Pasquale's Pizza?

I'm not sure if this was a local chain or if it made it outside the Cincinnati area, but when I was a kid there was NOTHING better in the pizza world. We'd normally have pizza on the nights that my dad had his poker club and the mile and a half drive home with that pizza seemed like it took an hour. The crust was thin, it was served on a cardboard disc, and it was shoved inside a big peaked bag for carryout. The grease would always soak through the paper and the smell was like nothing I've encountered since. (Although I've been close in Chicago.) They're still around, and not bad, but they're a mere shadow of their former selves. (Then again, who isn't.) Does anyone else remember this pizza? Anyone got an idea what made it so good that I remember it 35+ years later?

Wally, as a longtime (39 of my 41 years on this planet) resident of greater Cincinnati, I of course remember pasquales....we used to go there all the time. Like you, my memories of it were that it was much, much better when I was a kid.

Most of their locations have closed up.....

My absolute favorite pizza place as a kid - Papa Dino's in Cresecent Springs - is still there but also is not as good as it was back in the day. Still the same hole in the wall it was back then :-)

Looks like it's just you and me locally, pard. I've got you beat by two, having spent all of my 41 years in the Cincy area. I've eaten at Papa Dino's, but recently enough that I wasn't impressed. The best Pasquales that remains in the area is the one in Bellevue, but it's only a shadow of it's former self. The best pizza locally at the present time is Dewey's, but only because the Brickyard in O'Bryonville closed for some unknown and sinister reason. Too bad. Even my kids liked that one.
Sounds like we may both have NKY roots?

Yeah, don't want to get too far off topic here, but I grew up in Villa Hills to the age of 9 and my parents grew up in Ludlow and Covington. My wife grew up in Newport and Alexandria. Both of us have a lot of family in N.KY.

I think we are the topic. Doesn't look like anyone else remembers Pasquales. Not surprising considering the apparent local nature of the chain. I've tried to recreate the Pasquales magic at home using a variety of sauces and cheeses that persons in the know have suggested, but I've never come close. Not even remotely. Pasquales isn't the only local old timer that I've noticed a change in. La Rosa's has changed over the years, although not quite as radically. (I made a living there for a brief time in college also.)
I'm a Southgate/Ft. Thomas/Newport kid, but I spent time in Alexandria in high school, so I feel your wife's pain. My wife is from Erlanger. She had a local Pasquales also, but we've never given that one a try.

Originally posted by Wallyum

I think we are the topic. Doesn't look like anyone else remembers Pasquales.

Not so fast--I remember Pasquales! We lived in the Delhi Hills area of Cincinnati and we often went to Pasquales in that area. We moved to Birmingham in 1961 and there was a Pasquales in Crestline Village that was there for over twenty years until it closed in the late '70s or early '80s. I singlehandedly kept the one in business at the Eastwood Mall for years, but that one too is sadly long gone. But there's still one in business in Roebuck as far as I know.

Their pizza and garlic bread were always the best of the chains (Italian sausage was the best pizza) but I loved the Hoggie sandwich the best. Great Italian meats with pizza sauce and melted cheese on their garlic loaf! Fantastic.

In the last couple of years there was a Pasquales on I-75 at the Cordele, Georgia exit, but it didn't make it.

You're right that it is a vanishing chain, but why? It was a great franchise and way better than Pizza Hut, which has really ruined franchise pizza in my opinion.

Maybe we ought to invest in a Pasquales franchise and restore it to its former glory?

There was a Pasquale's in southern piedmont NC probably in the mid-late 70's. It was always good and crowded. I never learned why it suddenly was closed. About the same time we had a God Father's and it too was good.

I suspect (but have no real or easy way to confirm) that any Pasquale's outside the greater Cincinnati are/were not part of the Pasquale's chain around here.

I figure it's just a popular italian sounding name - ie there are probably Paesano's and Papa Dino's restaurants all over the country that are individually owned with no relationship other than a name that is coincidentally shared....

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

I suspect (but have no real or easy way to confirm) that any Pasquale's outside the greater Cincinnati are/were not part of the Pasquale's chain around here


No, I think the Birmingham incarnations of Pasquales were franchises of the Cincinnati chain. For one thing they used the exact same logoas I remembered from Cincinnati--that styleized Italian guy with the handlebar mustache holding up the pizza (sort of like the Frisch's Big Boy guy and his hambuger).

Plus they used identical ingredients--that curiously granular Italian sausage. It was years before I figured out it was sausage! And the Hoggie and the Stromboli Steak sandwiches. Had to be the same chain. Or somebody was getting some major copyright infringement going down there in Bham back in the '60s!

I have a dim memory of a schoolmate in High School who was also from Cincinnati who told me his father worked for Pasquales and it was headquartered there. True? Dunno. Coprorate Pasquales doesn't seem to have a website. No wonder they're a vanishing chain.

quote:

Originally posted by tfrielin
Maybe we ought to invest in a Pasquales franchise and restore it to its former glory?

At this point I'd settle for figuring out how to make pizza that can drive a nine year old up a wall on a short car ride. We have several still in the area, but they just aren't the same. Different ingredients, I guess. I watched the one on Mommouth Street in Newport, KY burn down on one Wiedemann soaked night back in the 80's. It's since been rebuilt, but the pizza is far from anything to write home about. The one in Ft. Thomas operated as a Pasquales until the mid to late 80's. It's operated under two different names since then, the latest of which lasted less than a year despite a classy remodel. (The pizza was terrible. They couldn't figure out how to cook a pizza so it was actually done.)

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

I suspect (but have no real or easy way to confirm) that any Pasquale's outside the greater Cincinnati are/were not part of the Pasquale's chain around here.

I figure it's just a popular italian sounding name - ie there are probably Paesano's and Papa Dino's restaurants all over the country that are individually owned with no relationship other than a name that is coincidentally shared....

Well, the logo has a certain familiarity;
http://www.pasqualesofrome.com
Granted this one is in Georgia, but......

quote:

Well, the logo has a certain familiarity;
http://www.pasqualesofrome.com
Granted this one is in Georgia, but......

Yep, that's pretty much the same Pasquale's logo I remember in both Cincinnati and Birmingham. So I'm sure they were of the same chain.

I guess you must be an insider if you even wanted to start a Pasquales today since they apparently don't have a web site or any other contact info. Curious.

Sure could go for a Hoggie about now...

We had several Pasquales down here in Destin/Ft. Walton Beach, FL area. Food was ok, but my preference was for Shakey's Pizza Parlor.

We had a Pasquales Pizza here in Gastonia, NC about 32 years ago. I remember that it was rather good. We didn't have near as many places to choose from back then, but I seem to remember that they also had good sandwiches like baked meatball subs.

There was a Pasquale's Pizza on 25th St in Columbus,Indiana (approx. 90 miles from Cincinatti) when I lived there in the early 60s.For all I know its still there.It was nestled amongst a quite spirited conglomeration of roadfood and Americana.
Two doors down from Pasquale's was the High School.In between was Tom Pickett's Music Center,where I bought my first guitar.Next to Pasquales was Dairy Queen.Next to that was the A&W,yes the old car-hop operation.Across the street was a Red Barn.Couple Doors down from that was Frisch's Big Boy,with the drive in order from your car setup.
I dont remember the pizza much at all.I do remember my dad telling me the Dairy Queen guy made so much money that he closed down in September and vacationed in Florida till like April.
We lived in another part of town but the pizza place had a phone number that was one digit different than ours.We used to get pizza orders all the time.Mean as it sounds,after a while,we would just take the order and hang up.As a pizza lover,now that I am older,I feel kinda bad about that sometimes.But the lesson is,I guess,when you want to order pizza,dial the right number.This is not fun and games,this is pizza and its serious.
Bill
Georgetown DE

I used to eat at Pasquale's before going to see the Reds play at Crosley Field just before they moved to Riverfront. Those were good times, I was in high school, and am sad to hear that Pasquale's is no longer. There's a place near here, in Oak Ridge, TN called Big Ed's that makes a pizza that reminds me of Pasquale's.

carl reitz

There was (and still is) a Pasquale's with a very similar logo to the one Wallyum posted in Humboldt, IA. They also sell frozen pizzas in the area grocery stores. Pretty tasty stuff.

Dearfolk,
A friend and I ate at Pasquale's Pizza in downtown Auburn, Alabama in 1974. Back then, I thought good pizza was what I would now refer to, pejoritively, as "cardboard and tomato paste" !! I've learned a lot in the ensuing 30 years.
Not Wanting To Make A Pesto Myself, Ort. Carlton in Lovely Athens, Georgia.

quote:

Originally posted by Ort. Carlton.

Dearfolk,
A friend and I ate at Pasquale's Pizza in downtown Auburn, Alabama in 1974. Back then, I thought good pizza was what I would now refer to, pejoritively, as "cardboard and tomato paste" !! I've learned a lot in the ensuing 30 years.
Not Wanting To Make A Pesto Myself, Ort. Carlton in Lovely Athens, Georgia.

In retrospect, maybe their pizza wasn't the tops. The crusts were pre-made after all.

But their Hoggie sandwiches were to die for.

LOL,
Believe it or not, we had a Pasquale's in Harriman, TN. in the 70's and early 80's. I took my first real date there. I remember the logo being just the shoulders up of a man holding a pizza.

I ate at Pasquales last week near me good sandwich and salad...

quote:

Originally posted by speechpeach

I ate at Pasquales last week near me good sandwich and salad...

Where, pray tell? Was the sammich a Hoggie?

Pasquale's were fairly ubiquitous in central Indiana in the 60s and 70s but haven't seen one in awhile. The one in Shelbyville was in an old building downtown and never seemed to get much business ( as opposed to the PH or Noble Romans). The Pizza King was always the place to go if you were interested in the actual quality of the pizza.

Is Indiana still littered with Noble Roman's? Before we had kids, my wife and I used to take a day off work to visit Nashville, Indiana. We'd make Noble Roman's our dinner stop as we headed home and always enjoyed it. I found that odd because they tried to get a foothold in the Cincinnati area a few years earlier and bombed badly. Needless to say, the Indiana NR's bore little resemblance to the Ohio NR's. Must have been a supplier problem.

Wally, I grew up on Pasquale's in St Bernard, exactly as you described. If you want to recreate the experience, try Cassano's on Daly in Finneytown. Same gravel-like sasuage on thin greasy crust. It is fabulous, the place hasn't changed since the 60's.

There is a Pasquales Pizza place in Humboldt,Iowa (north central Iowa)..it's not a chain....has been in the same family for many years...and is the best pizza ever!!

My Father in law Pasquale and his brother Vincent are the founders and original owners of Pasquale Pizza. My mother in law liked the color pink so the first logo had pink and plack. the Pizza chef was drawn by Mike Tangie ( a friend of Pat (Pasquale and Vince.)
I believe his recipe originated with Pat's mother and Pather. His father was from Italy.
The franchise was a big success in it's hay day in Cincinnati. Due to health and personal reasons Vinny and Pat Sold the company to a company in AL around 1969. They owned it for many years and tried to make a go of it. The cost of quality ingrediance was so high they had to cut back.
When my father in law had the business he would travel out to CA and hand pick the tomatoes he wanted for his sauce.
It is now owned by one man. I can't remember his name.
My husband and I would love to make a come back for Pasquale Pizza and bring it back to life. My father in law was a fantastic chef and could create an excelent meal with left overs.
I believe there is a Pasquale's in Erlanger KY now.
Hope this information helped.

quote:

Originally posted by tfrielin

quote:

Originally posted by Ort. Carlton.

Dearfolk,
A friend and I ate at Pasquale's Pizza in downtown Auburn, Alabama in 1974. Back then, I thought good pizza was what I would now refer to, pejoritively, as "cardboard and tomato paste" !! I've learned a lot in the ensuing 30 years.
Not Wanting To Make A Pesto Myself, Ort. Carlton in Lovely Athens, Georgia.

In retrospect, maybe their pizza wasn't the tops. The crusts were pre-made after all.

But their Hoggie sandwiches were to die for.

The original menu was all made using strict quality control under the direction of Pasquale.

quote:

Origin~~~y posted by TJ Jackson

I suspect (but have no real or easy way to confirm) that any Pasquale's outside the greater Cincinnati are/were not part of the Pasquale's chain around here.

I figure it's just a popular italian sounding name - ie there are probably Paesano's and Papa Dino's restaurants ~~~ over the country that are individu~~~y owned with no relationship other than a name that is coincident~~~y shared....

His name was Pasquale (Pat) Gramaglia. He grew up on Queen City Ave in Cincinanti, Ohio. His father came to the USA when he was 12 years old.
Yes there was a man named Pasquale and he and his brother started the original chain of Pasquale Pizza Parlors.

quote:

Originally posted by sheilagram

My Father in law Pasquale and his brother Vincent are the founders and original owners of Pasquale Pizza. My mother in law liked the color pink so the first logo had pink and plack. the Pizza chef was drawn by Mike Tangie ( a friend of Pat (Pasquale and Vince.)
I believe his recipe originated with Pat's mother and Pather. His father was from Italy.
The franchise was a big success in it's hay day in Cincinnati. Due to health and personal reasons Vinny and Pat Sold the company to a company in AL around 1969. They owned it for many years and tried to make a go of it. The cost of quality ingrediance was so high they had to cut back.
When my father in law had the business he would travel out to CA and hand pick the tomatoes he wanted for his sauce.
It is now owned by one man. I can't remember his name.
My husband and I would love to make a come back for Pasquale Pizza and bring it back to life. My father in law was a fantastic chef and could create an excelent meal with left overs.
I believe there is a Pasquale's in Erlanger KY now.
Hope this information helped.

Thanks for this fantastic information!

I always suspected the Cincinnati--Alabama connection. My family were regular customers when we lived in Cincinnati (Delhi Hills--St. Dominic's parish) and after we moved to Birmingham in 1961, I frequented the Pasquales in Crestline Village and, especially, the Pasquales at Eastwood Mall for most of the '60s and '70s until I left Birmingham for grad school in 1977.

The Pasquales in Crestline Village lasted for well over twenty years and for a brief time in the early to mid '90s there was another Pasquales in Crestline Village after the original one closed. But, sadly, it didn't last long.

I think the one in Roebuck is still open and in recent years when visiting family in Bham, I'd get four or five Hoggies to go, freeze them, and enjoy Pasquales Hoggies for weeks!


On behalf of all Pasquales fans, I beg to to revitalize the chain--I'd be one loyal customer. Do you think you can do it?