History of The Pie

Just steps away from the University of Utah campus, the rich aromas of garlic and fresh baking Pie pizza dough tickle your nose. The swirling scents lead you past colorful murals and old brick walls adorned with graffiti. The candlelit room, filled with college students and professors, feels neither crowded nor uncomfortable as people flow in and out for their daily Pie fix. The University dine-in location is open until 11:00 pm on weekends, and The Pie's full-motion internet camera(s) give the world a glimpse of late-night Pie junkies eating, drinking, and sometimes even studying. This is the epitome of a college hangout, and all Salt Lakers know it simply as THE PIE.

You know the legend, now here's the story

The Pie Pizzeria's old brick walls, a valley landmark since 1980, continue to reign atop the "Best Pizza" lists because of the business philosophy that consistency, quality, equitable pricing, and great service are the keys to success. The Pie has been affectionately referred to as "the best-hidden secret in Salt Lake City". This small restaurant, located in the basement underneath the University Pharmacy, is out of sight with only one sign hidden behind a wall on 200 South 1320 East. But with good food and prices, "word of mouth" keeps THE PIE one of the busiest restaurants in the university area. Tourists and locals have found it for over 44 years, but few know its history.

The establishment was remembered by long-time Salt Lake residents as Bimbos, in the Cellar in 1965. Bimbos was a pizza and pasta place where a 14-inch pizza was had for only $2.20. One of only three pizza restaurants at the time, the seats were actually wooden pews and closed on Sunday for use as a church.

In 1980, The Palmer family had the vision to turn the establishment into a great place for college students to relax, enjoy great food, study, and listen to music. An immediate success, students came by the hundreds and The Pie grew from one location to six restaurants spanning Ogden to South Jordan and is still 100% family-owned and locally operated today.

The Pie takes no shortcuts! We believe that quality takes time. It would be a MIRACLE if you get your pizza in less than five minutes! Our pizza dough is made from scratch, double-proofed for 24 hours, then hand-rolled and tossed the traditional way for unmatched flavor. We hand shred our whole milk mozzarella and slice our meats and vegetables fresh every morning. Everything at The Pie is made to order. No frozen crusts or bagged cheese here. Our sauces and dressings are made in-house too. We like to consider ourselves old school and the proof is in The Pie!  We do this not because it's the new culinary trend, we do this because we have done it that way for over 40 years. To us, it's more about the interaction than the transaction.

For over 40 years, The Pie Pizzeria has been voted the people's choice by newspaper and magazine reader polls throughout Utah and was voted 7th best pizza in the nation by Citysearch.com. Feel free to come in and become a part of Pie history! Pizza lovers from all over the world have been scribbling their names on our brick walls for years.

We thank all of you for making us a permanent part of Utah's history!