America loves a comeback story, and while East Hill Pizza itself technically never came back, it is a full new rendition of what was a Pensacola pizza institution. So much so that you might find plenty of locals referring to this pizzeria not as East Hill Pizza but as Chubby’s.
East Hill Pizza is located within the East Hill neighborhood of Pensacola, on N 12th street just two blocks south of Catalonia Square. Part of the reason why it gets often referred to as Chubby’s is because it sits in the same location as that former restaurant. Not only that, but after Chubby’s sold the building, they also sold all of their pizza recipes to the new buyers, Darlyne and TJ Zoltak. So while they did do a complete remodel of the entire interior when the Zoltaks reopened the pizzeria in 2018 under the name East Hill Pizza, they did so with a familiar menu — albeit with some personal twists.
The interior renovations for this location were certainly significant as the previous location was more of a carry-out, minimum dining spot. This newly revamped pizzeria, however, has a much more welcoming dining area. The interior is bright and cheery with finished wooden tables paired with stark black chairs. They also added mounted television sets that are often tuned in to sports games and a long bar for a single seating. Altogether, East Hill Pizza can set about 35 patrons inside with an additional two large umbrella tables outside that can seat five patrons each. This is a counter-serve restaurant, so you will give your order at the counter along the back of the restaurant, and they will deliver it to your table or call out for carryout when the order is ready.
Other notable changes old Chubby’s patrons can expect at East Hill Pizza include hours of operation and some key menu additions. This pizzeria is open every day of the week for lunch and dinner. While they don’t quite serve pizza as thin as New York-style typically gets, you can order pizza by the slice during their lunch hours. After 3 pm, however, you will have to switch to order by the pie. You will also now find beers on the menu. The Zoltaks were serious about promoting local craft breweries, so you’ll find a ton of exciting options from local places like the Pensacola Bay Brewery as well as more generic beers like Bud Light. When ordering food for delivery, you can use the Waitr app and add any of their alcoholic beverages to your order.
Popular menu items at East Hill Pizza include:
12th Avenue
The 12th Avenue is one of four specialty pizzas that were made and named in honor of the city of Pensacola, with each of the four named after a road in East Hill. This 12th Avenue Pizza comes loaded with ingredients — pepperoni, sausage, bacon, ground beef, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, black olives, and mozzarella cheese — making it the ideal choice for the ravenous.
Spicy Korean BBQ Wings
East Hill Pizza may have dropped “wings” from the title, but you better believe this location still serves up some incredible chicken wings. Swerved with the Korean BBQ sauce is the crowd favorite.
Blount Bites
This appetizer order is East Hill Pizza’s rendition of jalapeño popper bites, but with the significant advantage of their using their own popular homemade dough. Within this fried dough you will find jalapeños, cream cheese, and bacon. Every order of Blount Bites automatically comes with a side of ranch sauce for dipping.
Insider Tip:
Happy Hour here is pretty incredible as East Hill pizza is already cheap, but go during these special hours and you get 20% off drinks (including those premier craft beers) along with special food menu prices.