Juno Musonda, courtesy of Bud's Pizza & Beer
South City is getting anew jewel:Bud’s Pizza & Beer(3805 S. Kingshighway), located near the intersection of South Kingshighway and Chippewa.
Garcia Properties' Ivan and Berto Garcia,whoopened The Golden Hoosier nearby in 2021, first envisioned Bud’s as a friendly neighborhood bar.(In fact, it's named for Berto’s father-in-law, Bud Winzen.) Soon, however, they decided to expand the scope to an inviting restaurant serving up pizza, salads, and more in an inviting atmosphere.
Here's what to know before you go.
The Menu
“Ivan and Berto's original dream of what this place was to open a neighborhood bar where everybody would feel comfortable and welcome," says Eli Newman, who helped develop the menu and will oversee the kitchen."Just to make it really fun, they added great food. Doesn't everybody deserve great food?”
Initialofferings includepepperoni and cheese pizza, four specialtypizzas, four salads, four appetizers, and two desserts. “The goal is the goal is to really bring pizza to people in a fun atmosphere,” saysNewman,who created a signature-style handmade crust made from three types of flour. “We’re also offering a good gluten-free crust. We’re not a certified gluten-free kitchen, but we want to welcome everyone here. We’re using Caputo gluten-free flour, and it’s probably the single hardest thing we’ve worked out.”
Among the specialty pizzas, there's the Southtown (withchicken, bacon, and ranch), a seasonal roasted vegetable pizza (which will appeal to vegetarians and omnivores alike), a classic meatball (with fresh basil and Eli’s special house-made giardiniera), and the Crown Jewel (featuringfresh roasted mushrooms on a whipped ricotta base with chimichurri, fresh Italian herbs, mozzarella, lemonand orange zest, and a hint of garlic oil).
Likewise, there are four salad selections—including apizza salad. “It's all the good stuff that you put on top of the pizza in a salad form with creamy Italian dressing,” Newman says. There's also a spinach salad (with almonds, cherries,gorgonzola, and a citrus vinaigrette),the Southwestern (with bacon, chicken, and buttermilk ranch), and a seasonal offering. “We have beautiful tomatoes in the summer, so we’re offering a Caprese salad with tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil," says Newman."I've learned that with some dishes, the more you do, the less you've accomplished at the end of it, so we’re staying classic on the Caprese.”
Appetizers include Bud’s Nugs(baked spheres of pizza dough with sauce),a whipped ricotta spread with dippers, a meatball appetizer, and a seasonal appetizer.
For dessert, there arecannolis, as well asgluten- and dairy-free tiramisu. “We want everyone to enjoy a special experience here,” says Newman.
The Atmosphere
Juno Musonda, courtesy of Bud's Pizza & Beer
The South City space exudes a retro feel, with rich red tuck-and-roll upholstery on the banquettes. Red upholstered bar stools sidle up to a bar front with the same style of upholstery.High tops provide cozy options as well. Heavy red velvet curtains hung overhead help dampen the sound, and bright neon signs light up the space.
Plans are in the works fora dedicatedspace with its own entrance for pickup orders. “The Garcias designed it from the outset, though it’s not open yet,"says Newman, noting the rise in demand for carryout orderssince the pandemic."We wantto make sure everyone gets taken care of nice and fast."
The Background
Juno Musonda, courtesy of Bud's Pizza & Beer
The Garcias,who are behind theCrown Districtredevelopment project spanning the Chippewa-Kingshighway corridor, first envisioned Bud’s as a friendly neighborhood bar.
“We were thinking something really basic: some snacks and maybe a pass-through window for bar-type cheese or pepperoni pizza slices,” Ivan says. “We wanted to have the same level of finishes and service that our customers at The Golden Hoosier enjoy, but we wanted to stay in our comfort zone.”
That initial concept, however,soon grew into a full-blown restaurant. “Sometimes things just want to be, and you need to get out of the way and surrender,” Ivan says. “We're comfortable being in the real estate business: You fix a house up, and it is what it is, but the restaurant business is, like, alchemy. There's so much going on, and every night that magic has to happen again and again.”
