My all time favorite pizza was Shakey's ours closed years ago, but back 70s-90s it was my goto. The sauce is what made it,the live piano player & carryout draft beer in a paper carton ;D They had a remote control baseball game on the Wall -good times! I think there are a few in Cali still,I need to go there soon.I read heinz & dolce pizza sauce is close but I need a fix...
https://www.bigoven.com/recipe/shakeys-pizza-sauce-clone/528569
https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=518.0
Most canned pizza sauces, and a lot of pizzeria sauces, make me swell up like a balloon because of the stupid added MSG (Accent). It's a shame they can't make a decent sauce without adding crap. Our local authentic Italian restaurants that make pizza don't use that garbage.
We make most of our pizzas at home. Our go to canned pizza sauce is Dei Fratelli on plain old boxed Jiffy crust mix rolled down to a fairly thin crust.
I can't stand thick or stuffed crust pizzas.
Ah, Shakeys! I guess I don't remember if the pizza was great or not, but I do remember the big dining area & all-you-can eat buffet. Supposedly quite a few left in Calif. (mostly SoCal) and maybe one in WA.
When I lived in Tucson, there was pizza place near the U of A that served what they called Brooklyn-style pizza. Sawdust on the floor and big telephone cable spools as tables; always had coupons where you got food very cheaply; the pizza was the thickest crust of all time (nowadays, neither my wife or I go for thick crust, which I guess these days goes under the name of Chicago-style). Straw Hat Pizza was a good one too that, also now, is limited to Calif.
For plain old good times, Organ Stop Pizza in Phoenix was the best; one giant dining hall with picnic-like tables where everybody ate to the sounds of an old-time theater organ. I think it still lives, but now in Mesa or some other East Valley locale.
Here in the Midwest, we have Pizza Ranch, which also has chicken and a buffet. They have a super thin crust pepperoni (three kinds of meat). Yes, I occasionally overeat.
Frank
windy city pizza in belmont, ca!!!!
Quote from: alantani on January 21, 2026, 08:20:35 PMwindy city pizza in belmont, ca!!!!
Closed. They went out of business. They weren't in Belmont. They were in San Mateo. Dominick
Quote from: jgp12000 on January 21, 2026, 03:05:04 PMMy all time favorite pizza was Shakey's ours closed years ago, but back
70s-90s it was my goto. The sauce is what made it,the live piano player & carryout draft beer in a paper carton ;D They had a remote control baseball game on the Wall -good times! I think there are a few in Cali still,I need to go there soon.I read heinz & dolce pizza sauce is close but I need a fix...
https://www.bigoven.com/recipe/shakeys-pizza-sauce-clone/528569
https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=518.0
This one is about a mile from our house. Haven't been there since kids left the nest but was the locale of lots of sports and/or other extracurricular activities fundraisers etc. Your post made me curious so I looked at their website and there are still around 50 locations across Southern California. Russ
We had Shakeys pizza in Lynnwoon(just north of Seattle) back in 70's, and it was a very popular pizza place, then around mid 70's an Italian family opened Sparta's, and the pizza was beyond amazing. Place was family owned and operated by Italians. Every year it was closed for entire month of December, so the family could spend the holidays with relatives in Italy. Hand made crusts, piles of toppings and real cheese, and home made sauce. One piece was like a meal. Its still in business today, but under new ownership of non Italians. Canned sauce, fake cheese, and pizza dough from a restaurant supply truck. Might as well change the name to dominos.
Thanks Russ & Ted,my fav is canadian bacon/ pepperoni thin crust.Their fried chicken was also good on the buffet.
Quote from: jgp12000 on January 22, 2026, 12:26:26 AMThanks Russ & Ted,my fav is canadian bacon/ pepperoni thin crust.Their fried chicken was also good on the buffet.
My fave pizza is the same except with pineapple added
We still have one here. "Bunch O' Lunch" and don't forget the Mojo Potatoes! We support them because they do a lot of school fundraisers where a portion of the proceeds go back to the school. I could pretty much kill myself on the fried chicken... :d
For Midway Tommy - we have a brand of jarred pasta sauces around here in stores (looks to be a big brand) that are the best thing I have found next to "homemade". Brand is Raos. But the price (at my local Stater's usually around $9 a jar) makes me just go "from scratch". I'm not bagging on their quality or their price; I think they are worth it in a pinch or in a hurry - just pretty good sauces but they price point makes me do my own unless conditions dictate otherwise. - john
I love Shakey's Pizza! There are a few by me in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles. I remember dad taking us when we were kids, and though I am not sure if it was the first pizza I had, it has certainly been my favorite.
The sauce is not the same as when I was a kid. It must have had a lot of yeast in it because, as I got older, it tasted like beer to my young mind. The Shakey's we always visited was in Monterey Park, CA.
Funny thing, when I lived in NY, no pizza ever changed my opinion. I did find a second favorite.... Stromboi. I never found a replacement for it, and Calzones can't compete.
Our order was either two large pies with black olives and pepperoni, or only pepperoni or jalapenos and pepperoni. Full order of fried chicken and mojos. Oh, and don't forget about the pitcher of beers nd frosted mugs :d
Pizza always tastes like beef when you wash it down with a beer
Shakey's bunch of lunch!
Quote from: Rocket Dog on January 22, 2026, 04:06:07 AMThe sauce is not the same as when I was a kid. It must have had a lot of yeast in it because, as I got older, it tasted like beer to my young mind. The Shakey's we always visited was in Monterey Park, CA.
I have experience with this from my previous life. It wasn't the sauce, it is what you get when the dough is allowed to "overproof". Our place had some pretty strict protocols for amounts of dough to proof and time allowed, after which it was supposed to be tossed out. It's usually subtle, but very distinct aroma. - john
I love good Pizza. But I don't eat more'n 2-slices at once and I wouldn't eat it before going out fishing on the Sea. It's a mix of ingredients(bread, tomato based sauce, cheese, deli-type meats, vegetables, etc.) that don't digest easily.
I'm not trying to make waves, but I always thought Shakey's Pizza was mediocre at best. I love pizza but I always get it from a non-chain restaurant. Am I the only one only one who feels this way?
How many/what kind of chain pizzerias are in Juneau Alaska?
Now I remember. The potatoes at Shakeys. Super.
Frank
There are no chain pizzerias other than Dominos and Papa John's in Juneau. But I've lived elsewhere (Colorado, Texas, Florida and Wisconsin) and had my share of Pizza Hut, Shakey's, etc.
Quote from: akfish on January 22, 2026, 08:52:30 PMI'm not trying to make waves, but I always thought Shakey's Pizza was mediocre at best. I love pizza but I always get it from a non-chain restaurant. Am I the only one only one who feels this way?
I chalk it up to nostalgia. It was always our go to place for pizza and entertainment growing up. The alternative was mom's home cooked Mexican food, but even she needed a break every so often.
There is a non-Shakey's place in downtown LA's financial district called Danny Boys. Good pies if you ever have the chance to grab a slice.
Quote from: Brewcrafter on January 22, 2026, 06:16:09 PMQuote from: Rocket Dog on January 22, 2026, 04:06:07 AMThe sauce is not the same as when I was a kid. It must have had a lot of yeast in it because, as I got older, it tasted like beer to my young mind. The Shakey's we always visited was in Monterey Park, CA.
I have experience with this from my previous life. It wasn't the sauce, it is what you get when the dough is allowed to "overproof". Our place had some pretty strict protocols for amounts of dough to proof and time allowed, after which it was supposed to be tossed out. It's usually subtle, but very distinct aroma. - john
Thanks John. That makes sense.
Quote from: akfish on January 22, 2026, 08:52:30 PMI'm not trying to make waves, but I always thought Shakey's Pizza was mediocre at best. I love pizza but I always get it from a non-chain restaurant. Am I the only one only one who feels this way?
No, re chain pizzas. We get ours from a couple different family owned Italian restaurants if we don't make our own, but $30 for a large pizza is starting to get a little pricy.
We just watched a show when the co-owner of the famed Brooklyn pizzeria L&B Spumoni Gardens in New York was murdered. They made an upside down pizza.Cheese 1st then the sauce.A mafia guy supposedly worked at L&B Spumoni Gardens & left the restaurant & stole his recipe.Long story short Louis Barbati gets "whacked" after the mafia guy opens his own restaurant selling the same pizza.
We have been getting Cauliflower thin crust pizza at Sam's.I put the member's mark tomato sauce on top then pepperoni,
mushrooms,& jalapenos'.It's great if you like thin crust & a little healthier I suppose. Pizza must have pepperoni !
https://nypost.com/2016/07/27/slain-pizzeria-owner-isnt-the-first-pizza-related-feud/
https://www.samsclub.com/ip/members-mark-cauliflower-crust-cheese-pizza-2-pack-15-oz-each/13623462751
I like cauliflower pizza. I'm stuck doing the gluten free thing, so real pizza is a fond memory.
But I need to sleep on the couch after for the loud gaseous disruptions that start a few hours later.
The "freschetta" brand GF pizza is by far the best unless you DIY
Menu
I can taste it NOW !
That must be a Shakey's menu from the 1960's....large pizza for $4.60 on up to $6.10, and back then a large pizza was 20" plus....nowadays a large pizza is maybe 12-14"
Restaurant pizza has become far too expensive for us, and they always skimp on the meat and most are using fake cheese
....so we quit doing take out pizza, and nowadays we get a thin crust red baron pepperoni pizza from grocery store freezer section, and we add mozzarella cheese, then pepperoni and ham ground up together in a mini food chopper, and add pineapple on top. Hands down it beats any expensive take out pizza !
Quote from: Maxed Out on January 28, 2026, 02:31:48 AMRestaurant pizza has become far too expensive for us, and they always skimp on the meat and most are using fake cheese
....so we quit doing take out pizza, and nowadays we get a thin crust red baron pepperoni pizza from grocery store freezer section, and we add mozzarella cheese, then pepperoni and ham ground up together in a mini food chopper, and add pineapple on top. Hands down it beats any expensive take out pizza !
I'm going try that out next time we do oven pizza. THanks Ted!
My wife has been making a Weight Watchers pizza...the crust is self rising flour and plain greek yogurt, plus whatever toppings she happens to crave. It's OK I guess but not gourmet by any stretch of the imagination.
Most frozen pizzas tear up the roof of my mouth, something about the crust gets me...
Worst pizza I ever had was a thin crust pepperoni at a Pizza Hut in St. Petersburg. Skip the pizza, go for the vodka, preferably Russian standard, not that you can get it in the US anymore! The only Ruzzian product I miss!
Quote from: akfish on January 22, 2026, 08:52:30 PMI'm not trying to make waves, but I always thought Shakey's Pizza was mediocre at best. I love pizza but I always get it from a non-chain restaurant. Am I the only one only one who feels this way?
I agree 100%. Dominick
New Compressed (zipped) Folder.zip
where's the cannoli :d