_{By Zach Collier}

Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa, Arizona, stands as a rare survivor of a bygone era when “pizza-and-pipes” restaurants were a popular dining experience across the United States. Originating in the 1960s, these establishments combined pizza with live performances on giant theatre organs. It may be an alien concept for those with modern musical (and dining) sensibilities, but it spread like wildfire all across the US.

Despite it being a craze a generation ago, there are only three pizza-and-pipes restaurants in America left: Organ Stop, Organ Piper Pizza in Greenfield, Wisconsin, and Beggars Pizza in Lansing, Illinois.

In 1972, the original Organ Stop Pizza restaurant premiered in Phoenix, Arizona at the corner of 7th Street and Missouri Avenue with a Wurlitzer pipe organ which was originally built for Grauman’s Hollywood Egyptian Theatre. This unique concept of a pizza parlor with a pipe organ was envisioned by William P. Brown, a Phoenix real estate developer whose enthusiasm for the theatre pipe organ and its music led to the creation of this landmark attraction.

The wild success of the Phoenix restaurant prompted plans to open another Organ Stop in Mesa. Organ Stop’s centerpiece is the “Mighty Wurlitzer,” the largest of its kind globally. This 8,000-pound organ, originally from the Denver Theatre, was meticulously relocated to Mesa in 1995, where it continues to captivate diners with its 6,000 pipes and versatile sound effects. In Denver, the instrument had 15 ranks, or sets of pipes. In Mesa, the decision was made to enlarge the organ to 23 ranks for its debut.

Despite the restaurant’s historical roots and unique appeal, the heyday of pizza-and-pipes faded as many venues attempted unsuccessful expansions into upscale dining. While the Phoenix location failed, Mesa’s Organ Stop Pizza persevered by staying true to its original concept—pizza and organ music—drawing a diverse crowd that spans generations. Families and groups travel from across Arizona to experience the combination of cheesy slices and melodious tunes, ranging from Disney hits to classical ragtime compositions.

Organ Stop has become a cultural landmark and a tourist destination in Mesa and it’s easy to see why. The atmosphere is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s not just people talking over organ music while eating their pizza. It’s people eating pizza while watching the organ performance – because it’s that good. The musicians are top notch, taking requests from the audience and improvising full scale organ arrangements on a hydraulic, rotating stage while lights and lasers flash and cymbals ring.

The entire restaurant was built for one purpose: it’s a spacious venue built around the Mighty Wurlitzer. It’s not a pizza joint with an organ shoehorned in. You go to hear organ and get some pizza, not the other way around.

Organ Stop Pizza and its Mighty Wurlitzer have come to be known as the biggest and best in the world as attested to by many of the world’s finest theatre organists who come to perform, as well as the hundreds of thousands of patrons who visit each year.

Today, Organ Stop Pizza remains a testament to nostalgia and innovation, offering a rare glimpse into a dining tradition that continues to thrive against the odds. What once was all the rage has now become an incredibly novel experience unlike anything you’ve ever seen. If you ever get a chance to visit Organ Stop Pizza, do it. You won’t regret experiencing one of Deseret’s weirdest musical gems.

Make sure to follow Organ Stop Pizza on Instagram and check out our tour of the space below.