MAPLEWOOD, Mo. — The owners of fine dining restaurant Elmwood are behind Pizza Champ, which is one of the hottest pizza joints in town.
Chris Kelling, owner, said, "Planned to be a 90-day project, just a fun thing. That's why we called it Pizza Champ, and it kind of took off."
Pizza Champ is the little engine that could. It went from pandemic pop-up to its own location on the corner of Lyle and Manchester in Maplewood. It's a drive thru pizza joint with a patio coming soon.
Kelling said, "It's a drive thru right now. We are building a four seasons covered patio and will be open late spring. You'll be able to enjoy Side Project beer with our pizza there. So it'll be sit down at some point, but we'll continue our to-go for now."
Pizza Champ serves New York style pizza.
"A New York foldable slice is the goal here. It's a natural sour dough, 48 hour ferment. It's a big 18-inch pizza."
Why have double pepperoni pizza when you can have a triple pepperoni pizza?
Adam Altnether, owner and chef, "Chris grew up with double pepperoni... we upped the game."
Other popular choices are the taco pizza and marinara pizza. It's not only pies. They make chicken wings and salad. Elmwood customers may remember the grilled broccoli Caesar salad which is now at Pizza Champ. They also serve a chicken parm sandwich, which gets toasted with a torch.
Enjoy the pop up turned permanent neighborhood pizza joint to try the food that has everyone talking.
Pizza Champ is open Wednesday through Sunday 2 - 8 p.m. It's located at 2657 Lyle Avenue in Maplewood. For more information, visit pizzachampSTL.com and follow Pizza Champ on Instagram.