL tackles.

The bar sat about 12 people and the bartender was also responsible for a number of tables. It was difficult to get his attention but he tried to smile and threw out some one liners. He was quick with our drinks and to take our order. The food came out about 30 min. later. We didn't mind the wait because we knew they were busy and if the pizza was as good as it was hyped to be, it will be worth it.

My wife ordered Paige's special minus the ham and for me, plain cheese with jalepenos. Paiges special was covered with toppings which is great except if you are a pizza purist. I wanted to ask the bartender if the jalapeños were fresh since they were in season. The bartender was in such a hurry that I took my chances. Of course they were pickled and just added unnecessary moisture to the pizza. That being said, the crust was vaguely reminiscent of a NJ pizza but lacked flavor and any hint of passion.

I saw other customers receive their pizza's and every one of them had to ask for napkins. Half way into our first slice, I also had to ask for napkins and only received two. I wonder what would have happened if we asked for silverware.

We pointed out to the bartender that Paige's special minus the ham contained ham. He offered to make a new one and we asked for a plain cheese. Impossible to screw up but they did. The pizza came our relatively quick and the crust had no color. It was completely raw! We packed it up and left.

Aponte's is reasonably priced and may have potential. The biggest problem is no one there is passionate. The wait staff are so overwhelmed, you feel like you are intruding asking for anything. They have to get rid of their no smile rule! The biggest problem is that the people making the food have no passion for what they are doing and therefore have no business near customers food. A cheese pizza is the easiest thing on their menu to cook. Throw it into the oven and take it out when the crust has a golden brown color. There is no excuse to serve a completely raw cheese pizza.

I grew up eating pizza in NY and NJ. I wasn't looking for anything on that scale, just a decent pizza joint. Unfortunately, we will not be revisiting Aponte's. My advice, go to Dewey's and tell them you want your...

We stopped in on a Sunday evening. The atmosphere was nice, very local, hole-in-the-wall kind of place. Relaxed, just what we were looking for. I ordered a water with lemon, my husband ordered a Coke. Drinks came out quickly, no lemon. We started with two house salads - bagged lettuce, not very good. We ordered the Chicken Parmesan entrees. Portion size was good, however the chicken was terrible. Very dry, no taste. I wasn't expecting 5 star quality, but this was yucky. We would have told the waitress, but she never asked how everything was. We ended our dinner after 3 bites of chicken, the waitress asked if we would like a take home box. We said "ah no", and she smiled and said okay, took our plates and brought us the check. I don't think she wanted to ask if we enjoyed the chicken, she didn't care.

If you decide to try Aponte's, try something other than the...

My favorite pizza!! It is the only one that does not give me heartburn afterwards! My favorite is the Greek Pizza (to which I add eggplant - I know, I am weird!! Ja Ja Ja!!). Also love the garlic knots and the pizza dumplings (they are my breakfast sometimes!!!). My wife likes the fact that some of their pizza are with olive-oil based sauce and not the tomato-based sauce since she is allergic to tomatoes. We do miss the mozzarella cheese sticks, though! Tony Aponte is a very friendly owner and host; makes you feel welcome at all times! The staff is also very friendly and attentive without being disruptive. Prices are very reasonable for the quality and sizes. I eat from Aponte's at least twice a month (either in or carry out). I have invited and/or taken several friends to try them out and they keep coming back on their own. Now I am asking you to try them out if...