Community bolsters city's oldest locally owned pizzeria

Billy Bonham has been in the pizza business for eight years, and in that time he has managed to ascend from delivery driver to owner of the oldest locally owned pizzeria in Kyle.

Pizza Classics Kyle opened in 1998 when there were only two competitors in town.

Fourteen years later, the pizza game in Kyle has become a bit more competitive, with eight other pizza shops now in Kyle.

In its early years, Bonham said, Pizza Classics built a reputation as the place to get good pie in town. Then in 2007, the store closed its former location at the intersection of Center and Main streets. It was six months before the new spot opened, and Bonham said the eatery has been working on getting its old customer base back ever since.

"It's not easy because there are constantly more corporate places moving into town because the town has grown from 5,000 to 30,000," he said. "We do make the best pie, and the people who know that order pretty much exclusively from us."

At various times in the past 15 years, Pizza Classics employees could be found slinging pies in Kyle, Austin, San Marcos and San Antonio; every location but those in Kyle and San Antonio has since closed.

The kitchen is full of refrigerators, prep stations, mixers, wall graffiti—these mementos from past and present employees fill almost every inch of the back wall—and one enormous stone gas oven.

"There's really a lot more love in the making of the pizza," Bonham said. "That's what sets us apart. That's what makes a premium pizza."

That love begins with the dough, a recipe that has remained mostly untouched since 1998. Using hand-cut vegetables, 100 percent whole-milk mozzarella and sauce made from scratch each morning does not necessarily make the job easier, but, Bonham said, the product is better for it.

"A lot of people say pizza is pizza, but when you put the heart and soul into what we do here, with all of the stuff we do by hand, it really sets the bar higher," he said.

John Grasso began as a delivery driver in January. He said he has noticed a loyal following of Kyle residents who order only from Pizza Classics, and he attributes the restaurant's success to these locals.

"We get a lot of help from the local community," he said. "It has to do with the way we make everything here. Everything here is made from scratch. It's all high-quality, so we're not preheating anything."

The store's approach to pizza has not gone unnoticed. Grasso said the shop serves customers who drive from as far as Wimberley and New Braunfels just to sample the pizza. Pizza Classics' Central Texas customers are part of what keeps the store going, but Bonham and his staff also received a coveted endorsement from 1,800 miles away.

"Whenever people move down from New York, they always say our pie is the closest thing they can get to New York pie," Bonham said. "People from New York always order Pizza Classics."

Nine specialty pizzas

• Specialty prices: 10-inch, $10.99; 12-inch, $12.99; 14-inch, $14.99; 16-inch, $16.99; 20-inch, $21.99
• Supreme—Pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, red onion, bell peppers and black olives
• Meatlovers—Pepperoni, Canadian bacon, beef, Italian sausage and breakfast bacon
• Meatball Pie—Sliced meatballs, bell peppers and red onions
• Pepperoni Lovers—Pepperoni on bottom and top of cheese
• Veggie—Mushrooms, tomatoes, green olives, black olives, red onions and bell peppers
• Margherita—Garlic butter–basted crust, fresh Roma tomatoes, Italian seasonings, finished with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese
• Mediterranean—Spinach, red onions, black olives, Roma tomatoes, artichoke hearts, feta cheese and fresh garlic
• So-Cal—Chicken, spinach, red onions, fresh garlic, Roma tomatoes and black olives
• Frito Pie Pizza—Wolf Brand Chili (no beans), red onion, jalapeos and Fritos, offered for a limited time

Available toppings

• Meats—Pepperoni, Canadian bacon, beef, sausage, Italian sausage, sliced meatballs, chicken and anchovies
• Vegetables—Tomatoes, mushrooms, red onions, bell peppers, green olives, black olives, fresh-leaf spinach, jalapeos, banana peppers, pineapple and artichoke hearts

Pizza Classics Kyle, 118 S. Front St., Kyle, 268-1979, www.pizzaclassicskyle.com