Klondike Pizza has served “good grub” in Santa Maria for 30 years.
Pizza pizza
To see Klondike’s menu, order online, and make reservations, visit klondikepizza.com. Follow along on Instagram @klondikepizza. The Santa Maria shop is located at 2059 S. Broadway and open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Call (805) 348-3667 with questions.
After five years of living in Anchorage, Alaska, Pamela Dennis told her husband, Mike, that she wanted out of the cold. Something about 35 feet of snow blocking the view of their two-story house made up her mind.
So, they brought a little bit of the Alaskan charm to the Central Coast.
The Dennis family’s Santa Maria pizza joint is filled with décor collected from the northern-most state. Sweatshirts and blankets hang from Klondike Pizza’s ceiling, photos and newspaper cuttings sit in frames on the walls, and glowing string lights weave a colorful trail around the restaurant.
“I wanted something that would never be trendy. That’s obvious,” Dennis said with a sweeping gesture around Klondike Pizza. “[Something that] would really not change, other than we just get more junk in here. And if you move away and come back, it’s going to be the way you remembered it.”
Klondike’s Santa Maria location turned 30 years old this March, just eight years behind its original Arroyo Grande spot. A true community hub since it opened, Klondike has advertised with the Sun since the paper’s second issue on April 7, 2000.
“It’s been a blur,” Dennis said.
Pandemic reverberations forced the business to change in a few ways, but the important things remain the same. While diners can still throw peanut shells on the exposed floor, they no longer receive a complimentary basket to fill. Instead, they can buy a premade bag for $1.
Waiters no longer walk around with pies for all-you-can-eat Tuesdays; food prices are too expensive for it to make sense.
“It would not be the same as they remember, and people don’t like change,” Dennis said about stopping all-you-can-eat pizza. “But really, a lot hasn’t changed.”
One thing about Klondike is that, by design, it always feels like home. Dennis and her husband had a few criteria for the business. They wanted everyone to feel welcome and no one to fear walking in alone. Plus, it had to be family friendly.
“That was our dream, and it worked,” she said.
Part of the reason the restaurant feels like home is because of how many opportunities it gives residents to support one other. In March, the Santa Maria Klondike is raffling off prizes to fundraise for the local campus of the Santa Barbara Humane Society. The restaurant also invites students from special education programs to enjoy a slice and play games during the lunch hour. Dennis fed firefighters at no charge during the Gifford Fire last year.
Klondike also supports youth sports teams. The space is an ideal venue for hosting parties. Pizza is a great equalizer, too. It’s easy to eat, transport, and reheat for leftovers.
“So far I haven’t met anybody that doesn’t like pizza,” Dennis added.
The Klondike menu doesn’t change often, but a new addition appeared a couple of months ago at Mike’s recommendation. The Kodiak Korn pie is slathered with garlic sauce and topped with house-made Mexican street corn, relish, onions, bell peppers, garlic, and spices.
The rest of the menu is filled out with salads, sandwiches, burgers, and plenty of pizza creations. The Dennis’ grandkids declared their favorites, which are given special designations, too.
“If I don’t love it, it’s not going to go on the menu,” Dennis said.
As a kid—when it was rare to visit restaurants—her first memories going out to eat were at pizza places.
“I thought I’d died and gone to heaven,” she said.
She’s happy to give families on the Central Coast the same experience. Everyone is welcome, as long as they behave.
Dennis joked that she tells parents of misbehaving children that she’ll show the kids what a quarter can do in a video game machine if they don’t shape up. An arcade that lights up a nook by the front door beckons gamers of all ages.
Staff also give the restaurant a welcoming vibe. Many feel more like family than coworkers, Dennis said. Take manager Patty Forsher, who has been with the business for 25 years.
“From practically the beginning,” Dennis said. “She’s part of who we are.”
Strong bonds are part of the reason Dennis feels she can’t retire. Her family has invested so much into the business for almost 40 years.
“What I didn’t realize was going to happen is that my husband and I keep getting older,” she said.
For now, they’re both still going strong, so stop by to crack open some peanuts and enjoy a slice or two. It’s going to be just like you remember it.
Reach Staff Writer Madison White at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in March 26 – April 2, 2026.