The Taste Bud: A Gooey Trip Back in Time to Angilo’s Pizza

Pepperoni pie from Angilo’s Pizza. Photos by Kevin Gibson

Dining out was a treat when I was a kid, in part because my parents were working-class folks who couldn’t afford much more than an occasional outing.

One place I remember vividly from my early youth was Angilo’s Pizza, a small eatery not far from Churchill Downs that originally opened in 1962 and has remained a neighborhood staple. Often, a trip to visit my paternal grandparents meant a stop for dinner at Angilo’s where I could get the rare treat of pizza (my dad has never liked pizza sauce, so Italian food was a no-no in our house).

One of my most vivid Angilo’s memories was when my parents let me get a small cheese pizza for myself – normally, I would split one with my mom. I was maybe eight or nine. It was a time when I had first discovered red pepper flakes, and like an idiot, I decided to load up the entire pizza, even though I distinctly remember my father saying, “Why don’t you wait and just do one piece at a time?”

You’ve probably already guessed that I put too many flakes on my pie and couldn’t eat it. Heck, I don’t remember even getting through a single slice. I was devastated and hungry, but we gifted my leftovers to my my grandfather and he loved it. (I did not love watching him relishing eating my dinner in front of me.)

Angilo’s is part of a regional chain based in Cincinnati that dates to 1958 and the Louisville location is now locally owned by a long-time employee of the restaurant, along with her family. My father started going there in the mid-1960s when he worked nearby, and it was a carry-out-only lunch favorite for him and many of co-workers. When it moved to 1725 Berry Blvd. and became a full-service restaurant, he began bringing the family over on occasion.

My dad’s go-to – and he admits he doesn’t remember ever ordering anything else over the last 50 years – is the steak sandwich with fries, sans pizza sauce. My late mother also would ultimately become a steak sandwich devotee, and I have partaken of the sandwich many times myself over the years, although it’s the pizza that usually draws me back.

Anyway, it had been probably four years since I last dined at Angilo’s, going recently with my dad for a weekday lunch. When we walked inside, I was pleased to learn the place has barely changed, with the familiar Angilo’s, line-art chef logo that dates the restaurant to the 1950s on the wall, the same order counter and menu board, and even the same salmon-colored vinyl booth cushions. Heck, even the kids’ vending machines are in the same place in the foyer.

We placed our orders, with my dad getting his usual steak sandwich and fries, and me opting for a nine-inch pepperoni pizza.

I took the first bite of pizza – I took it easy on the red pepper flakes this time – and my childhood returned. The pie topped with lots of gooey mozzarella pizza, was pretty much exactly as I remembered it. While the bready crust probably could have been browned a bit more (I remember it being more crispy), it was darn close too.

And the Angilo’s sauce is a somewhat thin, mildly tangy concoction with just a whisper of a flavor that reminds me of fennel. The sauce takes a back seat to the gooey cheese — literally, when I tried to move the first slice from the metal serving pan to my plate, the cheese wouldn’t snap and the piece went face down back onto the pan — but when it does overtake a bite of your pie, the flavor becomes clearer. Pizza at Angilo’s is pretty basic and truly is its own thing, and while it won’t ever take over as your favorite pizza in town, it’s perfect for that kid inside. And man, that mozzarella cheese is relentless.

In addition to pizza and steak sandwich, Angilo’s offers spaghetti, burgers, meatball and other types of sandwiches, chili, hoagies, an array of sides, fried and otherwise, and a huge selection of appetizers, including pizza logs (breadsticks filled with sauce and cheese) and pizza fries.

Pizzas start at a six-inch cheese for $4.59 (great for the kiddos) and top out at a 14-inch large. The Angilo’s Special Deluxe is loaded with sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions and green peppers. There are also basket options with chicken, fried fish or fried shrimp. Oh, and if you really want to do it old-school, Angilo’s has Big Red in its soda fountain — and offers a Big Red float as a dessert item.