Blue Box Pizza now open in The Loop­ in former Doughocracy spot

By Quinn Wilson // July 2, 2018


A­ new pizza joint has opened in The Loop in the space that previously held now-closed Doughocracy at 6394 Delmar Blvd. Blue Box Pizza had a soft opening on June 9 as its owners await a liquor license and the signage for the storefront to celebrate a grand opening.

Co-owner Ben Deloya said the concept has been in the works for the past three years. He and the other owners, his brother Erik Deloya and Arlene Galve, decided to pounce once they saw the location was available.

“[Arlene Galve] acquired [Pastries of Denmark] in Creve Couer about two years ago, and we gained experience in running that to work to where we are today,” Deloya said.

According to Deloya, crowd favorite pizzas include The Swine, which features French onions, carnitas, barbecue sauce, bacon and blue cheese, and the Mama Mia, with pepperoni, pizza blend cheese (mozzarella, Swiss, provolone and cheddar), spinach, basil, tomatoes, olives and mushrooms.

In addition to pizza, the restaurant offers a variety of sandwiches, burritos, wraps, salads and various appetizers such as nachos and hot dogs, as well as vegetarian options on a salad bar. The establishment also carries desserts from Pastries of Denmark, including petits fours, macarons and chocolate cake.

“Our idea when we were thinking about the project was basically the customer will choose the base, whether it be dough for the pizza or a tortilla for the burrito, and then they can fully customize whatever it is they want to order,” Deloya said.

Deloya hopes the liquor license is approved by the end of August, and as soon as it is, Blue Box Pizza will offer a full bar, including boozy slushies.

The transition from Doughocracy to Blue Box was not overbearing due to the current owners purchasing most of the equipment in the space from the previous owners.

“We changed colors and acquired more equipment for our slushies,” Deloya said. “The bigger challenge was designing the menu and figuring out where everything would go.”

Before the grand opening when the liquor license is approved, the owners plan to gradually add final touches, such as getting blue boxes and perfecting the crust to be more similar to New York style. The restaurant will also offer larger pizzas than the 12-inch pies currently offered.

Quinn Wilson is an editorial intern at Sauce Magazine.