Perillos Pizzeria Central Indiana Must Try

Meat, meat, and more meat. Loaded with toppings, this is a pizza made to satisfy.

Perillo’s Pizzeria Fast Facts

  • Cash or check only.
  • Carry out orders accepted.
  • Seasonal outdoor patio dining.
  • Closed Tuesdays.
  • Gluten-free pasta available.
  • Avoid the weekend rush, dining is less busy from 2 PM – 4:30 PM.

Hendricks County folks know that fantastic, authentic Italian cuisine (and a mighty fine pizza) are found in their own backyard at Perillo’s Pizzeria in North Salem, Indiana. Now, I’m sharing the big secret with all of you.

Perillo’s Pizzeria in North Salem, Indiana 

Perillos Pizzeria North Salem Indiana Pizza

Yes, this pizza is as good as it looks.

North Salem is a tiny town. North Salem is such a small Indiana town that main street is no more than a couple of blocks. Yet, would you look at that? It’s also the home of Perillo’s Pizzeria, a family-owned pizza parlor.

Sicilian Damiano Perillos, his brother-in-law, and mother-in-law all have a stake in the business. You might even find them working inside the bustling little brick building when it gets busy.

You’ll find Perillo’s tucked behind a smattering of truly fantastic antique shops (trust me on this one, you have got to make your way to them for some seriously satisfying browsing).

This guy is the real deal. He wanted that small town vibe, something he was really missing in his last locale, so this is where he ended up. Aren’t we the lucky ones?

Authentic Italian Cuisine at Perillo’s

Perillos Pizzeria North Salem Indiana Garlic Rolls

The world famous garlic rolls at Perillo’s Pizzeria aren’t frozen. No, they are fresh and delicious bites of heaven.

Perillos Pizzeria Farm to Table Restaurant

The heirloom varieties are beautiful–and priced right.

Everything begins with quality ingredients. There’s no skimping here, not on the quality of the food, the ingredients, or the service. Perillo’s Pizzeria opened December 8, 2011. It was not an easy road to opening day.

Dr. Oscar H. Wiseheart opened up his doctor’s office here in the late 1890s. He continued his practice for sixty years before calling it quits. But this former doctor’s office needed major work!

After all, this one building had been an apartment most recently, but also spent time as a feed store and even a saloon in the past. As you can imagine, it needed a bit of love.

It took the family six months to gut the thing, adding in new plumbing, wiring, and replacing layers of drywall. Medical odds and ends, including old medicine bottles, were discovered during the renovation. Damiano’s brother-in-law put his landscape design skills to good use while working on creating an outdoor dining area. On nice days, there’s nothing better.

They handled most of the work themselves. They relied on their different backgrounds to get it done–and it’s been done more than well. The inside is inviting, comfortable, and smells incredible.

Made Here, Made Fresh

Damiano Perillo North Salem Pizza Parlor

When you love what you do, it shows. Damiano Perillo in his element (aka the Perillo’s Pizzeria kitchen).

You see, at Perillo’s Pizzeria, they make the sauce, they shred the cheese, and they make the dough. I swear the whole town smells good when that huge pot of sauce is simmering. You would think it is a giant kitchen given all the activity–and that’s not even including Damiano’s dough tossing ability. But, nope. I had a first-hand look and a tour. They make good use of the space they have.

What’s more, I need to add Perillo’s Pizzeria to my Indiana farm-to-table restaurants list. They have a farm and use vegetables that they grow here too. They can and dehydrate the fresh veggies so it will last all winter long. Still, if you visit during the warmer months, you may see a bevy of beautiful tomatoes for sale out front, farmer’s market style.

This central Indiana pizza place is so good that regular customers drive quite the distance just to dine at Perillo’s (roughly) thirty-five seat establishment. I get it. One taste and you will too.

What to Order at Perillo’s Pizzeria

Perillos Pizzeria Makes Perfect Pizza

You can almost taste the freshness, can’t you?

Now that you are sold on a visit to Perillo’s, you need to know what to order. The calzones are humongous and said to be among the best. Others rave about the lasagna. I fell in love with the 18″ deep dish pizza. I tried multiple kinds of pizza during my visit. There’s no wrong choice. Hey, I do it for you.

It doesn’t matter what’s on your pizza, it’s all good. Add in a domestic or imported wine or beer and be sure to include an order of garlic rolls. Trust me on this one.

They are so good, that this small town pizza parlor can go through 200 in a single day. There’s nothing frozen about them here. It shows.

Of course, everyone raves about the dessert. If you see tiramisu or cannoli on the specials list, immediately head for Perillo’s. Those two options don’t happen all the time and are rumored to be particularly amazing.

But good food should be expected. I mean Damiano Perillo did graduate from culinary school in Palermo a couple decades ago. He arrived in the United States back in 1999 to visit a pal. While here, he met his wife, Meredith, while working at Frank’s Place in Danville, The rest, as they say, is history.

It’s a new local tradition to pop in for food during North Salem’s Old Fashion Christmas or North Salem Old Fashion Days in September (they even had a table outside at the event this past year). In addition to Hendricks County’s biggest parade, there’s a pizza eating contest with Perillo’s pizza. I think I could win it.

Around Valentine’s Day, you can even find heart-shaped pizza. If that isn’t the best darn way to say “I love you,” then I don’t even know what is.

Dine In or Carry Out

Antipasti Platters Perillos Pizzeria North Salem Indiana

Perillo’s Pizzeria caters.

Like many a fantastic small town restaurant, it is cash only. There’s a reason: those pesky fees.

Damiano would rather pass on the savings to his employees instead of having to pay fees. I’m sure his employees don’t mind one bit.

Tip: if you do forget to bring cash or a check, there is a twenty-four-hour access ATM at North Salem State Bank. If it has been awhile since you’ve traveled to an Indiana town, you might want to take a look at my tips for traveling in a small town.

I did include a menu to give you a better idea of what you can expect. The menu below was taken from Perillo’s Pizzeria Facebook page. Menus change. Things happen. Do call ahead to double-check prices or offerings if you have your heart (and wallet) set on something specific. As always, call ahead to verify current hours before making a special trip.

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Perillo’s Pizzeria
5 S Broadway Street
North Salem, IN 46165
765.676.4171
Perillo’s Pizzeria Hours
Monday: 10:30 AM – 9:00 PM
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday and Thursday: 10:30 AM – 9 PM
Friday and Saturday: 10:30 AM – 9:30 PM
Sunday: 11 AM – 8 PM
Perillo's Pizzeria in North Salem, Indiana on Facebook