We stop into Porano at 13323 Manchester Road in Des Peres pretty regularly, and the monthly pizza specials are always worth a try, but December’s collab is on another level. For this month’s feature, Porano teamed up with Big Mouth Sandwich Co., which you might remember from our recent Hit List, and the result is the Stuffed Italian Hoagie Pizza.
This thing is a monster. It starts with Big Mouth co-owner Matt Frentzel’s focaccia – fitting, since Frentzel once worked at Porano – used as the base for a deep, double-layered pie. The first layer gets loaded with Italian charcuterie, pepperoncini aioli and plenty of provolone before it’s sent through the oven. Then a pizza “lid” goes on top, followed by tomato sauce and mozzarella, plus a final hit of fresh lettuce and raw onion for that perfect hot-and-cold contrast.
The crust deserves its own shoutout: super deep, shatteringly crisp around the cheesy edge, and sturdy enough to hold the stack of meat inside. There’s a little heat, a lot of cheese, and that crunchy, caramelized edge adds a perfect finishing touch.
This article appears in December 2025.