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Pagliacci Pizza's "The Original" cheese pizza
Don't worry! Hometown favorite Pagliacci Pizza is not closing down. Whew! But the local pizza chain is closing its original location on the Ave in the U District this week. You know, the one with all the cool Italian movie posters?
To mark this location's last day of business, Pagliacci will hand out free slices on Thursday, July 26, beginning at 11 a.m. As with any free food offer, we recommend showing up early. Free pizza — two slices per person — will be given out until 4 p.m.
Full disclosure: My family and I are big Pagliacci fans. We like the pizza and also, along with every kid in the universe, I hate to wait. So I especially love the many Pagliacci locations that serve slices. You walk in the door and within five minutes you're eating your pizza.
Purists may eschew a slice that's been out of the oven for a little while and possibly reheated in the toaster-conveyor belt machine, but between piano lessons and soccer practice, we are pretty happy with a quick dinner of slices and Pagliaccio salad. (Check Pagliacci's locations page for shops serving slices.)
Fortunately, even after the U District store closes, Pagliacci has more than 20 other Seattle- and Eastside-area locations for your busy family and pizza desires, plus three outlets on the University of Washington campus.
One note for newcomers: It's pronounced "paul - ee - ah - chee" — the "g" is silent because it's Italian. And the word "Pagliacci" means "clowns."
Mark your calendars for Thursday, July 26, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. for free slices at Pagliacci's U District store, celebrating its last day open after nearly 40 years of pizza. Mangiamo!
