Goodfellas OTR at 1211 Main Street is the third outpost of the fast-growing semi-local chain that first made its mark in Mainstrasse Village in Covington. They also have two locations in Lexington as well as soon to open restaurants in Columbus and Nashville, but the OTR location can’t be beat for atmosphere or convenience. They offer by-the-slice New York style pizza hot and ready all the time as well as a full menu available for ordering in or take out. The inside is finished in the obligatory recycled and upcycled wood and metal that has come to be the hallmark of the Over the Rhine restaurant scene, but this iteration is executed particularly well. There is also a three level patio/deck on the back that would be a great spot just to enjoy a beer or cocktail on a balmy summer evening.

I have been to Goodfellas twice and was disappointed neither time (other than the odd Andrews Sisters style version of “I Will Survive” coming out of the speakers). The first was shortly after they opened and they were already operating like a finely oiled machine. The last time was on a Monday when the mere thought of cooking dinner at home after an especially grueling day at work was more than I could bear. (Goodfellas to the rescue.) There is no table service, other than the initial delivery of the food that you order at the counter when you come in the front door, but don’t let that stop you from visiting Goodfellas. The bar is heavy on bourbon, but also has several local beers on tap as well as a more limited selection of other cocktails. In what is probably a shocking development to almost everyone reading this blog, I did not have an alcoholic beverage on either visit to Goodfellas though. But on the plus side, refills of pop are free, unlimited and self serve.

On my first visit, I ordered the Goodfellas breadstick. No, that is not a misprint. Just one breadstick. This is only feasible for a robust eater such as myself because the breadstick is so large that it is served draped across two full sized paper plates. It is clearly more than enough for a couple to share. I ordered mine with an alfredo cheese sauce that paired perfectly with the airy, crunchy and garlickey bread, but Goodfellas also serves every other sauce that your heart could possibly desire. On my second visit, I opted for the garlic butter and nacho cheese. I made the mistake of ordering the Buffalo Chicken Cheesesticks in addition to my pizza the first time I ate at Goodfellas. I say mistake only because of the generous size of my pizza as well as the breadstick that I polished off as soon as it hit the table, certainly not because of the taste. Slather a little bit of buffalo sauce on almost anything and I am game and these delicious cheesesticks were no exception. I could have made of meal of just the cheesesticks. But alas, I did not.

Normally if I am visiting a restaurant on multiple occasions with the intention of blogging about my experiences, I make the conscious choice to order something different on each visit. I did not follow that practice on my second trip, because I felt like it was not possible to improve upon my “Goodfella” pizza that I ate on my first visit. If you like classic New York style pizza topped with pepperoni, ground beef, Italian sausage, and bacon, then this is the pizza for you. If I have failed to describe it in a manner that is both accurate and appealing, imagine this: Goodfellas is the pizza that you always hope that Sbarro will be every time you order it in the mall food court, but never is.