Garage Bar

There is something inherently cool about dining in a repurposed auto service station, especially one whose artwork is as inspired as it is at Louisville’s Garage Bar. In front of the outdoor tables where the gas pumps used to be is Jonathan Schipper’s “Slow Inevitable Death of an American Muscle Car,” a sculpture of two full-size 1970s Trans Ams aimed at each other in perpetual slow motion, simulating a head-on collision.

But as wild as that visual is, nothing compares to the sight of pizzas that are pulled out of the custom-built, wood-fired brick oven by chef Richard Sible, who has been working at this NuLu pizzeria since it opened. Utilizing local produce and a “farm-to-garage” ethic, the signature dough is made with an eight-year-old starter, 00 Caputo flour from Naples and limestone Kentucky water, resulting in a lightly blistered, thin, chewy crust.

Every pie tastes unique at Garage Bar, including one favorite of house-made pepperoni with milled tomato, onion, bell pepper, fior di latte and Cerignola olives.

“For the pepperoni, we use local bison and pork, adding spice without fillers."

“When we pair ingredients with the pepperoni, we always highlight the pepperoni,” says Sible. “Combining tastes such as salty, bitter and acidic enhance the experience rather than making it a muddy pile of conflicting flavors. We always keep the toppings light to make sure that every morsel is different, creating that magical moment of surprise when everything changes with the next bite.”

Garage Bar proudly calls out its fine ingredients: Antico Molino Caputo 00 flour, San Marzano tomatoes and Fior di Latte mozzarella.