Pizza 9: How Albuquerque Fell in Love with Chicago Deep Dish

What Hass Aslami built here in Albuquerque starting in 2008 is a story about a man who traveled the world, opened restaurants on multiple continents, and ultimately chose New Mexico as the place to put down roots and build something that would last. Pizza 9 has become as much a part of this city as green chile itself.

Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Done Right in Albuquerque, NM

Let's clear something up right away, because Hass will tell you himself: Pizza 9's Chicago-style deep dish is not what most people picture when they hear those words. It's not that thick, towering slab you can barely lift. The dough at Pizza 9 is made fresh every single day, and the result is something crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside. Consistency is everything here - you can expect the same level of quality and taste every time you visit.

The menu extends well beyond pizza, with hot sandwiches, buffalo wings, pasta, salads, and desserts rounding out a lineup that's got something for everyone. But the deep dish is the foundation, and it's what keeps people coming back week after week.

The Man Behind the Pizza: Hass Aslami's Journey to New Mexico

Hass came to the United States from Iran in 1977 as a college student, originally planning to earn his degree and return home. He ended up staying, working restaurant jobs to put himself through school, and discovered what would become his life's calling. A good supervisor at a former restaurant operation sparked something in him that never went away. He talks about the restaurant business the way people talk about a vocation: the ability to take someone who just walked in from a hard day, maybe from a hospital visit or a long shift, and in fifteen or twenty minutes make them feel genuinely good. That, he says, is what kept drawing him back to this work.

Before Pizza 9, Hass operated restaurants across Chicago, and then spent years opening locations internationally, including in Iran, Sudan, Dubai, and Turkey. He ran a consulting group that would travel to cities around the world and open restaurant concepts from scratch. By the time he landed in Albuquerque for good, he had seen more of the food business than most people could imagine.

A New Mexico Pizza Legacy Built on Franchising and Community

Pizza 9 opened its first location in Albuquerque on October 1, 2008, and grew steadily from there into a statewide brand with locations in Alamogordo, Espanola, Farmington, Gallup, Grants, Los Lunas, and multiple spots across Albuquerque. There's even a Pizza 9 in Sweden. Hass built the franchise model on a principle he's passionate about: the best people to run a local business are locals. Neighbors, veterans, teachers, families. That's who became the backbone of the Pizza 9 franchise network, and it's part of why the brand feels the way it does when you walk in.

In recent years, Hass made the decision to step back from franchising and focus on corporate locations instead. More control means more consistency, and consistency is everything when people are counting on you to deliver the same great experience every single time.

Pizza 9 and Breaking Bad: An Albuquerque Story

If you'e a Breaking Bad fan and you've been to Pizza 9, there's a good chance you already know this story. During production of the show, the crew called in an order for 30 large cheese pizzas. Hass was working the flagship store himself when the call came in. He asked what the order was for. They told him they were filming something called Breaking Bad. Plain cheese, nothing else. Pizza 9 made the pizzas, the crew picked them up, and before long, that deep dish was appearing on one of the most watched television shows in history. Friends and family from all over started calling when they spotted it. Not bad for a Cutler Avenue deep dish operation that started with one location and a lot of determination.

A Restaurant That Gives Back to Albuquerque

One of the things that sets Pizza 9 apart from a business standpoint is how deeply Hass believes in giving back to the communities that support him. Over the years, Pizza 9 has held fundraiser days for families of fallen Albuquerque police officers, donating 100 percent of the day's profits directly to those families. The response from the community has been extraordinary. During one fundraiser following the loss of an officer, a location that normally does a few thousand dollars in a day generated close to ten thousand in sales, with the community showing up in force to support.

The Pizza 9 franchise reflects a man and a business that genuinely care about this city.

Visit Pizza 9 in Albuquerque and Across New Mexico

Pizza 9 has locations across New Mexico, making it easy to find a hot, fresh deep dish wherever you are in the state. Whether you are coming in for the first time or you are one of the regulars who has been showing up for years, you'll find the same thing every time: fresh dough, real ingredients, and a team that takes pride in what they put in front of you.

Hass Aslami also owns Chello Grill, his Mediterranean and Persian comfort food spot on Cutler Ave. Check out our Chello Grill feature for more info.

Visit pizzanine.com to find your nearest Pizza 9 location and order online.

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