Walkable Wonders: Heavenly Pizza

Join Marketing intern and new ’Berg alum Em Swain, ’22, as they visit local businesses only a short walk away from Heidelberg University’s campus. It's Walkable Wonders, our summer web series!

Happy Fourth of July Weekend!

In celebration of the U.S.A., I partook in the two most American things I can think of: eating an entire AJ’s pizza on my own and visiting a small-town American history museum. AJ’s Heavenly Pizza is one of my favorite restaurants in Tiffin – it was the first restaurant my family ate at when I moved in as a freshman. I cannot speak highly enough of it. This was the first time I visited The American Civil War Museum of Ohio, located across the street from AJ’s. I’ve been talking about visiting it for years, and I’m happy to have finally made the time. With both locations, the affordability cannot be beaten! I spent less than $11 on the trip as a whole and walked back home full of pizza and Union pride.

AJ’s Heavenly Pizza

AJ’s is owned and operated by John Hill (the “J” in AJ’s). Members of the Heidelberg community are frequent patrons of AJ’s Pizza because of its close location and affordability for large quantities of pizza! AJ’s is the “Home of the Jumbo” – a pizza that measures 17 by 24 inches. That’s nearly 3 square feet of pizza – for $22 (for comparison – the same square footage of pizza from a popular chain pizza shop is around $35.) 

My favorite thing about AJ’s is the sauce. I’m not someone who enjoys a super acidic pizza sauce. AJ’s sauce is made with red bell peppers. When the pizza’s cold, you can really taste the bell pepper (which I enjoy) – but when it’s hot, you only really taste the sweetness that the peppers add. AJ’s sells pop by the cans in the storefront, which is something I always prefer over a two-liter. The meal I get is a 10-inch cheese pizza and a can of Dr Pepper – it’s enough to fill me up, but not too much that my friends ask for a slice. Just writing about it makes me want to go back and get some for dinner.

AJ’s Heavenly Pizza is located a 13-minute walk from the center of campus, at the corner of South Washington Street and Main Street. For more information, or to order online, visit their website.