A pizza oven chimney was illegally removed from local restaurant Hail Pizza earlier this month. Due to this, the popular pizzeria has been forced to close its doors.
In a social media statement released on Saturday, 23 March, Hail Pizza, which is located at the back of Clarke’s Bar and Dining Room, that the restaurant was no longer going to be operating after the weekend.
“Sadly tonight will be the last night that Hail Pizza will be operating. With no quick solution to our chimney woes in sight we’ve had to make a difficult decision very quickly,” the post reads.
They added that the existing space would become part of Clarke’s.
“Until then we’ll be making the Hail Pizza space available for Clarke’s group bookings and any events you might be interested in.”
Known for their delicious wood-fired pizza and 2-for-1 special on Wednesdays, Hail Pizza’s chimney was stolen on March 14 2019.
“Under the cover of night a neighbour illegally tore down our pizza oven chimney… never a dull moment. While we deal with all the authorities under the sun to get our fires burning again we’re finding alternative ways to get our tasty discs of love to our fans.”
In its time, the restaurant provided a secluded hideaway from the hustle and bustle of the city streets, where locals and tourists could tuck into a cheesy slice of freshly prepared pizza.
Taking the loss in their stride and with a sense of humour, the restaurant briefly remained open and offered different menu options to customers.
“As some of you might already know, in the cover of night a kindly neighbour has removed our chimney, we can only assume they didn’t realise it was essential to making your delicious dinner.”
Describing it as a “rather unusual scenario”, Hail Pizza thanked their loyal customers.
“All the love to our supporters. Perhaps we’ll see you all again in the near future”
Capetonians were sad to hear the news and among the comments a Facebook user shared; “UGH! Best pizza in Cape Town You will be missed!”
Cape Town Etc reached out to Hail Pizza for comment but had not received any at the time of publication.
Picture: Hail Pizza, Cape Town, Facebook