Imo's Pizza
 

Seriously?
You St. Louis folks call THIS pizza???? Really???

We had some catered in at work today. Tastes like a saltine cracker with ragu and string cheese. Provel cheese, not mozzarella?

Last time I had Imo's was about 20 years ago. I was seriously wasted in downtown St. Louis and me and the group I was with sent out for pizza and beer at 3am. Delivery guy shows up with an Imo's Pizza and a six pack of warm Lemp Beer. Worst 4th meal evah.

So what's the fascination with this stuff? Please explain it to me.

Minsky's, Fun House, Old Shawnee Pizza I can deal with. This stuff.... hard to even call it pizza.

Fun House kicks ass. Don't live close enough anymore though. Bummer

When I eat it, I get mine with provolone instead of provel. Also, Waldo Pizza does a better St. Louis style than Imo's, imo.

Much like Chicago deep-dish (which is more like breaded lasagna than pizze), if you get over your idea of what pizza should taste like - you might like it. I love Imo's when I'm back in KC. But I doubt it would be a regular thing if I lived there.

Never understood it either when I lived there.

I know the Imo's by me didn't last long. There are much better options.

Your mistake is getting the pizza. Their house salad with ranch and toasted ravioli is ****ing amazing.

Pizza Hut / obligatory CP sarcasm.

Chicago style is a pizza made backwards/upside down with more dough than a regular pizza. It's OK once in a while.

Italian pizza is more like hard bread with stuff on it.


America pizza is more 'pie'

Bada ****ing bing.

Pi>>>>>>Imo's. Imo's is great if you want pizza + salad without paying too much.

The only thing that was halfway decent was a BBQ chicken pizza. It has chicken and onions and a BBQ sauce - tasted like Sweet Baby Rays. It was passable, but nothing beyond passable. Also seems like it gets cold quicker than regular pizza.

Provel cheese is the worst.

I think you're describing foccacia, which is awesome. The dough is completely cooked and then cheese, basil, etc. is added while hot. In fact, some sea salt and olive oil rounds out a really good foccacia.

Italian pizza is much like we make here.

I had Pi when I was down there last month. I can't say I was overly impressed with that, either.

Dewey's > Pi. Pi is good though.

I like IMO's on occasion.

The only way I eat IMO's is with their buffet. House salad and their ravioli are top notch, makes the pizza go down a little easier.

I've told this story before, but when I was, I think, a junior at MU Imo's came to Columbia. My St. Louis friends were ecstatic -- "Finally!" they said. "Best pizza evah!"

Even though I had never even heard of Imo's, I was like, "Cool! I'm always up for good new pizza!" Well, I tried one and, after first being disappointed at the way it looked, was mortified by how it tasted. Never had one since. Awful.

Pizza Hut runs a lot of nice specials. It's not bad on the cheap.

I love me some Dewey's but it originated in Seattle, so I didn't list it. I agree with you, though. Meatball pizza + caesar salad FTW.

There's a story I told I guy I work with here about Fun House. I get my hair cut real close to the Fun House on US 40 Highway in Independence, so some nights I'll call in an order and pick up a pie to go on the way back from the barber. They have good specials, like small single topping pizzas for $5.

Anyway, for a place called "Fun House" they have the most un-fun rules of any pizza joint. It's a mom and pop joint, and they have signs up literally EVERYWHERE inside telling you what you can and can't do. DON'T SIT IN THIS SECTION, NO BALLOONS, NO DRINKS OUTSIDE, NO SUBSTITUTIONS ON SPECIALS, DON'T SHAKE THE PINBALL MACHINE, DON'T CHANGE THE CHANNEL ON THE TV, etc etc etc.

For a "Fun House" they sure know how to dampen your fun. But the pizza is outstanding.

Their deep dish is the shit.

We like it. It's a unique taste. We go to Westport when we're in town.

Since I live in the Clayton area, Pointer's is vastly underrated and I recommend to anyone. Cafe Manhattan as well, but not a huge fan of their pizza. It's OK, but some people I know like it.

I sure wish we had an Imo's in Denver. Love that pizza. Thanks for reminding me, gblowfish.

Wow, you learn something new every day. Granted I didn't originate in St. Louis either, but I thought Dewey's was a local creation.

Err, I didn't explain correctly. The founder moved to Seattle, started delivering, had the idea, moved to Cincy and opened it there:

http://www.deweyspizza.com/#!/about

http://www.deweyspizza.com/#!/venues

What year did you graduate or leave Columbia? I graduated in 1981 and left in 1986.

I was there from 1984-88 (graduated and left). We may have been two ships passing in the night. (EDIT: Just like me and Brad Pitt in the J-School!)

In 1984 I was working at KOMU TV at KARO FM (different call letters now). I went to J-School grad school from 1981 to 1983. Left Columbia to come back home to KC in 1986.

Imo's is far and away the worst pizza I've ever had.

I have a friend in StL this week for a conference, and I felt obligated to warn him about Imo's.

Uh, what?

Provel is the worst thing someone can do to a pizza.

Inmem58:

How do you feel about Me-n-Eds. I miss it, favorite pizza growing up.

Love me some Imo's.

Best thing to come out of STL.

This. It's good and I dislike most things St. Louis

ChuckyCheese > IMO

I don't think I've ever seen such a divisive pizza!

Does St. Louis have some kind of ordinance about not cutting the grass on the side of roads? It looks like a scene out of I Am Legend in places.

It's much like what we make here, except really different.

Wow, I had never even heard of this provel cheese stuff. Had to look it up on wikipedia and saw it was a local item.

Agreed - IMOs is awful. Those damn STL folks swear by provel and I just don't get it. It's crap on everything it's put on and it melts into something of a cream that just doesn't taste good.

The only time it's even tolerable is when it's just shredded.

I think that 'St. Louis style pizza' is St. Louis's response to the fact that Chicago has their own style pizza. Everything St. Louis related springs from their massive inferiority complex as they relate to Chicago. Since Chicago has a 'style', they try to force their own 'style' of pizza on us as well.

It sucks. Badly.

The key is to go in expecting the pizza that IMO's serves.

I'll take Racanelli's for NY style, and Talayna's for Chicago style over it all week and twice on Sunday, but it's not bad on occasion. The single size and house salad is a decent lunch.

I actually think IMO's makes the best pairing with strip bacon in most all pizza-land. Italian sausage is decent as well.

Love it. Meat lovers,bubbled cheese. I drive 6 hours to get from Omaha to the lake. First thing I do when I hit Osage beach is head to IMOs
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.n...80962054_n.jpg

We went to Cafe Manhattan like twice a week all through 1L for the lunch pizza/salad special. IMOs style as well, with a little more sit-down meal, attention to detail than FastFood IMOs.

Imo's huh? Does it cut itself?

I really like it, though I've heard it's horrible if you get it anywhere but St. Louis.

:LOL:

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Neither have I & did the same thing.

Shakes - good man. I've had some pizza melt downs & they aren't pretty

This.

I think provel tastes like warm snot.

The only people I've ever met who have liked it have been from STL. Must be a nurture over nature thing.

I like Imo's. My only real complaint is that it's overpriced for what you get.

I have to agree with OP. IMOS is trash IMO. I seriously would prefer a frozen pizza.

I haven't lived in St. Louis for over a decade, but Racanelli's and Talayna's would have been my first two offerings as well. I also used to like Vito's close to SLU.

I didn't like Imo's or Cecil Whitaker's, fwiw.

When I go to KC its either Minsky's or Funhouse. Funhouse isn't what it used to be but its still a pretty good pizza.

I really think we should think about putting this to a poll. Excellent information for STL novices.

P.S - don't forget the F St. Louis option

THIS THIS THIS

Rosati's is the shit, best in KC for sure. Not sure if there is one in St Lou eez tho.

I worked as the manager at one of the Imo's that was in K.C. back in the day, and darn near everyday I would have to handle a customer complaint call. It was almost always "What in the Hell is this?"
One in particular I remember, this lady told me she wouldn't even feed it to her dog and called it, "A heart attack inducing pile of smelly sh*t on hobo bread".
I had to put up with this constantly, and then the absentee owner would drive over from St. Louis every once and a while and ask "How is everything going - good?"
...and, "Why aren't we selling more pizzas?"
Before I left and moved on I told him, " Hey man, I get it. The whole gourmet thing. It's different, but then that's what you're going for... But, seriously people in general don't really go for that kind of thing around here. If you ask me I would think about changing formats, and selling a more traditional pizza with mozzarella cheese."
He came back with, "I'll never change formats. Imo's will work in Kansas City."
A few months after I left I drove by and noticed he changed formats and was now a Pizza World. Much better pizza, but in the end he still screwed it up and went under.

Go to arris pizza next to target for the win
http://www.arrispizzaonline.com/

LMAO

Kinda how I feel about the Royals.

I've never had provel but now I know I never will.

I am not a fan of Imo's.

If you are in Saint Louis, try Fortel's.

They're pretty proud of their pizza based on their prices.

We had one open up close to the house. I just couldn't get myself to pay that much $$$ for pizza.

Speaking of chain pizzas, we're about to have a Papa Murphy's open near us. It's one of those take-and-bake places. Anyone ever had that?

00 flour, yeast, salt, sugar, water

Got a problem with that?

Where are the chicago style places in KC?

Good god, man

Love me sum Fun House. Always make a stop in there when im up in KC.

They're okay. Nothing special, imo.

That's a business model I completely don't understand. If I'm gong to bake the pizza, I'll either buy it at the grocery store or I'll make it from scratch. Papa Murphy's seems like none of the convenience of takeout and all of the hassle of making your own.

I agree with this, but it definitely has its fans for whatever reason. My mom was on a Papa Murphy's kick for a while. I think she liked being able to pick it up earlier in the day when she went grocery shopping (we live in the country) then cook it a few hours later.

To me, it's like a glorified frozen pizza.

My family seems to think they're great, because nearly every time we visit, they've either bought a few before we've arrived or suggested it.

Personally, I think they're bland and flavorless. The Take & Bake's at Costco are far superior, IMO, if you're going down that trip.

I loves me some Imo's, but i get the 50/50 provel-mozz mix, i love the milkiness of their cheese and they also use a really good sausage.

Okay, I don't know what's more disturbing. The Imo's Pizza, or the fact that you know what warm snot tastes like.

:LOL:

The Dish, in Liberty.

Disclaimer: I've got a local NY joint from which I buy 95% of my pizza.

That being said, I have a Costco Card and think their pizza is okay, but it's 5 miles away. I also have two grocery stores and a Papa Murphy within a mile of my house. I'd take Papa Murphy over Costco and the grocery stores's pizzas. They all cost about the same, but Papa Murphy's has the advantage with choice of toppings. Their pizzas are unexceptional, but fine--with a ton of cheese. It's a gut bomb that I'll occasionally eat, though. My kids, fwiw, love it.

Could I make something better myself? Yes. Is it easier to pick it up (and have them put the toppings I want on it)? Yes. It's a made to order Red Baron with fresher and made to order toppings. Good, definitely not great.