'Post Office Pies,' Pizza Place Named Among Best in U.S., Is Closing
A beloved pizza restaurant that was named one of the 22 best pizza places in the U.S. is closing.
The restaurant was open for 11 years and is losing its last location.
"Post Office Pies is a neighborhood pizzeria that uses fresh ingredients all locally sourced, house made dough, and serve local beer and liquor," the website says.
Post Office Pies is shutting down its last remaining location in Mountain Brook, AL, on June 29, 2025, its owner John Hall announced on Instagram.
In 2024, The New York Times labeled the restaurant one of the nation's 22 best pizza places. No other pizza restaurant in Alabama made that list.
"After 11 years, we’re sunsetting Post Office Pies. Our last day of service will be June 29. Birmingham — thank you for one hell of a ride," Hall wrote.
"Opening Post Office Pies was one of the best decisions of my life. Returning to my hometown to launch my first business — rooted in a concept I originally sketched out in Brooklyn — always felt right, even when many thought otherwise," Hall added.
"We started in a historic post office in Avondale, the same neighborhood where my grandparents once lived and picked up their mail. It’s also where I still proudly call home," he noted. "Over the years, we’ve seen loss, growth, celebration, and survival. We made it through a global pandemic. We mourned the loss of our partner, Mike. And still, we pushed forward. I’m deeply grateful to every manager, every team member, every guest, and every friend who’s been part of this journey."
In 2021, the owner of the pizza chain, Hall, had announced that he was leaving the state in a lengthy Instagram post.
"I maintain my ownership at POPs, but have relocated to Portland, Oregon with my girlfriend, partner and amazing supporter Anna for a fresh start into the next chapter of life - Family," he wrote then.
"Thank you for making what once seemed a distant dream a reality. Over 8 years ago, I moved back home from New York City with an idea & a dream - To become a restaurant owner and a home owner, and have achieved that multiple times," he wrote.
"Proud to say independently without outside money, investors, or paid PR - Mike Wilson, Hunter Lake, and one of my best friends Brandon Cain and I opened a neighborhood pizzeria in Avondale, Post Office Pies (POPs), inside an old post office that my grandparents used," Hall added.
"I want to say a heartfelt thank you to all past staff members, to the current staff members for your resilience and work effort during these unprecedented times. POPs was and is about building a restaurant bigger than egos and awards. POPs is about creating something enduring for our team and community," he added. "It is because of that spirit that We’ve survived the past two years, even opening a new location during the pandemic in Mountain Brook, and are doing better than ever before (though I recognize given the state of our industry how lucky we are to say that)."
Added Hall: "Through my education and training at some of the best restaurants in the world with arguably some of the best chefs in the world, I’ve come to learn that there is more to life than press, awards, and money to be made. Having come close to opening two new projects, I’ve decided to focus on what is most important to me after the last two years - family."
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