Pizza Bob's Classic Pie

Most people don’t find their calling while they’re still in high school – but when Bob Collins was offered the chance to buy the pizza place he worked at as a teenager, he took the opportunity to create a restaurant all his own. Pizza Bob’s originally opened as Tom’s House of Pizza in 1964, and Bob took over ownership in 1977. By 1999, he was ready to break away from the franchise to become more independent.

While Bob said the thin-crust style of pizza has stayed the same, he wanted to offer a wider variety of high-quality toppings – including custom-made Italian meats, smoked salmon and vine-ripened tomato sauce. “We keep everything as fresh as possible, and as healthy as possible, too,” Bob says. “That’s my philosophy, so I try to incorporate it into my pizza. We do get a lot of compliments – when you’re offering quality ingredients, that’s coming through in the whole, final package.”

The dough is made in-house using organic flour, and the mozzarella is 100 per cent milk-based – no soy, no fillers. Still, Bob aims to keep his pies at a reasonable price, despite the added expense of sourcing all-natural ingredients whenever possible. In Kensington, he says, people want high-quality, healthy food. “It’s a unique style for the area, since we have a brick hearth oven,” Bob says. “All our pizzas are really popular – there’s not a single one I could take off the menu without disappointing someone.”