East Idaho Eats: Pie Hole is serving up hot New York-style pizza by the slice

IDAHO FALLS – There are few things better in this world than a cheesy, hot slice of pizza to shove in your pie hole.

That is exactly what Pie Hole in downtown Idaho Falls is serving up from 11 a.m. until the wee hours of the morning.

“We opened up in 2020, doing pie-by-the-slice stuff,” says long-time employee Jordan Schmitt. “We will occasionally do to-go orders, but for the most part it’s just pie by the slice.”

Doug Kinney, manager of the Idaho Falls Pie Hole and Flight Nurse at Air Idaho Rescue, came up with the idea to open one in Eastern Idaho with a friend of his because of his job as a flight nurse.

Kinney told EastIdahoNews.com that while flying around Montana, Idaho and Utah meant often landing late at night with patients. The only decent places to eat that time of night are often pizza restaurants.

Eventually, he stopped inside a Pie Hole, which was one of five locations within the three states at the time.

After trying the pizza, he decided Idaho Falls was in need of a late-night pie-by-the-slice location.

Three of the most popular slices in our region are the Potato & Bacon (obviously), the classic Pepperoni, and the DMZ, a Korean-take on New York-style pizza.

The Potato & Bacon was just about exactly what it sounds like and definitely reminded me that I was in my home state of Idaho.

This slice starts with an alfredo sauce base and includes in-house roasted potatoes, crispy bacon and warm, melty cheese.

“The roasted potatoes we actually make in-store. We clean them, slice them up, add all of the spices, and cook them in our ovens,” says Schmitt. “The potatoes and the alfredo sauce are actually both made completely in-store.”

A classic, the pepperoni pizza, is absolutely covered in pepperoni, exactly like it should be.

It is actually difficult to see the cheese underneath, but after you take a bite, you’ll realize that all of the necessary ingredients are there, working together wonderfully to create a perfect slice.

The mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce, hidden underneath a warm blanket of pepperoni, make for a perfect piece of this pie- in turn, making me want to wrap myself in the blanket of pepperoni to stay warm for winter.

“This is our top-selling pie,” says Schmitt. “Before we open, we cook one for the table, cook an extra one so it’s ready to go, and then we make a third just to get through our morning rush.”

The most unique slice is the DMZ. This pizza includes kimchi (spicy Korean pickled cabbage), roasted garlic, green onion, bacon, mozzarella, and then is drizzled with gojuchang sauce, which is a spicy Korean sauce made of red chili peppers, fermented soybeans, rice, and salt.

This was definitely the spiciest of the pizzas, but it wasn’t overwhelming. I am always a fan of kimchi, and the heat of the ingredients worked together well with the creamy mozzarella and salty bacon.

“A lot of these pies – we bring to the owner and say, “Hey, I think this will work.” Then if they like it, we’ll fine tune it to figure out ingredient amounts,” says Schmitt. “And from there it can become a product on the menu.”

Pie Hole also offers a vegan pizza and a vegan substitute for cheese. Some of their most popular sides are the cheesy garlic bread stix along with the side caesar salad.

Next time you are in downtown Idaho Falls, or get a craving for some hot New York Style pizza, make sure to stop by Pie Hole for a slice – or maybe even a whole pie!

Pie Hole is located at 321 Park Ave and is open Tuesday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. They are also open Friday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. and on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m.