The Deep Dish

Jim Bonis arrived Nov. 26, 1966. You might know it better as the day the Saskatchewan Roughriders won their first Grey Cup.

Arriving in Regina was Jim’s opportunity to start a career in the restaurant business. At the Vagabond restaurant, he won over the chef by coming in early so he could learn how to cook. It got him a job in the kitchen.

In 1976, he started his own restaurant – Western Pizza. That’s when Jim started to win over customers with his tomato sauce. He has tweaked the recipe over the years, but every batch was always created from scratch.

His son Spiro describes the sauce as being a little sweeter and spicier than others. His customers just know it is delicious.

That deliciousness has been consistently delivered at all the Western Pizza locations for years. It’s still winning over customers after 40 years.

When you find something that works, you stick with it. Jim’s recipe has proven to be a winner here in Regina.

During the summer, you might hit the road, travelling somewhere for a change in scenery and a taste of something different.

Visit any city and you can find pizza. Each city has its own style. Some are world famous for it.

In Chicago, they like deep dish pizza. The crust is pressed up the sides of the pan before cheese is layered in. Toppings fill it up and sauce is ladled on top.

In New York, it starts with a thin crust with a few choice toppings. Each pizza is then cut in wide slices so you can roll them up.

Come home and you can pick up your favourite.

Here in Regina, we’ve got our own style. We’ve been making your favourite for 40 years.

It starts with a round, thicker crust. Next, a tomato sauce that is slightly sweet and spicy is spread on it. You won’t find that sauce anywhere else but here.

Then, you layer on the meat and veggies. Pepperoni, ham, bacon, and sausage are some favourites in Regina. Fresh mushrooms, peppers, and onions are the veggies of choice here.

Then, the cheese is layered on top to melt from edge to edge, making for one thick and hefty pizza that will fill a family.

It’s a pizza that stays with people. They crave it – whether they call Regina home now or have in the past. It’s why we end up shipping up our pizzas to those who got a taste of it and want to have more!

When it comes to mixing and matching pizza toppings, the possibilities are virtually endless. Yes, the all-dressed pizza remains a favourite, as does the combo of pepperoni, bacon and mushrooms. And the Hawaiian is as popular as ever.

But over the years, Western Pizza customers have been experimenting with their toppings. Ketchup and sour cream, spinach and feta, and shrimp have been added as main ingredients. Sound unusual? At first it did, but these requests have gathered momentum and are becoming more common for our kitchen staff.

Speaking of our cooks, they’ve added a few new tricks to their pizza-making repertoire. Our pasta pizza – traditional spaghetti and sauce baked with cheese on top on our crust – has become a regular menu item along with the baked potato pizza. The latter is loaded with chives, bacon bits, and even sour cream – everything you would find on a spud, only this one is found on a pizza.

Our 10-inch pies now have the option of gluten-free crusts. These are becoming more popular with customers too.

There are no wrong answers when it comes to your favourite pizza toppings. Pile it high and thick with meat, fresh veggies, or a combination of both. Or be creative and try something new. You might find something you like. After all, it’s pizza. It’s meant to be fun.

The staff at Western Pizza is always friendly and personable, aiming to make your dining experience a great one.

Here’s how they do that:

Working at Western Pizza is more than just a job. You can feel the pride our staff takes in everything they do – from the moment we greet you at the door, to our food preparation, to its delivery to your table. We believe in giving you our best on a daily basis, making you feel welcome as soon as you step inside.

Our team is a tight-knit group and they are experienced in what they do. Most of our staff have been working together for years and know our regular customers by name and their favourite dish. We’ll treat our customers like we would our family.

Whether it’s a daily special, a new creation from the kitchen, or just some of your traditional favourites, our servers are experts with our menu items. They’re happy to help customers decide what to have for lunch or dinner or how to mix and match side orders with main entrees.

On a tight schedule? Meeting with a large group? We’ll cater to your needs and make sure you’re well taken care of.

Having a great experience at a restaurant is about more than the food. It’s about great people too. Experience for yourself what our people have to offer.

Tradition is important to the people of Saskatchewan, especially when it comes to their favourite sports teams. The Saskatchewan Roughriders and Regina Pats have long been entrenched in the lives of many in this province. Western Pizza has been a supportive teammate of both teams, among many others in the community, for more than 20 years.

That tradition continues this season.

Whether it’s a home or away game, the kitchen at Western Pizza is always ready to serve sports fans their menu favourites.

Hockey fans can devour the Pats Special – lasagna for six, dry ribs, garlic toast and soda – which is sure to satisfy any cravings before or after the puck hits the ice.

The annual ‘Have a Heart’ night in February with the Pats – where players help out at all the Western Pizza locations in Regina for the night – has helped to raise more than $50,000 for the Saskatchewan Heart & Stroke Foundation. Players go on deliveries to meet the fans, hand out posters and sign autographs on this special night, with all proceeds from the delivery fees donated.

Riders fans have good taste in football teams and restaurants. Western Pizza has been serving local football foodies for more than two decades.

The Riders Special and the Field Goal promotion have been popular with the football faithful for years. A large three-topping pizza, souvlaki, salad and soda sounds like a winning combination, and all can be had for a special price on game days.

Additionally, with each Riders field goal, you’ll save $3 on a large pizza on the Tuesday following that game.

Western Pizza also cheers on the young athletes at the grassroots level in our community. Any young athlete can be nominated for the chance to win a pizza party as part of the Woodsy’s Little Hero promotion with radio personality Warren Woods and News Talk 980 CJME.

Western Pizza is a fan of sports just like you. Celebrate our local teams and take advantage of our game day specials with the family or with your team. Don’t go hungry on game day.

He arrived Nov. 26, 1966. You might know it better as the day the Saskatchewan Roughriders won their first Grey Cup.

Arriving in Regina was Jim’s opportunity to start a career in the restaurant business. At the Vagabond restaurant, he won over the chef by coming in early so he could learn how to cook. It got him a job in the kitchen.

In 1976, he started his own restaurant – Western Pizza. That’s when Jim started to win over customers with his tomato sauce. He has tweaked the recipe over the years, but every batch was always created from scratch.

His son Spiro describes the sauce as being a little sweeter and spicier than others. His customers just know it is delicious.

That deliciousness has been consistently delivered at all the Western Pizza locations for years. It’s still winning over customers after 40 years.

When you find something that works, you stick with it. Jim’s recipe has proven to be a winner here in Regina.