Ed and Margie Imo started their pizza journey as a young married couple, devoted Catholics in St. Louis, who every Friday nite would wait until after 1130 and go pick up a pizza after midnight. Light-bulb. What if someone brought the pizza to our house, wouldn’t that be great?
Now it’s the name synonymous with “St. Louis style” pizza, and starting from one lowly shop in 1964, with the innovation of home delivery, to over 90 stores in three states today.
It’s a thin, crispy crust, and thin is my fave, but this redefines the category, with a pie crust even thinner than say, a saltine.
St. Louisans prefer a pie with a mix of cheese, perhaps a pinch of cheddar, giving the finished appearance a yellow hue, and a unique flavor. Imo’s uses “Provel”, which is a mix of cheddar, Swiss, and provolone, with a low melting point, and produces a “gooey” melt. It’s not used in many other places in the country.
Imo’s sauce is home-spun, rich in flavor, and the chain is hot on ‘wall to wall’ toppings.
It’s a legend that I had never heard of, even tho I have previously lived in St. Louis. I went at the urging of my scientist brainiac friend Brett, who hails from the city of the Arch.
It was worth the journey. Imo’s right from the oven is terrific. And cheap. A 12”, two topping, which is medium at most pizzerias, was less than $11. Outstanding.
Imo’s ships pizzas, too.