There’s been a rise in artisan pizza options in Columbus over the past few years. First came bono pizza, followed by Yellow Brick and Harvest Pizzeria. The newest shop to open is Element Pizza Bar, located on a quiet intersection Downtown in a very unassuming building. Little exterior work was done to the building, so it may look like nothing has changed, but the interior reveals a long stainless-steel clad space with a full service bar slinging classic cocktails (Arnold Palmer, Pimm’s Cup or Cuba Libre anyone?) and ample seating for dine-in pizza patrons.
Speaking of pizza, Element takes pride in their focus on high quality ingredients, unique combinations, and a clean traditional dough recipe. Element’s pizzas are Neapolitan in style, and toppings range from the comforting (like house-cured bacon) to the obscure (granny smith apples). Element also serves a handful of appetizers including fried chickpeas and eggplant chips, as well as three different salads. But enough about those — I’m here for the pizza.
The House Sausage ($9 small / $14 large) contains housemade fennel sausage, roasted onions and fresh mozzarella with a tomato-based sauce. First of all, the crust at Element is a soft French-loaf style bread that is crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. The crusts are firm and plentiful while the bottom of the pizza is flattened to an almost paper-thin sheet. I really enjoyed the dough, but found the thin bottom cooled off very quickly while the edge crust turned chewy. Enjoy it quickly. The sausage topping was delicious, holding a decent amount of traditional Italian spices to give it a light kick without any real heat. The fennel flavor shined through, complementing the mild roasted onions.
The Crimini Mushroom ($9 small / $14 large) is topped with crimini mushrooms, garlic, mozzarella and red tomato sauce. The red sauce (used on both pizzas so far) is mild and semi-sweet with just a light touch of Italian herbs. The mushrooms used tasted pre-sautéed before topping the pizza, but still had a nice earthiness to their flavor, making for a very rustic profile. Garlic and mozzarella were the only other two toppings added, making this a very simple and straightforward option on the menu.
The Parma ($11 small / $16 large) is a white pizza topped with prosciutto, almonds, raisins, mozzarella and a balsamic sauce. Before biting into this pizza, I tasted each ingredient individually, and predetermined that it was not going to be very good. The raisins were roasted and caramelized to a sticky chew, and the prosciutto by some standards was ruined having been cooked into crispy flakes. And yet somehow, combined with the golden roasted almonds and balsamic reduction, it worked. The flavors were more like a pseudo-Mediterranean flatbread. If there’s one minor complaint I have, it’s that this one does not reheat well. Finish it in one sitting.
Overall, I enjoyed these three different pies at Element. It’s hard not to feel as if some of these new pizzas are blending together, as their baking styles are very similar and quirky topping combinations start to seem like the norm after so many new pizza restaurants are looking to carve the same niche. That being said, there’s little to dislike at Element. Their location is a bit off the beaten path, making it feel like more of a unique find rather than a neighborhood joint.
Element Pizza Bar is located at 250 North Third Street in Downtown Columbus. Their hours are 11am to 10pm, Monday through Thursday, 11am to Midnight on Friday & Saturday, and closed on Sunday. More information can be found online at www.elementpizzabar.com.
