Kirkwood Pizzeria now open in former Fortel's space in Kirkwood

Kirkwood Pizzeria opened quietly last month in a tidy building on North Kirkwood Road, a former Fortel's Pizza location. “We didn’t do any advertising so we could get our feet under us,” owner Kenette Walker says, “but word of mouth spread quickly. We’ve been busy.”

Walker and her son, Weston Rice, run the neighborhood pizzeria where families can come in to enjoy a pizza, hot or cold sandwiches, appetizers that include fresh chicken wings with house-made Buffalo sauce, and more. “Weston’s expertise is in business,” his mother says. “He’s already learned the entire operation, front to back. I help with whatever needs doing.” 

The crisp green salads, which come in small and large servings, deserve special mention. The house salad starts with baby spring mix lettuces topped with bits of chopped ham, pepperoni, salami, olives, tomatoes, and shredded cheese. The Veggie uses the same lettuces with mushrooms, green pepper, black olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, and onion. Each comes with a choice of dressing. There’s a classic Caesar salad, too, and any salad can be topped with chicken.

Every day, the kitchen makes fresh pizza dough, shreds the cheeses, and prepares a house sausage blend, mixing sweet and spicy with a proprietary spice mix that delivers big tastes. The menu lists 10 different pizza combinations, including a house special with pepperoni, salami, sausage, mushrooms, olives, onions, and jalapeño slices; and a Buffalo chicken pizza served with a side of Ranch dressing. There's even a U Call It pizza that gives customers five opportunities to pile on their favorite toppings.

The house offers three daily lunch specials from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Choose an 8-inch, one-topping pizza, half a sandwich, or six-piece chicken wings plus a small salad of your choice and a drink for $8.99.

It’s a family place, so there’s a kid’s menu offering three choices: chicken tenders, ravioli, or a small pizza just right for pint-sized diners. The grown-ups can even enjoy a beer or a glass of wine with dinner.

Walker’s grandson, 7-year-old Kade Galbreath, often visits the restaurant with Walker’s daughter, Kenna. “When he’s here, he works the dining room. He has an apron and a Kirkwood Pizzeria shirt with the words ‘general manager’ on the front,” Walker says. “He’s helping out his uncle Weston.”

If dining out isn’t in the cards, Kirkwood Pizzeria will have a pie hot and ready for carry-out, or they’ll deliver. “We do about 70 percent of our business in take-out and delivery,” Walker says. “Since opening, we’ve mostly served couples and families with kids in the dining room. We’ve only been open a month, and we’re still developing our brand, but the response from the Kirkwood community has been great.”

The restaurant’s roomy, seating 60 guests. The service is fast casual. Customers place a dine-in order, get their drinks and utensils, and find a seat. Servers deliver orders to each table. The time from placing an order to getting the salads was less than 10 minutes the afternoon we visited.  

As an added bonus, the pizzeria has a parking lot for diners or for a quick pick-up order. The menu, which is posted on the website (and in the gallery above), is worth a study before the trip. Breadsticks or garlic twists? Hot Italian or cream Philly beef? Hawaiian pizza or Pepperoni Extreme with two kinds of pepperoni? There’s a lot to digest, and anticipate, at Kirkwood Pizzeria.