Marion's Piazza

My coworkers bragged about this place and called it a Dayton institution, after eating here I can only think they should be institutionalized for bragging about this place.  

The decor: not bad, but looks like it's from the 60s with the weird plastic booths long disappeared from small town restaurants.  

The food (what matters): the pizza is not good at all.  The ingredients do not look like restaurant ingredients, but more like what you would buy from Kroger's to make a homemade pizza.  The dough is not special.  If you went home and made a homemade pizza while drunk, you would get something tasting like a Marion's pizza; alternatively their pizza tastes like cardboard covered in spaghetti sauce.  Neither of my descriptions does it justice, it must be experienced to see how truly horribly they manage to mess up pizza.  

Now their pizza is much better than supermarket frozen pizza, but about the same as an amateur homemade pizza.  Flying Pizza is a good option for pizza, this place is not.

I had my promotion celebration here and the staff really accommodated us.  It's a great place for large parties because there is just so much room.  I ordered 10 large pizzas of different variations, and a few pitchers of beer.  The whole thing turned out to be a lot cheaper than what I had budgeted for.  I also found out that they do not accept tips.  Bonus!  This probably has something to do with the patrons picking up their own food and drinks at the check-out counter.  

Pizza:  It's okay.  Every single piece was eaten, so that's a testament to the quality of the pizza.  I prefer New York style pizza, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with Marion's.  My favorite by far was the pepperoni, but the olives on the deluxe were remarkably fresh.  I would definitely recommend it for hosting a decently sized group of people.

Marion's isn't really about the food although the pizza is good. It's about getting together with friends - sometimes lots of them - and reminiscing about your shared history and catching up on what you've been doing since. Marion's is the traditional gathering spot for years of Beavercreek HS classes. In fact classmates would probably gather here on Fridays before reunions whether anyone planned it or not. It's truly a great gathering place for almost any occasion, and Marion's will reserve tables back in an area perfect for groups.

The pizza is unique and probably an acquired taste that is as much about the memories it evokes as about the food. I do like the tiny pieces they cut their pizza into - makes me feel indulgent about enjoying several pieces without feeling guilty. Is it the best pizza ever? No, but it is a fabulous place to enjoy time with friends and family.