Editor’s note: After a few delays from the original proposed launch date of July 17, Fordo’s will open on Friday, July 25, just in time for chef Joe Luckey’s birthday.
We love Fordo’s Killer Pizza so much at Sauce HQ that it was named a Best New Restaurant when it opened inside the food hall at City Foundry STL in 2022. Now, Niche Food Group is bringing its popular pizza concept to the Grove with a second location set to open Friday, July 25, inside Urban Chestnut’s Grove Brewery & Bierhall at 4465 Manchester Ave. The new outpost will offer Fordo’s signature naturally fermented dough made with Molino Pasini flour from northern Italy, alongside larger 18-inch pizzas, slices, and new small plates like wings, meatballs and burgers in the future.
Helmed by executive chef Joe Luckey, Fordo’s blends Neapolitan and New York styles and will feature fan favorites like the Marinara, Margherita and Pepperoni, plus new creations such as the New York Neapolitan and Pesto. Salads and starters like charcuterie and carrot hummus round out the menu.
The collaboration follows Niche Food Group’s successful Brass Burger residency at Urban Chestnut’s Midtown location. “Pairing Fordo’s with UCBC’s beers is a natural fit,” said chef and owner Gerard Craft. UCBC CEO David Wolfe echoed the excitement, calling the partnership a key step in enhancing the brewery’s customer experience.
Fordo’s at Urban Chestnut will be open daily, with hours from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Online ordering, pickup and delivery will be available.
This article appears in July 2025.
