Central Pizza opens today

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photo(8)And by today, we mean in approximately 10 minutes.

The new pizza place is officially opening for business today in the former All-Purpose Pizza spot at 29th and Jackson. Owners Eric Elllsworth, Ellie Rose, and Steve Scalfati unofficially opened the restaurant this weekend, and even with zero advertising they packed the house. They even ran out of dough.

Pizza chef Ivan Garnica will be making inventive, thin-crust pies like the Porter Pie, with figs, gorgonzola, prosciutto, and mozzarella, and the Spicy Meatball, with cherry peppers, housemade meatballs, green peppers, onions, mozzarella, and red sauce. A slew of tasty-sounding sandwiches (with bread from Golden Wheat Bakery), pasta, and vegetarian pizzas also grace the menu. Gluten-free dough is an option. Standard Brewing beer will eventually appear on tap, and delivery will soon be an option.photo(9)

The team completely redid the space after All-Purpose Pizza vacated. They renovated, moving the kitchen back for more floor space in the main restaurant and they added a bar. The booth tables and the bar are reclaimed from an old Lakeside High School basketball court, and more reclaimed wood was sourced from Earthwise Architectural Salvage.

The owners are excited for their opening, though they also look like they could use some rest — they’ve been working tirelessly since April to open the space. Open hours will be from Monday through Thursday, 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., Fridays from 3 p.m. to 12 a.m., Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.

For updates, check the Central Pizza Facebook page. Here are some snapshots of the menu:

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18 thoughts on “Central Pizza opens today

  1. What ever happened to All-Purpose? I hadn’t been there for a while and noticed it’d disappeared but I don’t know when or why it vanished.

  2. I’m so excited they’ll be offering weekend lunch! That was a failing on All-Purpose Pizza’s part.

    • Totally agree! We went there multiple times during the 12-2PM time on weekends only to see that they didn’t open until 3(!). Can’t wait to check it out.

  3. Excellent. Love the location. Will try it out soon and if all goes well – frequently. I currently go all the way to Flying Squirrel at Genessee for high end quality.

    Note – recession did not kill All Purpose. The were untetesting and different- but not good. The sauce had a two day long after taste and the sour doe overpowerred eve the sauce. Try to taste a fresh ingreedient- no deal. Just 5 day old garlic marinara and strongly sour bread.

    So – be yourself, yet, remember the basic concepts of bread and sauce. They support the fresh toppings. Not that you need my advice. But All Purpose did. See you soon.

    • Piecoras > Flying Squirrel. Still nothing like true NY pizza but it’s as close as we’ve found.

      • Been to NY plenty and not sure what you folks are talking about NY pizza. I’ve stopped at numerous pizza joints and failed to find any remarkable pizza at all.

        Piecora’s does meet the minimum standard and I am willing to eat their pizza’s regularly. It is not unique or great. It is a good standard for after a long run with the gang.

        FS makes a great Pizza.

      • Visiting NY and being born and raised there are two completely different things. Where did you go for pizza? Lombardi’s? Ray’s? I’m not sure what your criteria is when judging pizza but for any NY’er, nothing comes close.

      • It’s just that people always talk NY pizza like it is some universally great thing. If they mean that the pizza is great at Lombardi’s – then say so.

        Having heard so much about such great pizza in NY, I had assumed that I could stop any one of the many pizza joints and find great pizza. The myth is that NY folks demand great pizza and therefore great pizza is what you find. I found regular cheap pizza.

        It’s like saying – The blue-est skies you’ll ever see are in Seattle. That may be true 10 days per year, but, most visitors don’t get it.

      • I am with you on “New York Pizza” being all that. And I do not like Chicago deep dish at all. I actually really like All Purpose’s sourdough crust but I think was minority.

      • Sure you can find random, great pizza in NY, but it’s better if you ask a local so you know what you’re getting (sweeter sauce, less/more cheese, etc.) I, for one, will pay the $100 to have two pies delivered to my door each birthday.

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  5. Welcome to the neighborhood Central Pizza. We live close by and look forward to supporting you! We have already stopped by a couple of times and you were waiting for permits. Looks like the city was doing what they are good at – slowing down a small business from opening with red tape and unnecessary delays! You guy’s will be my goto place during the NFL season!

  6. Gluten free crust will not be available until Wednesday, which was a disappointment. Service was spotty, but I’ll give them a pass since it was opening day. I had a cocktail and the “Jackson 5” pizza. Both were excellent, which is enough to guarantee a second visit from me, but not until they can do gluten-free so my wife can eat something other than salad. I like their pizza way more than All-Purpose, for what it’s worth.

  7. So excited to check this place out! And I really appreciate the veggie options. (We also love Flying Squirrel.)

  8. Took the family there early this week. Pizza was great, beer was cold and the whiskey pour was generous. Definitely will be a return customer.

  9. The reclaimed floor tables are cool, but not a new idea. Rookies in Columbia City have a floor that is also reclaimed and their bars are reclaimed bowling alley lanes.