Fine dining, it was not. But Drew Bohan is here to tell you: There was a whole lot to like about the now-dearly departed Willy’s Pizza in the early ’80s.
“A quick internet search suggests it has gone the way of most restaurants. But in its day, it was a student’s dream,” the 1985 UI grad says from Sacramento, where he’s the executive director of the California Energy Commission.
“Cheap beer. Unique blue-collar pizza. Solid hole-in-the-wall bona fides. And located right in the middle of town.
“Most people understandably favored Papa Del’s and Garcia’s, both excellent, but too scrubbed for my taste. Willy’s had a pint club membership system and patrons would brag about how low their number was, a sign of how long they’d been in on the secret.
“I couldn’t describe anything about the interior, including any of the folks who worked there, but just saying Willy’s brings back positive, though somewhat foggy, memories.”
