Citing Rent Hike, Stalwart Denton Pizzeria J&J’s Will Close Permanently

After 24 years of slinging pies to college kids and devoted locals, Denton pizza favorite J&J’s Pizza will permanently close its doors later this summer.

The restaurant announced its impending closure in a Facebook post on Wednesday, noting that J&J’s final day of service will come in August. “We will miss serving this beautiful and supportive community so, so much,” the statement reads in part. In the post J&J’s owners say that their landlord increased the rent on the pizzeria’s space at 118 West Oak Street that they “just can’t pay.”

Since opening 24 years ago, J&J’s was a staple for college kids attending the University of North Texas, and for more than a decade the restaurant’s “old dirty basement” played host to free underground rock shows from local musicians. J&J’s discontinued its basement shows in 2016, after the pizzeria lost access to the space following “heated” negotiations with the building’s owner.

For serious fans of J&J’s though, the pizzeria’s sister restaurant, called Saint Joe’s Pizza, is set to open its doors in Gainesville later this year. That’s only about a 35 minute drive according to Google Maps, which is a totally reasonable haul when a serious pizza craving strikes. No official timeline for Saint Joe’s Pizza has been announced just yet, but expect it to arrive in the “next few months.”

In the meantime, J&J’s fans still have about six weeks to score their final meat lovers’ pies and Italian subs. The restaurant is set to officially close its doors on August 10.