Helen's Pizza Corner of Southwest Ave

[sweetpea63]

I grew up a Southsider. ***sigh*** does anyone remember this place? I've never found another pizza like it. For sure not an Imo's style. When I was a kid we would get sausage pizza there every Friday night takeout. Came on a cardboard disk and slide into a paper sleeve & stapled shut.

Mm...the sausage had a lot of fennel, the crust had cornmeal on the bottom from sliding from the peel to the oven I'm guessing. Their crust would puff up in some places making bubbled pockets of soft dough. It was cut St. Louis style in squares but it was not made with provel. Oh, how I miss that pizza.

p.s. Cleveland High School Class of '81

[KevyKev]

You remember this too? Was this at the corner of Southwest and Hampton? If so, it's an Elicias Pizza now. I remember this place as a kid and getting to throw the dough in the air once.

[sweetpea63]

Oh, yes.....like it was yesterday. Sounds like you dined in. Friday night was pizza night & we always got it to go. How fun you got to toss the dough. I keep hoping some who worked there will see this post & I can pick their brain.

[packinheavy]

Sadly it has been Elicia's since I have lived here. I am not a fan of St Louis style pizza. I prefer a thicker style of pizza.

[Craiger]

Dang....sounds awesome! Now I'm hungry.... *grumble*

[sweetpea63]

Originally Posted by packinheavy

Sadly it has been Elicia's since I have lived here. I am not a fan of St Louis style pizza. I prefer a thicker style of pizza.

It wasn't St. Louis style but it was a thin crust and it was cut in squares like Imo's is. Traditional STL style pizza is made with an unleavened dough resulting in it's cracker type quality.

Helen's was a yeast crust & didn't use provel. I'm not sure what kind of cheese they used because I don't recall it ever being stretchy & stringy. I remember just the opposite-the topping being kind of rubbery (but in a good way). I could lift the cheese & sausage topping off the crust (I was a kid..lol) then eat the sauce & crust. Maybe since we always got it take out, by the time my dad would get home with it the mozzarella had cooled of enough to firm back up.

The tomato sauce tasted like a fresh tomato sauce, not the swill that the chains dish out.

The crust was almost like two layers. The top having pockets/bubbles of cooked dough (my fave) and the bottom which was thin but soft & foldable. There was also cornmeal on the bottom of the crust from them using it to keep the uncooked pizza from sticking to the pizza peel when sliding it into the oven.

I sure do miss that pizza.......****sigh****.... can you tell??? Lol

It's been gone about 20+years and I still remember it like I had a piece yesterday.

[wgm]

You are right the Helen's flavor was the best ever. Then you had Atsa Pizza, Bugys'Pizza, Pizza a GOGo, Mr. Mikes on California/Shenandoah but, Helen's was the best of all. One night the toppings slid off of a piece and burnt my hand. It was the best!

[Sono]

Originally Posted by wgm

You are right the Helen's flavor was the best ever. Then you had Atsa Pizza, Bugys'Pizza, Pizza a GOGo, Mr. Mikes on California/Shenandoah but, Helen's was the best of all. One night the toppings slid off of a piece and burnt my hand. It was the best!

I remember Helens as a kid too and Mr Mikes that was in the back side of the Laudromat... I lived down the street from Mikes and we ordered them both often. Sadly both are gone and I would love to start up a pizza joint to copycat them.... Imos is overrated and expensive ( although better than anything here now ) Elicias pizza has gone to **** since they first started, I wouldn't order that crap if I was dying to speed it up, their taste has really went downhill and they skimp on everything now where they used to load it up.... sadly.

[Coffy1949]

I was one of the partners who owned Helen’s Pizza, first at Grand and Potomac and later at Southwest and Hampton. Thank you for all the positive comments. You are correct ... the pizza sauce, yeast dough, and sausage were all made from scratch. We used full fat mozzarella. Helen told us that Imo’s Founders actually came into the Grand and Potomac location and wrote down her menu. We even had a piece of equipment that cut the pizza into squares with only 2 cuts. The original recipe came from Helen’s brother who had a pizzeria in Chicago. Kind of nice reminiscing.

[Sono]

Originally Posted by Coffy1949

I was one of the partners who owned Helen’s Pizza, first at Grand and Potomac and later at Southwest and Hampton. Thank you for all the positive comments. You are correct ... the pizza sauce, yeast dough, and sausage were all made from scratch. We used full fat mozzarella. Helen told us that Imo’s Founders actually came into the Grand and Potomac location and wrote down her menu. We even had a piece of equipment that cut the pizza into squares with only 2 cuts. The original recipe came from Helen’s brother who had a pizzeria in Chicago. Kind of nice reminiscing.

I have thought of starting up a pizza joint, But I would want to make the exact pizza either Helen or Mike served, Loved the cornmeal that was in the bag or box, I used to scoop it up and sprinkle on the pizza too...lol
Just so sad that all the great places closed up , Wasn't there a Helen's Pizza on Holly Hills/morganford area also? I remember going there to pick them up with my parents back in the days.