PiFi Pizza will bring Neapolitan-inspired pies and a listening lounge to The Hill

The St. Louis pizza scene—and a beloved gathering place on The Hill—are getting a jolt of fresh energy, thanks to two brothers on a mission to serve up pies, music, and community. PiFi Pizza (4916 Shaw), a new concept from Quincy, Illinois natives Jordan and Sam Sparrow, is slated to open this fall in the former Rock Star Tacos space at the Gaslight building on Shaw Avenue.

Part pizzeria, part cocktail bar, and part listening lounge, PiFi will serve the creatively topped Neapolitan-inspired pizzas that Sam has been developing for the past decade, both on his own and as a pizzaioli at Blues Fired Pizza. The brothers hope to open PiFi in late October.

“This might sound lofty, but what we really want to bring to people is a place to come and enjoy good food and drinks, but also art and music and to actually have conversations and feel comfortable,” says Jordan. “So many things seem disconnected at the moment, and we really feel it’s important to give people the space to get in a room, enjoy a record, talk and eat delicious food. The Hill just feels like the perfect place for that.”

For more than a decade, Sam has been perfecting his dough recipe and pizza technique, a passion that he developed after landing a job with Blues Wood Fired Pizza. He shared his enthusiasm with his older brother Jordan at backyard cookouts, using a simple Weber grill pizza attachment to produce wood fired pies for their get-togethers.

“His pizzas were coming out better than ones I’d had on ovens that cost $30,000,” Jordan says. “That sowed the seed that we should try this on our own.”

Eventually, the brothers decided that they were at the right places in their lives to take the leap. With Sam and his family already in St. Louis, Jordan and his family packed up from their home in Los Angeles and made the move to begin looking in earnest for a space. They found that on Day 1 of their search when they were shown the former Rock Star Tacos space.

“We walked in, and it just felt right,” Jordan says. “It had everything we needed, was the right size, was in a part of town that spoke to us.”

In addition to the space checking all the right boxes, Jordan and Sam were excited to be in the same building as TV3 Studio, where area entrepreneur Kevin McKernan — founder of The Improv Shop and owner of Donut Drive-In, Epiphany Lanes, Blackthorn Pizza, and Café Manhattan — is experimenting with live local-media programming alongside Improv Shop creators and St. Louis comedian Tina Dybal.

In keeping with that vision, the Sparrow brothers have created a warm, intimate room that invites guests to get comfortable and settle in.

“We set out to make it feel like ‘1970s basement’ and then elevated it from there,” Jordan says.

The room has a blue, Sienna brown, and orange color scheme and is adorned with felt and velvet fabrics. The brothers built wooden tables, a booth, the back bar, and more. They’ve driven all over town to procure vintage chairs and other furniture, which is important to them not only for aesthetics but also for sustainability reasons. An impressive vinyl collection and soft seating creates the feel of a listening lounge as much as a restaurant.

The large wooden bar, which occupies the right side of the room, will serve as the order counter for both food and beverages. Jordan says that the plan is for guests to order food counter-service style, though they may adjust that once they open and see the flow of service.

“Because the place is pretty intimate, we are starting with people being able to just order at the bar,” Jordan says. “Depending on how busy it gets, we may add a dedicated food ordering area at the bar. The hope is that getting up, walking around and going to the bar keeps the conversation going a little bit; we want a little chatter and for people to rub elbows. If it gets to the point where that gets overwhelming we might add table service. We will have to see how it goes.”

Jordan describes PiFi’s pizzas as being inspired by wood-fired Neapolitan, though not completely traditional in that style because of practical considerations. The kitchen has gas-fired deck ovens, not wood, and the goal is to have that classic, soft Neapolitan-style exterior crust but a firmer, crunchier middle that can hold the weight of toppings.

Pizzas will come in two sizes—a more personal-sized 10-inch and a sharable 14-inch—and will be composed rather than build-your-own style. Offerings include a traditional cheese pizza, made with their classic red sauce, a standard pepperoni made with red sauce, pepperoni, fontina, mozzarella and hot honey, and a spicy pepperoni, which includes house-made giardiniera. Another pizza—sausage and peppers—consists of Italian sausage, house pickled peppers and fennel, tomato sauce, and grana padano and mozzarella cheeses. They will also be doing a riff on a Hawaiian pizza; instead of ham, the pie will contain guanciale, pineapple, mozzarella, pecorino cheese, and romesco sauce.

Other varieties include a spicy olive pizza, made with smoked olives, chili oil, salami, and romesco sauce; a mushroom pie topped with oyster mushrooms, burnt leeks, mozzarella cheese, and a lemon garlic oil sauce; and a pesto pizza that comes with pesto sauce, leeks, arugula, and cheese. Jordan is especially excited about the “Peck on the Cheek,” which features guanciale, shallots, and a pecorino butter sauce infused with garlic confit.

“We’re not super fussy, but we are a little bougie when it comes to our pizzas,” Jordan says with a laugh.

While pizza is the main focus of PiFi’s menu, guests can also look forward to a handful of appetizers and salads. Look for spicy smoked olives in chili oil, a smoked carrot pate made with carrots, almonds and chickpeas served with focaccia, breadsticks served with both marinara and pecorino butter, garlic, parsley, and lemon-dressed cannellini beans served with focaccia, and a fun twist on jalapeño poppers, which stuffs the peppers with cheese, guanciale, and honey. The brothers will also offer two salads—kale and green goddess—and plan to offer other seasonal specials.

Although PiFi will serve just one dessert, Jordan explains that it has significance for him and his brother. “We have a lot of inspiration that comes from our family, and our aunt Joy’s two favorite things in the world were pizza and cheesecake,” Jordan says. “So we are doing one cheesecake for dessert as a nod to her.”

In addition to dine-in service, PiFi pizzas will be available for carryout. Although the restaurant will likely use third-party apps for delivery, Jordan encourages customers to order carryout through the website, which will be quicker and cheaper.

“What’s the worst that can happen? You come in, listen to a little music, and are on your way,” Jordan says.

In addition to delicious pizzas and appetizers, PiFi’s guests can look forward to a great cocktail program. Although Jordan cannot yet disclose the name of the bartender who will be spearheading the program, he promises that it’s a recognizable name and powerhouse talent in the St. Louis cocktail scene.

“She is overly qualified, talented, and an amazing bartender,” Jordan says. “We will be doing really refreshing cocktails like margaritas, palomas, and whiskey sours made with citrus squeezed fresh every day. We’ll also have classics like a negroni and old fashioned, and we’re adding one called a orangesicle that will be really good. We’re also doing boozy slushies, because who doesn’t want to relive their childhood in an adult way?”

“I always kind of knew this, but I really started to feel that this whole corporate world thing of making the world a better place was really only making it better for a few people,” Jordan says. “I didn’t want to feed that. I wanted to feed real people.”

Jordan had a heart-to-heart chat with his wife while traveling, and they came to the decision that he would leave his corporate job and chart a new course with his brother.

Now, settled into his new home, he hasn’t looked back and can’t help but feel anything but grateful for the warm neighborhood reception that has made him and his family feel like they are part of the community.

“The Hill is known for Italian food, and here we are a couple of German kids from a cornfield, but I know we are bringing good stuff here,” Jordan says. “We are standing on the shoulders of the giants of this neighborhood. People have been so welcoming. They’re reaching out to us, and we feel wonderful about meeting their needs. So many things have come together, and it feels right. The output is not going to let anyone down—that’s for sure.”