The Howard is a historic and elegant event space located in the heart of Oshkosh. The building, built in 1927, hosts private and community events. On Thursday and Friday evenings, the basement of the venue opens up to the public for bowling, craft beverages, and...

I owe it to Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen for teaching me how to spell one of my favorite foods: pizza. I previously worked for a local pizzeria in Michigan for four years, so I know what to look for when choosing pizza. After moving from Michigan to Illinois, and then from Illinois to Wisconsin, one of the first things I try to find is a good place to order pizza. Luckily, Zaronis in Oshkosh came to my rescue. They are a superhero-themed pizzeria and mac and cheese pub that looks out for the Oshkosh community.
About Zaronis
Zaronis gets its name from combining the names of some of the food they offer: Pizza (Za) and Macaroni (roni). The name sounds Italian though right? It’s owned by the ‘superheroes’ Captain Zaroni (Jon Doemel) and Madame Zaroni, who are on a mission to defeat villainous foods with their pizza and mac and cheese. Previously known as the Glass Nickel, Zaronis opened in 2016 after rebranding with a comic theme (think X-Men meets Bob’s Burgers). Right now, they offer curbside pickup or deliver; delivery is available to any business or residential address within Oshkosh.
The Za (Pizza)
When I order from Zaronis, I normally order a hand-tossed pizza with pepperoni and green peppers. If you don’t like traditional marinara sauce or mozzarella cheese, they carry a variety of sauce options, cheeses, and toppings. For our readers that are vegan, they even offer vegan cheese! They even offer gluten-free crusts, but it’s limited to 10-inch pizza. The pizza travels well whenever we order delivery from them. If you’re ordering online, they clearly mark on the menu what options are vegetarian-friendly, spicy or great for cheese lovers.
The Roni (Mac and Cheese)
Zaroni’s offers 21 varieties of mac and cheese, which is both jaw-dropping and a little intimidating when trying to order. When I ordered, I decided to get the house-blend.; you can’t go wrong with a classic! I loved the crouton topping they added to the mac and cheese. In addition to customizing mac and cheese toppings when ordering, you can also turn any mac and cheese variety on the menu into a pizza.
The Sidekicks
For sides and appetizers, they named this section of their menu “sidekicks,” which is the perfect superhero-related name to call appetizers. Sidekicks include: salads (8 different varieties), chicken, little heroes [kids menu], appetizers, beverages and desserts. If you order Zaronis on your birthday, you can get a free dessert! My fiance and I have previously ordered the zuggets, but this time around we ordered the cinnizugs: cinnamon and sugar zuggets with icing on the side. The cinnizugs were a perfect sweet treat! If you’ve ever had an elephant ear/funnel cake from a fair, that’s what they reminded me of.
I really appreciate how active Zaronis is in the community, even before the pandemic. They made the news earlier this year when partnered with several local organizations to help provide everything from food to toilet paper. Zaronis also partners with local nonprofits for fundraising nights. They also host blood drives every couple of months, and if you donate blood, you can receive 20% off your order for the day. Back in December, I wanted to attend one of their drive-in movie nights, and I hope they will continue these events in 2021. If you’re looking for quality food and a pizzeria that supports the Oshkosh community, I recommend Zaronis, who have been my heroes when it comes to pizza since I moved to Oshkosh.