Pensacola's Pizza Kitchen has closed its doors for good, but a local favorite is moving in

Pensacola’s Pizza Kitchen has closed its doors on 3012 N. Ninth Avenue, but local favorite Gud Vybz Jamaican Grill is ready to open its third location in its place this October.

What was the Pizza Kitchen like?

Pizza Kitchen was a carry-out and delivery only brick-oven Pensacola pizza joint located at 3012 N. Ninth Avenue that opened up shop in January of 2020.

In addition to the specialty pies, like the Greek, Hawaiian Barbecue or “Fat Daddy” pizza loaded with steak, chicken and shrimp, the menu boasted a wide variety of lunch and dinner items, ranging from hot grilled subs to specialty pasta dishes.

What the family-owned eatery lacked in square footage, it made up for in food quality, with dough, sauce, meatballs and calzones all made from scratch.

What can I expect at Gud Vybz?

After owner and entrepreneur Nash Smith moved to the United States in 2000, he has been bringing a taste of Jamaica with him, starting with his little hole-in-the-wall located at 4352 Avalon Blvd. in Milton. Since steadily building a following over the course of a few years, he expanded to bring a second location to 7999 Pensacola Blvd. last September, saving Escambia County residents the drive across the bridge to his original spot. Now, he is hoping to reach a new audience with his third location at 3012 N. Ninth Ave., with plans to continue growing his franchise even beyond state lines.

“I'll be working on trying to be everywhere,” Smith said.

Unlike the Pizza Kitchen, the restaurant will accommodate both dine-in and carry-out orders, in addition to a patio and VIP room area.

Since he purchased some of the equipment that came with the Pizza Kitchen, he will also be adding a new line of pizzas with his own twist, such as jerk chicken and oxtail as specialty flavors. However, the remainder of the Gud Vybz menu should feel familiar to the one that customers have come to know and fall in love with, serving up signatures such as the rice and peas, which are standard Sunday meals in Jamaican households, or the hot-and-ready handheld beef patties.

Expanding the Gud Vybz footprint and legacy

Smith said he aimed to bring a level of Jamaican culinary traditions to the Panhandle that really wasn’t being done at the time. He brought spices in from the island, stocked the fridge with Caribbean beverages such as the grapefruit-flavored Ting and cooks his jerk chicken over the grill out back. Some of the best Jamaican recipes are cooked from memory, but Smith has created a canon of his recipes he hopes to carry over into future locations bearing the Gud Vybz name.

The sound of Jamaican music fills the restaurant in each of his locations with Jamaican flags and artwork lining the walls.

Now that he has gained a following and reputation across Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, he plans to create a Gud Vybz Jamaican Grill Foundation that will help those in need in the communities that each location serves. For the Ninth Avenue location specifically, he sees a need for workforce development tips and training that he feels he can offer the area.

“We're going to focus on trying to be a staple in the community, by not just selling food, but also in helping the community. The community is what makes us who we are, everyone is supporting us. So, I want to give back to them. So that's the reason why I started a foundation because I'm happy and grateful for where we are right and the community that's been helping us to grow. So, I just say, ‘Okay, it's time for us to start giving back,” Smith said.

More real-time updates and information can be found on the Gud Vybz Jamaican Grill Facebook page.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola's Pizza Kitchen has closed, Gud Vybz will replace it