Enzo's End Owner Ready to Retire, Looking for Someone to Take Over the Colfax Pizzeria

"It's just been enough. I've been doing most of the cooking myself for the last couple of years. Labor is expensive, so we do what we've gotta do," says Charlie Puma, who has owned Enzo's End Pizzeria at 3424 East Colfax Avenue since 1996.

But now he's ready for a change, so Enzo's will close after June 30. "I'm just looking to do some new things and go on some adventures," Puma says.

Enzo's End is connected to another Colfax staple, cash-only dive bar PS Lounge, where everyone is greeted with an Alabama Slammer shot and ladies are gifted a free rose. Pete Siahamis owns the bar and the building, including the Enzo's space. "He's not going anywhere, everything stays the same there," Puma notes.

He and Siahamis are hoping someone might want to step in to keep things the same and keep Enzo's going. "If we found the right person that wanted to continue, then I would be willing to train them and make a go of it," Puma adds. "So we're gonna see if we can find someone."

In a Facebook comment on a post announcing the news, Puma asks: "Is $20,000 (less than six weeks revenue) too much to ask for the brand, trade name, menus, recipes, phone number, domain registry, goodwill etc? ... Who is young, enthusiastic and savvy?"

With a built-in customer base at the bar and plenty of foot traffic thanks to other nearby bars, restaurants and the Bluebird Theater, the place has a lot of potential. Anyone interested can reach out to Puma at [email protected].

The place also comes with another now-iconic Colfax staple: Big Enzo, the Bob's Big Boy statue that Puma purchased in 2010, made over into a pizza mascot and set atop the building. "He'll probably stay for now, until we see what happens with the space," Puma says. While the mascot now holds a pizza pan, the original burger is still hanging inside the restaurant. "A lot of people don't realize what it is," he adds, laughing.

While he's looking forward to doing some home remodeling projects and enjoying time off, Puma says that the end of his run at Enzo's End has been bittersweet. "It was hard to make the announcement," he admits. "I tried calling some of our top longtime customers, and I couldn't get very far on the list because it was so emotional. So many people were so disappointed. ... We had a woman come in practically in tears the other day. People are telling me their babies grew up with this pizza and now they're adults. A lot of those kinds of stories are fantastic to hear."

So it would be fantastic, he thinks, if someone else would step in to keep offering the neighborhood pizza and good times on the street that Puma has looked out on for nearly three decades. "In a lot of ways, I think Colfax has stayed mostly the same," he concludes. "We have more bars and restaurants. Parking has become more difficult. But in a lot of ways, I think it's the same place."

Enzo's End Pizzeria is located at 3424 East Colfax Avenue and is open from 4:30 to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 4:30 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 4:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday...until June 30. For more information, call 303-355-4700 during business hours.