Louie’s Pizza pays homage to Rehoboth Beach history

One of the challenges of writing about The Business of Eating is to go a few months or so without mentioning pizza. Science has proven that oceans do in fact attract pizzas, which is why so many pie places cluster in the first block of Rehoboth Avenue.  Though uniquely American, pizza is like most regional foods: Everybody is convinced that their favorite is the best. Downtown Rehoboth dishes up a variety of pies, and one of the locals’ favorites is Louie’s.

Since ’74, a thin, yeasty and house-made crust has yielded an appetizing “pull” with every bite. Louie Gouvas and his sons Tony and Tim are known for pilin’ on the pepperoni, and somehow their pizza tastes even better when reheated and consumed while scanning the surf from the Boardwalk. (Beware of the seagulls, however! I have been the victim of a fly-by slice grab perpetrated by two gulls working in unison to secure their lunch. It was the typical “good-gull-bad-gull” maneuver, and unbelievably, they were successful.)

After dealing with some health problems, Louie is now more often in the background at the tiny shop. But he still makes his in-town rounds on his bike, waving to his friends and fellow businesspeople.

Louie’s Pizza, officially known as Louie’s Home of the Grinder, grew out of George’s Lunch, owned by dad’s Uncle George. At that time, many of the storefronts by the ocean in Rehoboth Avenue were owned by first- or second-generation Greek immigrants from Wilmington and Philadelphia. The families worked hard to keep the businesses thriving. Good examples include Gus Svolis and his family-run Gus & Gus’ Place on the Boardwalk, and the long-gone Country Squire restaurant (where Semra’s Mediterranean Grill is now) owned by Nick, one of the three Tsoukalas brothers. George owned the Sea Wood (where Grotto Pizza’s outdoor seating is now), and the long-lived Robin Hood is still owned by Harry Tsoukalas and his family.

As is so often the case with multiple families living and working in close proximity, buildings and owners were shuffled around. Louie Gouvas ended up with the space that housed West’s clothing store after the former owner added the second floor to the building. In fact, the Gouvas family lived in that upper floor for many years. (George’s Lunch was next door where Thrashers is now.)

As he and his brother Tim strive to bring the nuts and bolts of Louie’s into the modern age (without changing the pizza, of course), Tony Gouvas realized that all that history couldn’t go to waste. So he partnered with Coca-Cola, Louie’s longtime soft drink supplier, to create an almost museum-like mural in the dining room. This slice of Rehoboth Beach history is a collage of family photos and old-time images and postcards showing beachgoers lined up at George’s Lunch with West’s in the background. There are great pictures of a young Louie Gouvas and his uncle serving customers and hand-cutting french fries. 

When dad was battling his health issues (from which he has totally recovered), Tony is the first to admit that the business suffered a bit along with the family. But dad and his sons are back in the saddle, and that pepperoni-carpeted pizza is just as good as ever. Of course you can’t forget Louie’s famous cheese fries and their warm grinders. What is a grinder, you ask? It’s a New England term for a sub that is toasted. Add that to the salt air and the sound of the waves, and few experiences are more Rehoboth than that. 

So when the warm ocean breezes bring on that empty feeling, a Louie’s slice might be just what you need. Top it with a twilight view of the surf, and you’ve got the perfect taste of summer. And watch out for those pizza-lovin’ gulls.