The former Sergeant’s Cafe on Third Street is now officially a New York style pizzeria. Pinky G’s Pizzeria opened its doors Feb. 25, serving up whole pies and pizzas by the slice, as well as calzones, chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks, salads and more.
Fans of Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” may recognize the brand, as it’s appeared three times on the Food Network show, said Bend Pinky G’s co-owner Adam Hoff. The first Pinky G’s opened in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in 2011, Hoff said, on the ground floor of a historic theater building called the Pink Garter Theatre, hence the naming of the pizzeria as “Pinky G’s.”
Other locations include Big Sky, Montana, and Victor, Idaho. The former general manager of the Jackson Hole location, Hoff, and his wife Emily, moved to Bend in 2016, hoping to open a branch of the restaurant here, and to run it as owner-operators, along with partner and Pinky G’s founder Tom Fay. Eight years later, they’ve opened the pizzeria in the former cafe along Third Street, where the Hoffs, coincidentally, ate one of their first meals upon moving to Bend.
“We’ve tried to keep some of the same charm,” that Sergeant’s had, Hoff told the Source Weekly, while also updating and remodeling the space to accommodate a pizza joint.
On the menu, Hoff recommends the “Abe Froman,” named after a character in the 1986 film, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” who was the “Sausage King of Chicago.” The pizza features Italian sausage, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and for a slight upcharge, a balsamic glaze.
“It’s the best $1.50 you can spend, in my opinion,” Hoff said.
Also recommended: the “Funky Chicken,” featuring basil walnut pesto, mozzarella, ricotta, roasted chicken, artichoke hearts and red onions, as well as the “Guy’s Pie,” named in honor of the guy who’s featured this place on three of his shows, and who helped design the pie. On that pizza, get mozzarella, ricotta, blue cheese crumbles, roasted chicken and pepperoni, topped with blue cheese dressing and Frank’s hot sauce. Sounds Fieri-licious.
Pinky G’s is open 11am to 9pm Wednesdays through Mondays, with plans to add Tuesdays in soon. Also look for later-night hours starting in summer, and the possibility of in-house delivery.
This article appears in Source Weekly March 7, 2024.
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