There is no doubt that Kukar’s House of Pizza is a San Jose institution. It even says so right there on its building, right next to where it says “Since 1950,” a concrete statement of longevity that can’t be argued.
This weekend, House of Pizza will celebrate its 75th anniversary with its customers, offering an anniversary special Saturday and Sunday consisting of a large 1950s Confusion pizza, a large house salad and hot wings for $50. That includes sales tax, which, in the parlance of the pizza biz, can add up to a lot of dough.
George Kukar Jr., who took over running the restaurant in the 1980s from his father, George Sr., says its secret to longevity is its dedication. “House of Pizza is dedicated to our community, customers, food and good times,” he said.
Customers have shown the love right back. On a typical weekend night, it’ll be packed with people, from families celebrating a birthday or other special occasion to groups gathered around the bar to watch a game. Kids run to and from the small arcade area, somehow managing to not knock over all the bric-a-brac that serves as decor, including a suit of armor near the restrooms.
One piece of memorabilia worth noting is a sign hanging near the bar of a bikini-clad woman and the words, “The Sun.” In 1968, Courage Brewery supplied the sign to the Sun Inn, a 16th century pub in the village of Chobham near London, but it was deemed too risqué and taken down after customer complaints. George Kukar saw a newspaper article about it and contacted Courage to let them know he would gladly take it. It arrived in early 1969 and has become as iconic as House of Pizza’s signature dish.
Let’s be clear. House of Pizza doesn’t serve your average pizza. It serves House of Pizza pizza, a unique style created by Lorraine Riddle, who originally ran the kitchen for Kukar in the 1950s and was a longtime manager. The distinctive pizza is a round pie cut in squares, with its meat toppings chopped and placed on a tangy sauce under the blanket of mozzarella and provolone cheese. Since the 1950s, takeout orders are placed on a cardboard flat and wrapped in paper; House of Pizza only provides boxes for DoorDash deliveries because they apparently don’t understand tradition.
That House of Pizza is still around to celebrate 75 years is almost a miracle in itself. The original two-story building sat at 395 Almaden Ave., on the corner of Auzerais, for 25 years before the city forced Kukar to relocate at a cost of $240,000 so it could realign the streets in the mid-1970s.
Then in the early 1980s, Kukar was informed that House of Pizza was in the footprint of what would become the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. Politicians like County Supervisor Susie Wilson argued that places like House of Pizza gave people a reason to come downtown, and Mercury News columnists — including Steve Lopez, John Askins and Leigh Weimers — opined on the travesty. The city offered Kukar a relocation settlement, but he held out for nearly $1 million and got it, moving House of Pizza to 527 Almaden Ave., where it’s been for the past 40 years.
Since then, it’s been hidden by high-rise construction, had its parking lot curtailed and has been often overlooked by the city’s foodies in favor of shiny, new pizza places — most of which have opened and closed in a blink of House of Pizza’s 75 years. But the regulars keep coming, and few of them appear to be 75, so new customers must be finding their way.
And all that makes George Kukar Jr. very happy. “I don’t know how to explain this, but I enjoy feeding people,” he said. “I think it brings people closer together.”
BAR TO THE FUTURE?: Haberdasher, the basement craft cocktail lounge in downtown San Jose, also is dressing up for Halloween this week. But instead of going the spooky route, Haberdasher is costuming itself after the 1985 time-travel classic, “Back to the Future” (which is also enjoying an anniversary run in theaters for the next week).
That includes some century-spanning cocktails from 1885, 1955, 1985 and sorta-2015 with clever names like “Back in Thyme,” “Hoverboard,” “Mr. Fusion,” “Johnny B. Goode” and “You’re My Density.” So put on that denim jacket and orange vest and head on over for “Haberween” at 43 W. San Salvador St. through Sunday.
LEGACY OF VIETNAM: “Saigon Execution” is a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph that Associated Press photojournalist Eddie Adams made in 1968 at the start of the Tet Offensive, and its legacy is the subject of “On Healing Land, Birds Perch,” a 33-minute documentary made this year by director Naja Pham Lockwood.
The film will be screened at a 2 p.m. event Sunday at Yerba Buena High School in San Jose, which will also feature a panel discussion and question-and-answer session with the director. The event, sponsored by the IRCC (Immigrant Resettlement & Cultural Center) and Viet Museum, takes place at Yerba Buena’s Student Union and will feature music by the Truong Sound Band. Admission is free.
