It has looked like a run-down dump for the past 6 months or so, more that it used to anyway. Not surprising.

...that was ALWAYS the ambience, Perch, even 40 years ago

Such a fucking shame.

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http://www.gofundme.com/2vpa9o

I spent my whole misguided youth there. Every time I visited Pittsburgh for the past 30 years, that was my first stop. After Vince died, it lost a lot. My favorite story that can be told involves my getting a Large Vince, everything but fish, to take back on the plane to Los Angeles.

We connected through Dallas, and had to run to catch the next plane. We left the Vinnie Pie in the overhead. When they were preparing that plane for the next flight, they found a pizza box that was " much too heavy to be pizza" in the overhead. They treated it like a bomb, and brought in a team to investigate.

I was pissed that I left my pizza, but got a kick out of getting a good Vincent story. When I told Vince, he reminded me of what an A**hole I was. I really miss him, and now will miss the original Vinnie's. I know Swissvale72 loved the place as well.

Frequented Vinnie's plenty in high school, early '70s. Was having a Vinny Pie & a beer at the bar the night Woody Hayes hit the player from Clemson, on the eve of Steelers-Denver in the '78 Divisional Playoffs. Vinnie had condom machines in the bathroom, loooong before it was seen as a publich health concern.

Brought my Patriots friend, Stupid Charlie, to Vinnie's in '86. Year later, he finished his graduate work, and some other friends told him they'd take him to dinner anywhere east of the Mississippi. "Bring my to Vinnie's in Pittsburgh," said Stupid Charlie, and they boarded a plane out of Boston's Logan Airport, Vinnie's-bound.

Few years later, before Vinnie started shipping his pies, Stupid Charlie paid my brother $50 to ship a pie to New Hampshire. Charlie lived on Martin Avenue, but it came out, "Mawwwtin." Ralphie thought it was Mountain Ave., sent it there, and the pie was returned to Pittsburgh. Realizing his miscue, Ralphie merely re-addressed it, shipped it back out. The pie arrives at Stupid Charlie's place, I get a phone call, make the mad dash to Stupid Charlie's. I get there, pie's in the oven. It comes out...smells a little funny. Upon closer inspection, we find generous amounts of green mold. Stupid Charlie and I look at each other, simultaneously ask, "Should we eat it?" We didn't....but damn near killed us to throw that fuckin' pie away.

Can still see Vinnie, covered with flour, shirt open to his navel, replete in gold chains, 2-inch long ash on his cigarette. For the longest tie, NO ONE touched the pies but Vinnie. And then there was the sign, the motto, "This isn't Burger King. You take it our way or you don't take the sonofabitch at all."

RIP Vinnie....now....RIP Vincent's Pizza. Best fuckin' pizza anywhere!!

Amen

Posted this a looong time ago:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=8628&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Fans of Vinny’s you have my sympathy. Nothing like a favorite neighborhood pizza place. Living in Atlanta all we have is franchise pizza…no local pizza places whatsoever. Awful.

I miss a lot of things about Pittsburgh but locally owned restaurants is near the top of the list. I remember my dad bringing home Dels or even Mineo's if he was working in that part of town or going to local dives close to home like Bellasarios or even Mama Lucia’s out a Northway Mall. My mom still plays cards at Casey’s Monday afternoons with her old betty friends. I really miss Johnny’s Wildwood up at Edinboro too…damn good pizza also.

Anyway, you may have lost a pizza place, but you still have Pittsburgh.

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"You seem angry, Drama."
"I've always been, Billy. Only now, I'm drunk too."

I'm a Jersey guy originally so my opinion of the shit most Americans call pizza is pretty fucking low.

But let me tell you...you yinzers love of this place was so great, that the 4 times I've been to Pittsburgh for a game, I've wanted to go.

Never did...and now I wish I had. I may or may not have thought as much of the pizza as you dudes....but the enthusiasm for a local legend would have been well worth the trip. NJ used to be full of excellent local pizza joints like this. But time and the real estate bubble pre-2008 closed a lot of good family dives. Everytime I go back to the neighborhood....the food choices of youth get slimmer.

I may not remember a damn thing about this board years from now...but I will remember Vinny's. Well, that and FC's love for sweaty, grunting, proto-humans who can pancake fellow Neaderthals.

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Crescat scientia; vita excolatur