A popular Sacramento restaurant credited with introducing Chicago-style pizza to the capital city abruptly closed its doors after more than 40 years of operation.
On Saturday, Aug. 31, Zelda’s Original Gourmet Pizza closed its doors at 1415 21st St. in midtown Sacramento, according to a social media post.
“After decades of serving Sacramento, we have made the difficult decision to close our doors,” restaurant representatives said in a Facebook statement Saturday. “We are forever grateful for every person who walked through our door and supported us through every up and down.”
The shutdown comes months after Zelda’s owner, Kerry Matthews, said he was selling the restaurant after nearly 20 years of operation.
Matthews, son of Zelda’s founder Zelda Breslin, told The Sacramento Bee in April that he was selling the pizza to someone who has worked there for 40 years.
“Nothing will change” with Zelda’s sale, he told The Bee at the time. “It would be a win-win for everybody.”
On Sunday, August 4, Zelda stated that it will exclusively accept cash for to-go orders.
Restaurant representatives could not be reached for comment by phone on Tuesday, September 3.
What is Zelda’s Original Gourmet Pizza?
Breslin launched Zelda’s Original Gourmet Pizza in the late 1970s.
According to The Bee, Breslin, an Illinois native, honed her deep dish recipe at Pizzeria Uno in Chicago.
According to The Bee archives, locals were slow to accept Chicago-style pizza, prompting Breslin and her husband, Edward J. Breslin, to consider declaring bankruptcy at one point owing to a lack of customers.
“Californians didn’t like thick, deep-dish pizza,” Zelda Breslin’s sister Linda Ellington told The Bee the year she passed away. “They were accustomed to taking up small portions presented on tissue paper.
Over the years, Zelda’s has become one of the most popular pizzerias in the Sacramento area, with an average Yelp rating of 3.5 stars.
“We are incredibly proud of what Zelda created and the legacy that has continued after her,” restaurant representatives said in a Facebook statement.
What was on the Menu at the Sacramento Restaurant?
Zelda’s Original Gourmet Pizza specializes in cheesy, thick-crust pizzas with typical toppings like sausage and pepperoni, which were served whole and by the slice.
The restaurant also sold specialty pies, such as the “Everything” with sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers, onions, and anchovies, and the Spinoccoli, which had broccoli, seasoned spinach, fresh tomato slices, and three types of cheese.
Other menu options included appetizers, sandwiches, salads, and pasta.
Locals React to the Demise of the Iconic Midtown Pizza
Locals responded on social media to the restaurant’s closing with a combination of sadness and frustration.
“This is heartbreaking news,” Facebook user Steven Keylon wrote on Zelda’s post announcing the closure.
“Zelda’s was one of my favorite places growing up, and I would visit every time I came back,” Keylon wrote before requesting that the restaurant reveal its recipes “so we can all try to attempt your magic at home.”
Steve Vanoni, a Facebook commenter, described Zelda’s as “one of my favorite Sacramento places.”
“Damn, I will miss it,” he added.
Reddit users described Zelda’s as an old-school pizza parlor that failed to keep up with the times.
“Like it or not, Zelda’s outlasted many popular and trendy pizza joints,” one Redditor remarked in response to a Friday, Aug. 30 post regarding the restaurant’s closure. “Although the meal was not to everyone’s liking, it was exactly what many generations of customers desired. As a long-standing neighborhood cuisine tradition, many regulars have cherished it over the years…”
“I will truly miss going there with a friend or two, getting margaritas, wings, and a pie,” Reddit user Kerrytampas said. “It was also an excellent place to celebrate birthdays. “Very sad.”