Shredders Pizza, a delivery-first pizzeria from local hospitality vets Benjy Mason and chef Jason Kerr, is gearing up to land in the Houston Heights in late January. The shop will lean hard into delivery and to-go, with just about 15 seats for those who want to eat on-site, and a menu built around family-friendly pies and a tight little wine list priced well below what you would expect at a full-service restaurant. The dough, founders say, will be fermented for 246 hours and engineered to fold without flaking for a light, crisp bite.
As reported by CultureMap Houston, Shredders is moving into the former Chicago Italian Beef & Pizza spot at 1777 Airline Drive. The project pairs Mason of Johnny's Gold Brick, Winnie, and Starduster with Jason Kerr of Little Kitchen. They are pitching Shredders as the sweet spot between big national chain delivery and higher-priced artisan pizzerias. Mason told the outlet the brand is designed with parents in mind, promising reliable delivery and pies the whole household will actually eat.
Menu and wine program
Kerr’s pies will be built on a blend of King Arthur flour and whole-wheat flour from Barton Springs Mill, topped with Grande mozzarella and an uncooked tomato sauce, and the dough will go through that same 246-hour fermentation to create a crust that folds easily yet stays crisp. Menu highlights mentioned by the founders include the Sausage and Pepa, Jason the Dragon and That’s a Spicy Pepperoni, plus wings, salads, garlic knots and desserts supplied by Little Kitchen and Eat My Pastry. One specialty pie will send proceeds to the Southern Smoke Foundation, and another rotating seasonal pie will funnel proceeds to local PTOs and kids' arts programs. “We’re going for an absurdly low markup,” Mason said of the wine list, which he plans to stock with around 20 Italian bottles in the $20 to $25 range, as reported by CultureMap Houston.
Where it will be
The pizzeria is slated for 1777 Airline Drive in the northern Heights, in the building that long housed Chicago Italian Beef & Pizza. Local listings and neighborhood guides point to the address and former tenant on Airline Drive, confirming the spot for anyone plotting their next pizza run; see Visit Houston. Since Shredders is primarily delivery-focused, the owners say streamlined mobile ordering and in-house delivery logistics are at the top of the to-do list.
Delivery first, family focus
Mason has framed Shredders as a neighborhood fix for weeknight “what’s for dinner” debates: better-than-chain delivery, toppings that travel well and a few seats for those who want to linger. The brand’s website is currently a coming-soon landing page as they gear up for opening; see Shredders Pizza. The owners say they want the delivery experience to feel like real hospitality rather than an afterthought.
If the timeline holds, Shredders will join a steady parade of new pizza projects across Houston, and its mix of delivery focus and low-cost wine could help it carve out a spot in the Heights. We will update when the shop announces an official opening date and first-week menu.
