After being gone for a decade, The Wedge Pizzeria has returned to downtown Iowa City.
Known for its innovative specialty pizzas, The Wedge debuted in its new location at 113 Iowa Ave, next to Joe’s Place, on Wednesday.
“The space is pretty cool,” Regina Miller, the pizzeria’s co-owner, told Little Village. “It’s got high-ceilings, we’ve got one exposed brick wall. I think it’s a pretty inviting place for people.”
The Wedge has been serving pizza to hungry Iowa Citians since Steve Harding opened the doors on its original location on Riverside Drive in 1999. In 2008, Harding opened a second location in the Ped Mall that closed in 2014. Six years later, the Riverside Drive location moved to a small space in the building housing the DeliMart at 525 Hwy 1.
But after Casey’s, the state’s leading purveyor of gas-station pizza, bought all four Iowa City DeliMarts and the one in Coralville in 2023, it was clear The Wedge would need a new home.
Miller said she and co-owner Mike Harris already had moving plans in the back of their minds when they bought The Wedge from Harding in 2022. But they had time, even after Casey’s bought the building, because the lease would let them stay in place through the end of 2024.
“We really started to look for a new space last spring and through the summer,” Miller said. “If you’ve lived in Iowa City long enough, you know that there’s a weird lack of availability of commercial restaurant space in this town. When one’s available, it gets taken quickly.”
“There were only two or three places in the six months that we were searching that might have been somewhat workable, but they were not restaurant-ready.”
Then they found the Iowa Avenue space, the front of which was home most recently to Benders, a yoga studio.
“We were getting the whole space,” Miller explained. “The front used to be Benders, the back was Joe’s Place’s kitchen.”
It didn’t require many changes to get the kitchen Wedge-ready. Miller and Harris were already ready.
Harris had worked at The Wedge for about 16 years and Miller had been at the pizzeria for five when they bought it a little over two years ago. The menu reflects that continuity.
“We have the same menu we had on Hwy. 1.” Miller said. “Pizza — I loss count every time I try to count — it’s 20-some specialty pizzas.”
Those signature pizzas include such favorites as the Nutcracker, the Love Supreme, the Ghengis Chicken and the Tootie Frootie. Customers can also build their own pizzas by selecting the sauce and toppings.
“We have 50 toppings to choose from,” Miller said.
There are also calzones, garlic breadsticks and salads.
“For desserts we have cookies, we have vegan gluten-free brownies, we have cake, we have pies, we have cheesecake. We make all the desserts in-house.”
What The Wedge doesn’t have at the moment is its own sign on the building. The big Benders sign is still mounted, although there is a Wedge banner in the window.
“We’re working on the sign,” Miller said. “I spoke to the sign guy yesterday.”
A lot of people have told Miller and Harris they’re excited to have The Wedge back in downtown Iowa City, selling slices and everything else. Currently it’s only offering carry-out and delivery. Miller said that it’s possible there may a dine-in option in the future, but at the moment the priority is getting adjusted to the new space and having everything running smoothly before the students return to the University of Iowa.
The Wedge is open seven days a week: Monday, 11 a.m-4 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. on Sunday.
