My first critique is of a quaint little pizza place that is near and dear to my heart. Some call it Bimbo’s Pizza, I call it Heaven. Every time I am anywhere close to Kalamazoo, MI I make it a point to stop by the pizzeria. Bimbo’s Pizza can be found on the main road that curves through downtown Kalamazoo and has its own special place in Kalamazoo’s history. Bimbo’s was opened in 1959 and remains in the original location run by the original family. I personally have been scarfing down Pizza here with my family since the 80s. When I was little I loved picking out a large wooden booth to sit in at this 15 table restaurant. There used to be a juke box in the back where I would use my hard earned quarters to play “Ghostbusters Theme Song” and “Bang the Drum All Day”. The jukebox has since been replaced with a television and the restaurant has been remodeled some but it still has the original old world charm. I cherish the time my family spent at this place. Bimbo’s pizza was even the last meal that I had with my mother before she passed away securing its place in my heart and memories.
Bimbo’s slogan is “A treat in Michigan smuggled out of Italy.” I’ve never had pizza from Italy so I cannot compare but I would say this is the best pizza I have ever had. Bias aside, Bimbo’s has a great simplistic thin crust pizza with no thrills. My favorite combination: sausage, mushroom, and extra cheese. I have rarely ventured away from my traditional threesome but when I do I replace mushrooms with green olives or onions. You can watch the pizza dough being rolled out fresh with every order. It is topped with an unsophisticated smooth pizza sauce with a slight bit of tang to it. The pizza is then topped with mozzarella cheese (I love cheese so I order double) and your selected toppings. The sausage here is fresh and dropped on in clumps. It is almost sweet with a tiny black pepper bite at the very end. When your chosen toppings have been masterfully placed, the thin crust pizza is perfectly cooked in a pizza oven to a point that lies somewhere in between crispy and floppy and then sliced into small squares. The pizza pie is delivered piping hot to your table on a thin metal sheet pan. On the table you will find a large parmesan cheese shaker (my favorite add-on) and a red pepper flake shaker (my husband’s favorite add-on). I have never left this place without a burnt tongue, it is just too much to ask to wait for the pizza to cool, and I rarely leave with left overs.
As I mentioned above, the pizza here is simplistic, simplistic in a good way. Patrons don’t need to wade through excessive spices, herbs or flavors to enjoy Bimbo’s pie. When you bite into a slice you can taste the crust, the tomato sauce, the cheese, and your toppings, pure and simple. No one ingredient overpowers another. Each piece fits perfectly together to finish a puzzle of flavor. Bimbo’s doesn’t deliver so if you are in Kalamazoo, stop in or grab a pizza to go, enjoy a deliciously simplistic slice and create some memories of your own.
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