The much-anticipated reopening of bonoPIZZA is finally upon us. Bill Yerkes is opening the doors to the new restaurant at 1717 Northwest Boulevard (near the corner of Northwest and Chambers) starting tonight at 5pm. The new pizza shop is located inside of a carryout store on the corner, and only seats around a dozen people at a time. Fans of the old Short North location will appreciate the intimacy, but opening crowds should be prepared for a wait to grab a seat.

Bill stated that those who purchased the half-priced gift certificates earlier this year to help fund the re-opening will be able to pick them up this Thursday, or have them mailed out.

Hours of operation of the new location will run from 5pm to 11pm, Monday through Saturday.

Last weekend bonoPIZZA made their return with an outdoor parking-lot setup in front of the old Cowtown Pizza location. Due to the overwhelming response, Bill & Peggy Yerkes are looking to expedite the process in which they’re going to be moving back into a more permanent indoor venue. Bill notified us earlier today that they’ve found a great spot in the Grandview-Area that features loads of free parking, patio seating, and indoor seating space for 30-40 people. The only catch is that they’ve only got around 80% of the funds ready to get the location secured and opened, and are currently around $5,000 short.

Always the non-traditionalist, Bill has put together a proposal for his loyal customers to help raise the extra cash quickly. He calls it the “bonoPIZZA Pay it Forward Plan”. [Read More]

Starting on Friday, April 17th, bonoPIZZA will be setting up their portable woodoven at the corner of Third Avenue and Northwest Blvd at Boulevard Carryout, the beer and wine cornershop. They’ll be there every Friday night from 5PM to 10PM to test out the location, see how the space works, and contemplate a more permanent setup in the old Cowtown Pizza location. So mark your calendars and get ready to satisfy that craving for bonoPIZZA once more.

Update: Effective Friday April 24th, bonoPIZZA will be setting up the mobile pizza oven outside their new location on Ida Avenue behind the Giant Eagle near Grandview. They will be there both on Friday and Saturday evenings from 5pm-10pm for the next few weeks until construction is completed inside the new store.

Last summer, bonoPizza (also known as bonoTOGO) was regarded as one of the most well loved pizza joints in Columbus during its five-month run in the Short North. Those fortunate enough to have tried it, know that it was not solely the immaculate taste of the pizza creating its popularity, but the handsome masterminds; Bill and Peggy Yerkes; who were behind the great success. They brought the community coming back day after day.

[Read More]

(Photo by Restaurant Widow)

bonoPIZZA wins another category in the “Best Dish or Menu Item for 2008″. Although ‘Anything Bono’ was the winner, the Hulk Pizza and the San Rolando were the standout selections. The #17 Hulk pizza is: “entirely green, pesto, fresh mozz, fresh spinach, green olives, green onions, green peppers, zucchini, and anything else green we happen to have lying around.” The #2 pizza formerly known as the San Giorgio is now known as the San Rolando, consisting of Italian tomato sauce, fresh mozz, pepperoni, and sausage. The name change was in honor of bono’s best and most faithful customer, Roland. [Read More]

Throughout 2008, Columbus Underground hosted nearly three dozen events ranging from the monthly happy hours, to movie meetups, to group condo tours, to food eating competitions, to volunteer activities, to many others. Our biggest and best event of 2008 was held in November when we celebrated the 7th Anniversary of ColumbusUnderground.com.

The party was held at the Wild Goose Creative space and was graciously catered by a variety of wonderful small businesses and restaurants that included Sage American Bistro, The Surly Girl Saloon, zPizza, Katzinger’s Delicatessen, Barcelona, Pattycake Bakery, Bodega, Bakery Gingham, and bonoPizza. [Read More]

(Photo by swampkitty)

While only open for roughly five months last year (July through November) bonoPIZZA made a good enough impression on the regulars of Columbus Underground to land it a number one spot in our poll for Best New Restaurant of 2008.

What started off with a simple inquisitive post about the discovery of their menu quickly grew into one of the longest running discussions on Columbus Underground in 2008, with regulars flocking to the restaurant multiple times a week to partake in the quality food, the sidewalk ambiance, and the entertainment by hosts Bill & Peggy Yerkes. [Read More]

Dear ColumbusUnderground folks,

Today Peggy and I made a decision to permanently close the bonoPIZZA operation on Russell Street. During our time there, we met many nice people and we loved our neighbors. So it took quite a bit of thought to arrive at this decision.

Kent Rigsby owns the bakery where Bono was located, and he was very nice and even helpful to us. But it became apparent that the bakery staff didn’t share his enthusiasm and the shared-space arrangement became untenable for us.

We believe we gave the Short North a neighborhood pizza joint with great food, reasonably priced, and served in the most fun way we could deliver.

We plan to reopen within four weeks in the Grandview Heights/UA area. Our new space will accommodate a wood-fired oven so we can bring you even better pizzas–and a few new surprises. The #2 pizza formerly known as the San Giorgio will heretofore be known as the San Rolando.

Thank you all very much for your friendship and patronage. Bono’s phone number 906-8646 remains the same, so feel free to call us for updates and directions.

We will be at CU’s 7th Anniversary party tomorrow night with our mobile wood-fired pizza cart and look forward to seeing you there!

Thank you all again,

Bill & Peggy Yerkes

Related Stories:

- BonoTOGO: New pizza joint in the Short North

- The Roland Pizza - A Bono ToGo Exclusive

- What ever became of Bono Pizza in Kilbourne?

Many of you are aware of Roland - prolific CU poster and predatory Bristol dancer. Some of you know that Roland has two great obsessions - Bono Pizza and White Castles.

So the question was posed - much like the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup - what if you took two great tastes - that (could) go great together and put them into Rolands stomach.

Dateline: Short North, Sunday October 19th - about 8 PM.

A certain CMH Gourmand walked in to Bono as Roland was finishing off a pizza (89% chance it was a #2).

I spoke with Peggy and explained what I had in mind - I think she was a bit taken aback. I showed Roland what I had (8 assorted White castles) and he flinched.

Roland was defeated by the Dagwood and humbled by the Double Beanie Burger - but tonight - Roland was going to give the devil his due. The Roland Pizza was going to happen.

The concept was then presented to Bill - Iron Chef style -”and the mystery ingredient for the Roland is……White Castles”. Like a true champ Bill thought it over, realized it was wrong and in spite of the fact that he was pretty sure this was an immoral culinary act he decided WTF and went for it.

The Roland was sampled by six impartial CUer’s including Roland. The verdict - good, maybe very good. The soul exception was a certain Brit with a genetic disdain for Midwestern meat products.

Making The Roland had no negative effect on Bill - but it did seem to mess up his hair.

Would Roland order the Roland again - no. Would I order it for him and make him eat it - yes. Suggested pairing with the Roland - Highland Estates Pepperoni infused Vodka.

Public Service Announcement:

Bono has a new Almond Crepe - it rocks Roland’s socks.

Stay tuned for more Iron Chef challenges at Bono - the next special pizza may be Antelope Summer Sausage.

This week in The Alive, G.A. Benton highlights 12 great meals in Columbus that cost 12 dollars or less. Many of the featured items come from Columbus Underground favorites such as El Arepazo, BonoToGo, Betty’s Food and Spirits, Pita Hut, Danny’s Deli, Starliner Diner, and The Northstar Cafe. A few of the others are a bit more off the CU radar.

Does anyone have any other favorite dishes that are missing from the list?