Our South Bend roots
Started in a Basement, Perfected for You
In 2013, two friends started out in a church kitchen with a sauce people swear by and wall-to-wall pepperoni. We still serve our neighbors with the same honest quality that made us a local favorite from the very first slice.
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Our latest menu and working hours
The hours are as follows: on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the schedule runs from 4:00 to 9:00. On Friday and Saturday, the hours are extended from 4:00 to 10:00.
The Story Behind Holy Smokes Pizza
Where it all started in 2013
From a Church Basement to a Local Staple
Back in 2013, two friends were hanging out in the basement kitchen of St. Paul's Memorial Church. One was a veteran of the restaurant industry with experience dating back to 1968, and the other was a contractor who had spent years hunting down the best mom-and-pop pizza shops across the country. They were just messing around with recipes, but when that first pie came out of the oven, one bite changed everything. Someone yelled, "Holy smokes, that's good pizza!" and the name stuck immediately.
Savory, sweet, and loaded with toppings
What Makes Our Pizza Different
We don't do average pizza here. Every pie starts with a crust inspired by a Bobby Flay recipe and is topped with our signature savory and sweet HSP sauce. We don't skimp on the toppings either. You will find plenty of mozzarella and wall-to-wall pepperoni on every 16-inch pizza we make. Whether you order the Meat Lovers or a loaded Supreme, we use old-school methods and high-quality ingredients to make sure every slice is worth the trip.
Hand-rolled subs and legendary sides
More Than Just Great Pizza
Our name might say pizza, but our kitchen serves up all kinds of neighborhood favorites. We take our own pizza sausage, roll it by hand, and grill it for our famous Italian Sausage Sub. We are also the proud home of the Mozzie Logs, which are massive 6-ounce mozzarella logs breaded in our house buttermilk blend, and The Torpedo, an 8-ounce grilled beef sub built for a serious appetite. If you are looking for pre-packaged, corporate food, you definitely won't find it here.
Serving our neighbors every day
Part of the South Bend Community
We are proud to call South Bend home and we believe in giving back to the community that keeps us going. Over the years, we have hosted fundraisers for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, supported the Boy Scouts, and provided the food for the Notre Dame women's basketball awards night. We aren't just a business. We are your neighbors, and we are dedicated to bringing people together over honest, delicious food.
Chapter 1: The experiment begins
In 2013, there were two buddies hanging out in the basement kitchen of St.Paul's Memorial Church. One dude, a retired facilities maintenance man, knew restaurants, having worked in them almost exclusively since 1968. By 1977, he had a restaurant sandwich shop that was open for two years. In 1989, he succeeded in graduating from the Conrad N. Hilton College at the University of Houston with a Bachelor's degree in Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management.
He pulled a pizza sauce recipe from the internet. After doctoring a few ingredients, the sauce produced was savory and sweet. A Bobby Flay recipe for a pizza dough was the beginning of Holy Smokes Pizza crust. The other dude was a contractor/pizza connoisseur and did a lot of traveling in the U.S. Every city he was in, he found the mom and pop pizza places to sample their pies. He knows pizza!
The pizza was topped with lotsa Mozza cheese and wall-to-wall pepperoni, and the pie was ready to bake.
In 2013, there were no pizza ovens, so into the regular oven it went. 10 minutes later, @ 600`, the pizza was ready to try. After a couple of bites of the pizza, the connoisseur paused between bites and said, "Holy smokes, that's good pizza!"
A new brand began...
Chapter 2: Where do we go from here?
The idea of starting a pizza business in a church building has many issues. Should we have tables for people to sit and enjoy pizza? Will guests be willing to come the church and walk down the steps to the Social Hall? Do we want to have people in the church? Also, importantly, do we want to have hours of operation? We decided to try contacting a couple of local businesses to see if we could set up delivery to their restaurants. It was a dead end.
There were several charitable events that Holy Smokes Pizza entertained. Successful charitable events took place in the social hall. A fundraiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation collected almost $1,000, with no funds being kept to alleviate the cost of goods or preparation.
Pizzas were supplied to an Indiana Landmarks event held at St. Paul's Memorial.
Holy Smokes Pizza contributed pizza for 2 Boy Scouts events after they collected items for the church's food pantry.
Also, they donated pizza for the Notre Dame women's basketball awards night and autograph signing.
All these events were received very well and created a great deal of goodwill. The problem was that there was no money coming in.
From our church basement roots to your first 'Holy Smokes' moment.
The Pizza That Started It All
We aren't just making dinner. We’re carrying on a South Bend tradition that started right here in a church basement. With our signature HSP sauce, wall-to-wall pepperoni, and a real commitment to our neighbors, we take a lot of pride in what we pull out of the oven. Whether you’re grabbing a meal or planning a family night in, we’re ready to serve you something great.
Our Location
26222 Edison Rd, South Bend, IN 46628
(574)-440-6555
sunday
2:00 PM - 9:00 PM
monday
4:00 PM - 9:00 PM
tuesday
Closed
wednesday
4:00 PM - 9:00 PM
thursday
4:00 PM - 9:00 PM
friday
4:00 PM - 10:00 PM
saturday
4:00 PM - 10:00 PM
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Special Requests?
Do you have dietary concerns? Questions about an upcoming event? Drop us a message, and we'll get back to you soon!