Evel Pie

A pizza joint in Las Vegas pays tribute to Evel Knievel with an impressive array of memorabilia devoted to the legendary daredevil.

Las Vegas is an important city in Knievel’s journey. On December 31, 1967, he tried to jump the fountain at Caesars Palace. He cleared it, but fell off his motorcycle on the landing, crushing his pelvis and femur, and fracturing parts of his hip, wrist, and ankles. While he spent nearly a month in the hospital, the jump and subsequent crash brought Knievel international attention and a decades-long career in death-defying showmanship was born. Knievel would go on to attempt even more audacious jumps, including one over Snake River Canyon, but he’d never attempt the fountain stunt again. His son, Robbie, however, decided to try his luck. On April 14, 1989, Robbie revved his star-studded bike at the end of the ramp, sped toward the fountain, and launched. He flew over the water, and landed, still safely on his bike.

With such a dramatic history, it’s only fitting that Las Vegas now features a restaurant that pays tribute to the famed stuntman. Evel Pies is filled wall-to-wall with Knievel memorabilia. There’s a life-size statue in the corner, a pinball machine (still working), and an Evel Knievel bicycle hanging from the ceiling. Knievel, who died in 2007, presides over it all in many, many photographs and a painted portrait, where he’s clad in his classic red, white, and blue jumpsuit, above the bar. Let your eyes wander over the walls and relive some of your memories of his jumps and crashes. The man wore a cape! That’s a hard fashion accessory to pull off, but he did, and with style.