Aurelio's Pizza Munster

Aurelio's Pizza Munster is a pizza place in Munster, IN, located at 416 Ridge Rd. It is part of the Aurelio's Pizza franchise and serves the menu items developed by the brand, including their handcrafted thin-crust pizzas, Italian beef sandwiches on toasted Italian bread, appetizers, salads, pasta, and desserts. The location participates in the Aurelio's rewards program, which lets customers order online and earn points toward future visits.

The Aurelio's tradition began on August 20, 1959, when founder Joe Aurelio opened the first location at 2041 Ridge Road in Homewood, Illinois. That original storefront was small enough for about four tables and a single pizza oven, and in the early days Joe sold only six or seven pizzas a day while his homemade Italian beef sandwiches carried the business. He adjusted the dough and sauce recipes and began using fresh, homemade Italian sausage rather than pre-cooking it, which helped pizza sales grow. Working seven days a week as cook, waiter, and delivery driver, Joe built a loyal following one customer at a time, and by 1962 the business had expanded into the adjoining storefronts at 2045 Ridge Road, formerly Shreiber's Hardware. The new kitchen and bar opened, and the other side was set up for parties and a teenage crowd, complete with a jukebox, picnic-style seating with the iconic red and white checkered tabletops, and walls covered in news headlines.

The Munster location sits on Ridge Road, about 0.2 miles from the Munster Ridge Road train station and within roughly a third of a mile of Hohman Avenue, Saint Pauls Evangelical Lutheran School, and James B. Eads Elementary School. Monon Trailhead is a short walk away. Aurelio's Pizza Munster holds a rating of 4.30.