Gusto Pizza Bar, Ingersoll Avenue mainstay, has tossed its last batch of pizza dough

Gusto Pizza Bar, the longtime pizza restaurant in Des Moines, closed its doors on Thursday, co-owner Tony Lemmo told the Des Moines Register.

“We have truly put our hearts and just about every ounce of energy into this location,” Lemmo told the Register. “It’s time to spend more time with my family, garden and of course, Aposto,” his Italian restaurant in Sherman Hill.

In October 2022, the owners of Gusto Pizza moved from their original location at 1905 Ingersoll Ave. in Des Moines to 2301 Ingersoll Ave. with larger space, a patio on the side, and a long bar in the front.

Friends Josh Holderness, Joe McConville and Lemmo originally opened Gusto Pizza in 2011 as a place to find made-from-scratch pizzas and sandwiches along with reasonably priced beer and wine in Des Moines. Lemmo formerly ran Frank's Pizza in the Drake neighborhood.

At one time, the restaurant offered Detroit-style, Chicago deep dish, New York-style, and wood-fired Neapolitan pies, all with an eye toward locally sourced ingredients.

In November, the restaurant started holding pop-ups with Bamie’s Pizza Bar, the southside institution, with Ann and Ron Bonnano bringing in the family’s recipes for four styles of pizza. The pop-ups continued until last week.

More: Bamie's Pizza House returns to Des Moines for the first two weeks in November. Find out where.

The trio of friends converted one West Des Moines location at 8950 University Ave. into El Guapo’s Tequila and Tacos in 2019 after a six-year run as Gusto Pizza Co. El Guapo’s closed in March.

The Johnston location of Gusto Pizza closed in late 2019.

The West Des Moines location of Gusto Pizza at 2800 University Ave., Suite 400, closed at Clocktower Square in 2022.

Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook , X , or Instagram , or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Gusto Pizza Bar, Ingersoll Avenue mainstay, has tossed its last batch of pizza dough