Imo’s Pizza

It seems like all of St. Louis gets their daily pizza from a chain called Imo’s with over 40 locations in the area!!! I cannot remember ever seeing a Papa John’s or a Dominos ever, anywhere, which could suggest a Socialist cabal that controls the pizza market here, in cahoots with corrupt City Government. They may even have had a hand in the murder of A. Scalia, who knows? I am of course only speculating.
One thing that supports a conspiracy theory when it comes to St. Louis-​style pizza is their choice of cheese. No mozzarella for them, rather a cheese-​hybrid called «Provel» that has a lower melting temperature, and thus you avoid the stringy gooey mozzarella effect that normal Americans delight in with their pizza. The color is dull orangey-​yellow, and Provel would be unpleasant if it were not just flavorless.
That and the fact that circular pizzas are sliced like the Cartesian gridwork that makes up most of the city, indeed the Midwest.
It’s a St. Louis thang, and of course all the natives who grew up with this worse-​than-​Velveeta caliber Provel wax nostalgic about their native cheese, and outsiders like myself shake their heads… and vote with their stars.
Certain Imo’s chains will allow mozzarella substitutions, so I recommend a half-​n-​half approach so you can at least say that you tried the «authentic» St. Louis pizza.

When you casually eat at this place as a little girl visiting St. Louis and you nor your family can stop talking about it 20 years later, you know you’re on to something.
In a family trip to Chicago we (OK, I) made my new family try this joint. It is just like I remember! Something is so delicious about their smoky provolone. Its creamy and perfect. Hands down my favorite pizza!
Fast forward to Thanksgiving trip to Chicago and of course I had to stop at Imo’s. A different location but same great taste. I love you Imos!!!

Had delivery…1^st time eating St. Louis style pizza with provel cheese. Must say it’s an acquired taste apparently coming from Chicago. The cheese is just a little too oily for my liking and the lack of sauce made it less appealing.

Bacon and cheese, extra crispy, thin crust — MMMM-​mmm!

Imo’s is some delicious pizza, and you’re in for a treat if you know what to expect!
Is this gourmet pizza? No
Is this a fine dining establishment? No
Do they receive an A+ (or even a B-​) in customer service? No
Is this standard pizza? No!
But, if you’re in the mood for some ooey gooey pizza-​y goodness, then Imo’s is a perfect no frills sort of place. Pizzas are cheap and delicious– I think ours was $ 12 for two people, including toppings.
Disclaimer: Imo’s is not «regular» pizza. It’s served on a very thin, crunchy cracker crust with provel cheese as the topping, so it’s got a sharper more unique taste. Go in expecting something different, and you’ll come out pleased!

I work not far from them, over the last few years their chef salad has went downhill farther and farther I don’t think I will ever order another salad from them. However I so love their pizza even though it’s overpriced.

It’s Mother’s Day and I chose Imo’s Webster because I like Imo’s Pizza and have enjoyed eating at the Webster location in the past. (Haven’t been there in a while as I’ve been going to Imo’s on Forsyth in Clayton). I did not have a good experience today. For my family, we ordered an extra large and a medium pizza, 4 side salads and 4 drinks and our order came to over $ 60 bucks. WAY, WAY too expensive for what we had — by $ 20 bucks. Basically the low score was because of value. $ 3.25 for 1 trip to salad bar on small plates is robbery and we didn’t have «to go» cups. The drinks were $ 2.50 each and we all had one round of soda. Finally, and here’s where I’m most disappointed. I ordered a mushroom and black olive pizza. The pizza that I was served had black olives but I’m not joking here. I didn’t see one whole slice of mushroom on the pizza. I saw three bits on the whole thing.
I didn’t want to make a «stink» of things on Mother’s Day but did mention something to one of the male workers who apologized. Unfortunately, I had my two sons with me who both had made pizza’s in the past for other restaurants and they were embarrassed that I said something at all.
When will Imo’s restaurants learn that people who like mushroom pizza LIKE MUSHROOMS and want to actually eat some on their pizza. I bit that I didn’t have 1 whole mushroom on my pizza. That ingredient cost me an extra $ 2.40.
Owners — put up a photo of what your pizzas are to look like so your young workers know how to make pizzas when you’re not around.
Very disappointed and do not plan to return. If you go there. DEMAND that they not skimp. I want you to know what to expect.;

Love their pasta lunch deals. For less than $ 10, I almost always have enough food left over for a second lunch or at least a snack. The staff is friendly and the food comes out fast. If you get a carry-​out meal, definitely ask for a bag because the metal to-​go pans have burned my hands more than once on the walk back to the office.

I’m from St. Louis, and was back in town for a visit. Imo’s never disappoints, and this shop is a great one. Love it!

They took my order almost at close, after having a horrible experience with bonefish grill in Brentwood. They reassured me they would. d take care of my order no matter the time, even though we felt horrible due to the time we wasted at bonefish grill. They have always been great but tonight they proved why they are the best in St. Louis! I can’t recommend them anymore! Forever dedicated to them! Thanks for being so great!

Hands down the best Imo’s restaurant in St. Louis! The dine in experience was fantastic! Food was served piping hot, they brought everything to our table in a timely manner making sure our appetizers were first. They have a great seating area with tons of tvs to catch the current sporting events, they even have a few arcade games in the back that can add to the fun. If you want some good fun & food, I highly recommend this location.

My husband can’t stop talking about Imo’s pizza. So we ordered home delivery while in St. Louis during our visit last Christmas 2013. At first bite I thought it was just like other pizza I’ve had. After a few bites I was slowly falling in love with its amazing taste — the thin, crunchy crust, homemade sauce and the flavorful cheese tang combined with plenty of fresh toppings and our fave– bacon.
Thank you for a delicious slice of heaven. For those who complain about it, raise your standards!

What to say… Imos is Imos. I wanted something a little different for lunch and came here. There was a salad bar, but I passed on it because it didn’t look as fresh or as well maintained as I like in a salad bar. So I just got the pizza. I know a lot of non-​natives just don’t «get» Imos, but being a native I was raised on the stuff (no, not literally). That being said, I just like Imos and get cravings for it. My usual at imos is sausage, green pepper and onion buy i was in the mood for even more of a change up and just went with cheese. Yes, give me the provolone! I love it! It was a nice change up from my usual lunch routine. The pizza was delicious and the restaurant was clean. The staff was friendly. It’s not the best Imos I’ve been in, but not the worst. So if you are in Webster and craving Imos, here it is!

The best imos in town.

I absolutely love Imo’s Pizza, and when I moved into my house a few years ago I was pumped to have one walking distance!
Now every location is interdependently run, and I just love the staff at the one in Webster Groves! Every time I am in there it is packed full of people enjoy their pizza and their selection of beers and other alcoholic drinks :)
They do have a Salad Bar that is available, but I have never gone in there craving a good salad ;)
I also put pepperoni and pineapple on my pizza, and if I ask the crew to go heavy on the pineapple they don’t charge me extra — which is always nice!
Just a side note for new comers, they have a parking lot in the back — so don’t feel like you have to try to parallel park on the front street! It always seems to challenging with the amount of traffic coming both ways on Big Bend!

Imo’s pizza is always a delicious treat if you ask me! I love their cheese garlic bread and their awesome lunch specials. This particular location has pretty amazing delivery drivers. They always seem to make it to my house in about 15 – 20 minutes or less, which is pretty amazing and convenient. The drivers are always courteous and friendly, even when my dog is barking non-​stop at them.

Let me start by saying that I am a big fan of provel cheese. I wouldn’t say that I’m a die hard fan nor would I make the claim that it’s «DA BEST CHEEZ EVAR!» but I do enjoy it on occasion.
Enter Imo’s pizza, another iconic restaurant with a long standing tradition in Saint Louis– famed for being one of the first pizzeria’s here to not only use Provel instead of Mozzarella, but also claim to be the pioneers of thin crust pizza.
I can’t say I’m a huge fan of their pizza.
Please! Be reasonable! Before you throw the first stone, hear me out!
Do as I did when I went this last time, order your favorite pizza and get half of it mozzarella and half provel. I got a deluxe.
I really liked the provel side. I like that the cheese is creamy and sweet. How it somehow homogenizes the tastes of all ingredients into something rich and unique. I also have to admit that it’s easier to eat since I don’t have to play cat’s cradle whenever I pull a slice from the pan. All in all, I can see why this unique flavor has kept Imo’s in business over the years.
A taste of the mozzarella side provided some further insight. Without the unique flavoring of the provel as a crutch, the pizza was, well, terrible. The veggies on my deluxe were sopping wet (not to mention the whole damn pizza!) — most likely an indicator that they used frozen vegetables. Which is a violation of Pizza 101– NEVER USE FROZEN INGREDIENTS! Running the frozen stuff through the ovens only thaw the ingredients… which means you end up with a lot of excess water on the pizza AND uncooked ingredients.
Additionally, all ingredients were somewhat flavorless compared to the provel side, and, as the last straw, the mozzarella was very tacky and chewy– a noxious entity in it’s own right.
If I woke up in the middle of the night craving pizza, would I hold vigil until Imo’s opened? No.
If I were passing by an Imo’s and felt a craving for pizza, would I return? Probably not.
But for those who have never experienced provel on pizza, I think it’s worth a shot. Just once.
Why not?

Don’t believe the hype.
I remember having Imo’s a long time ago, as a child. I hated it. I thought it was disgusting. I swore off of thin crust pizza for YEARS afterwards, because I thought that all thin crust pizza would taste like Imo’s.
Well, years later, I thought that I’d try to give Imo’s another shot. After discovering some thin crust gems around St. Louis, I thought that Imo’s deserved another chance.
Me and Andy split a 14 inch supreme pizza. Half with provel, and half with mozzarella.
I tried a bite of the pizza with the provel. Yep. Just as sickening as I remembered. How does this processed garbage pass for cheese?!? Sick. It doesn’t even TASTE like cheese. Just a gummy, gluey mess that holds the toppings in place.
I tried a bite of the pizza with the mozzarella. Slightly better, but not by much.
Despite the fact that we had every meat and vegetable topping on our pizza, it was still super bland. No depth of flavor, just pre-​frozen toppings slapped on a cracker thin «crust».
Oh, and the best part of the experience? The dopey teenage girl who took our order. We requested half of the pizza to have mozzarella. I verified that the remaining half would have provel on it. Her response?
«Umm…I don’t think we have that?»
Uhhh, are you NEW? She quickly realized her mistake and punched in our order. Wow. The youth of today. Maybe all of that provel did a number on her brain.
Anyway, I know that some people swear by Imo’s, but you can do much better in St. Louis. Trust me.

I grew up in Webster but live in Seattle now and I just made my mom drag an Imo’s pizza and Webster Italian dressing (divided into TSA-​acceptable 3 oz bottles) halfway across the country in her carry-​on when she came to visit me. As a general rule, Seattle pizza blows and Imo’s pizza is an otherworldly culinary creation. Crispy, thin but sturdy, PERFECT crust; lightly spicy sauce; happily basic toppings; all completely enveloped by provel, a cheese ‘product’ that only exists in the midwest… who invented this pizza? And the tangy, sinus-​clearing dressing, which I have dipped the pizza in my whole life? You are a genius!
Anyone in St. Louis who likes, but doesn’t truly appreciate Imo’s, move away and you will.
We recently got frozen custard in Seattle. Will Imo’s pizza please follow suit?

«Sometimes you want to go /​Where everybody knows your name»
My aunt and uncle come in so often that when he and I showed up to get dinner to-​go, the manager greeted him by name and asked which type of beer he’d like while waiting for the pizza to bake.
Delicious, thin-​crust pizza is great and even more fun is that it’s cut into squares rather than the standard radial slices. The staff are quick and friendly. The fried ravioli were good, but nothing special. The Imo’s St. Louis Special pizza, however, was outstanding, and I ate far more than my share.
TRIVIA: This location is the 2^nd-​oldest Imo’s, and it’s also the only one to still offer the Italian vinaigrette dressing on its salad bar.