So popular it had to close initially, this Meridian restaurant just opened a second one

When Johnny Bronx Pizza debuted in Meridian four years ago, it got stampeded. Hammered.

Crushed — like red pepper flakes.

Overwhelmed by Idahoans craving New York-style slices, the drive-thru/walk-up pizzeria racked up six times the number of orders that its owners had anticipated. Ingredients ran out. Half a week after opening at 4970 N. Linder Road, the restaurant closed for several days. Just to regroup. “It was nonstop,” co-owner Judah DeVilbiss explained at the time.

Fast-forward to Monday, Oct. 24.

Johnny Bronx Pizza just opened a second store — at 150 S. Ten Mile Road. And the memory of first-week madness in 2018 is still as fresh as the local pizzeria’s handmade dough.

“We make jokes about it all the time,” DeVilbiss admitted, “about how chaotic it will be.”

Taste of New York

Fear not, Johnny Bronx fans. Nowadays, the operation is proven and streamlined. “It’s definitely going to be a much different scenario,” DeVilbiss said confidently.

What has stayed the same? The menu. Pizza. Subs. Pasta. And that Johnny Bronx dough, which is made using a purified, specially filtered water to mimic New York’s special ingredient.

Ordering is available at johnnybronx.com. (If it’s not yet letting you select the Ten Mile store, give it a day or two, DeVilbiss said.) Carryout remains a focus. Third-party delivery will be available, too. And, yes, there’s a drive-thru window.

But at 1,500 square feet, the new Johnny Bronx Pizza is three times the size of the tiny original, which DeVilbiss fondly calls “the guinea pig.” There’s even seating inside for 26 customers, with plans for a few tables outside. Unlike the original Linder store, the new Johnny Bronx also sells beer, wine and canned cocktails.

A big slice of standard cheese pizza is $2.95. An entire 14-inch pie is $13.50. A 20-incher is $17.95. And, yes, you can still get a slice and a soda for $4.95.

But it’s the creative takes on New York-style pizza that attract many regulars.

Pies, happy hour

Take the Huck Finn — a temptation posted recently on Facebook. The pizza is made with a base of garlic mustard barbecue sauce, mozzarella and white sharp cheddar cheese, then topped with beef brisket, white onions and cherry peppers. To seal the deal? It gets finished with crispy fried onions and a huckleberry barbecue drizzle.

Say what?

“Literally the best thing I ate this week,” one commenter replied.

“Your outside of the box combinations are AMAZING!!” trumpeted another.

It’s enough to make a Boise pizza freak want to drive to Meridian. People actually did that specifically for the house-made Bronx Boy ice cream sandwiches when the original opened, DeVilbiss said. (Those are $3.95.)

Either way, he hopes to welcome plenty of sit-down customers at Ten Mile. The atmosphere is much different than it is at the original drive-thru store, he said. “I think people are going to get a sense of really what we’re trying to accomplish with the New York feel.”

Johnny Bronx’s hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. (It’s closed Sundays.) And be aware: There’s a nightly happy hour. “Half-off slices for the last hour of the night,” DeVilbiss said.

Assuming they still have pizza behind the counter, of course.

Just kidding!

Johnny Bronx shouldn’t run out of pie — at least not on the level of that initial 3 1/2 days in 2018.

“We haven’t closed since,” DeVilbiss bragged with a chuckle. “So we’re on the right track now.”