PiFi Pizza, from brothers Jordan and Sam Sparrow, is expected to open this fall at 4916 Shaw Ave., the former home of Rock Star Tacos. The new pizzeria will serve eight to 10 house-made pies, smoked vegetable appetizers, cocktails and a curated selection of records played on a vintage hi-fi system.
For Jordan, the new restaurant marks a major departure from his career in advertising. He has spent the past 15 years as a creative director in Chicago, while Sam has worked in St. Louis and spent years making pizza at Blues Fired Pizza in Kirkwood. The brothers grew up in Quincy, Illinois, and said moving back toward family has long been a goal.
At PiFi, the brothers are taking a hands-on approach to nearly every part of the restaurant, from the food and cocktails to the furniture and sound system.
The menu is built around several house-made sauces, including fresh tomato sauce, lemon-garlic oil, romesco and pesto. The pizzas will come in 10-inch personal sizes and 16-inch pies designed for sharing.
The classic pepperoni pizza gets a drizzle of honey, while the spicy pie is topped with house-made giardiniera, Grana and mozzarella. The sausage-and-peppers pizza combines sausage with pickled peppers and fennel.
Other pizzas include a Hawaiian-inspired pie with guanciale, marinated pineapple, romesco, mozzarella and Pecorino Romano; an oyster mushroom pizza with lemon-garlic oil, burnt leek leaves, Grana and mozzarella; and a pesto pie with fontina, mozzarella, leeks and arugula. One of the more unusual options is the “Peck on the Cheek,” a carbonara-inspired pizza topped with guanciale, shallots and pecorino butter.
The restaurant’s food is centered around fire. Jordan has spent years developing his smoking techniques, first while living in Georgia and later in Chicago, where he experimented with smoking vegetables and fish. The brothers wanted to bring an element of St. Louis barbecue to the concept, but in a way that made sense for pizza.
Smoked vegetables will play a major role in the appetizers too. The menu is expected to include smoked olives with chili oil, smoked carrot pâté with house-made focaccia, a cannellini bean dip, salads and housemade sauces for dipping breadsticks.
“Everything that we’re doing is made in house,” Jordan said, with the exception of meats they plan to source from outside producers.
For the pizza itself, PiFi will use a Baker’s Pride deck oven. While Sam’s experience at Blues Fired gave him a background in wood-fired pizza, the brothers wanted a crust that combined some of the qualities they like about wood-fired pizza with a sturdier center. “We wanted to kind of do more of a New York style center with the big fluffy crust,” Jordan said.
A small dessert menu will initially include house-made cheesecake, with plans to potentially expand later.
The cocktail menu will use fresh juices made daily, and the brothers have brought in a friend with beverage experience to help develop the program. They’ll also serve up boozy and nonalcoholic slushies. “The cocktail menu is very refreshing and pairs nicely. A lot of citrus and things that cool you off,” Jordan said. They also plan to offer a curated wine list with red, white and sparkling wines, along with local beers and favorites from Chicago and Denver.
The front of PiFi is designed around Jordan’s longtime interest in vintage hi-fi equipment. The restaurant will feature nearly 6-foot-tall speakers, a turntable that Jordan built himself and a collection of hundreds of records. Each night, the brothers will curate full albums to play on vinyl throughout service, rather than relying on a constantly rotating playlist. They may also experiment with themed music nights down the road.
The record collection has a personal connection for the brothers. After a relative passed away in 2011, Jordan and Sam inherited her collection and have continued building on it over the years. “Music has always been a big part of our lives,” Jordan said. The space’s history also helped inspire the concept. Part of the building has been used as a recording studio, and guests will still be able to see into the studio area. They also hope to eventually host live music in the studio, with performances piped through the restaurant’s sound system.
Jordan, who describes himself as an amateur carpenter, built the tables and booth seating and helped construct the custom bar-back system that houses the hi-fi equipment and records. Jordan also handled much of the restaurant’s design, drawing on his professional background in advertising and creative direction.
The brothers envision PiFi as a welcoming neighborhood lounge where people can settle in and stay awhile. The space has a vintage feel, with Japanese Pachinko machines on the walls, custom-built furniture and an impressive hi-fi system anchoring the front of the restaurant. “We don’t want to rotate people out fast, we want people to feel comfortable,” Jordan said. “I wanted it to feel like you’re coming and hanging out in my living room or a friend’s living room. You just kind of make yourself at home and enjoy the vibe.”
PiFi is currently targeting an opening around Oct. 22, although the date depends in part on receiving its liquor license. The restaurant will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 3 to 10 p.m. The brothers are also hiring for kitchen positions.
For the Sparrows, the location already feels like home. “The Hill has been great to us already,” Jordan said. “We’ve gotten to know a lot of our neighbors.” Now, they’re ready to bring their take on pizza to the neighborhood.