The former Pie’s the Limit on MacArthur Boulevard is now Papi’s Pizza Pub, offering Latin-inspired pizzas, pastas, salads and sandwiches, plus American classics. A soft opening is planned for Friday, Dec. 8, at 11 a.m.
Owner Ryan Bandy purchased the property at 1710 S. MacArthur Boulevard in August, following the closure of Pie’s the Limit. Chris Hanken and Vic Lanzotti closed that restaurant at the end of July, along with Public House 29 in Rochester.
Papi’s
will have a dining area plus seating in a newly-built bar, although there will
also be counter service for to-go orders. “I want to get away from the fast-causal
feel,” Bandy told SBJ when he first announced his plans.
Bandy
also owns and operates Win, Lose, or Draught, 7004 Kingsmill Court. “This will
be similar to WLD, an inviting atmosphere where anyone who comes in feels
welcome – a good place to meet friends,” he said.
While
Papi’s will offer traditional pizzas you’d find at a pizza parlor, “a lot of
our pizzas are Latin-inspired,” Bandy said. “Our signature pizza doesn’t even
use pizza sauce – it’s street-corn based, with chicken, cheese, onion and sriracha
bourbon drizzle on the top.”
Bandy
said he’s also teamed up with friends who own Twisted Ranch Restaurant &
Bar in St. Louis to offer some of the signature ranch flavors on the salads,
sandwiches and pizzas at Papi’s.
“Our
Dillicioso pizza features their King of the Dill ranch, and we’ll have their
Ruffalo ranch on our sandwiches and pizza,” he said.
As for
Papi’s own signature sauce, “it has more of a kick to it,” but Bandy said a
mild sauce is also available for those who prefer less spice.
Hours of
operation will be Thursday to Saturday, 11 a.m.-1 a.m. and Sunday to Wednesday
11 a.m.-11 p.m.
”We’ll
have a soft opening through the month of December and then we’ll be adding more
items to the menu and online order starting in January,” Bandy said. “This is my
first venture into the restaurant business, and I’d rather start out a little
simple than try to do too much at the beginning.”
