2 iconic Birmingham restaurant brands join forces

What could be better – or more Birmingham – than a Milo’s hamburger with pickles, onions and that famous Milo’s sauce?

How about a Milo’s hamburger pizza?

Yep, you heard that right.

Rocky’s Pizza, the popular boxing-themed pizzeria that reopened last year in Five Points South, has joined forces with Birmingham’s beloved Milo’s Hamburgers to create a mighty, meaty pizza that packs a knockout punch.

The limited-time-only Milo’s Hamburger Pizza – which starts with a Milo’s sauce base and is layered with Milo’s burger patties, shredded cheese, pickle slices, chopped onions and drizzled with more Milo’s sauce – is the March pizza of the month at Rocky’s. It also comes with a side of Milo’s Double-O sauce (a blend of Milo’s original and ranch sauces) for dipping.

The Milo’s pizza will be available beginning Saturday and continuing through the end of March.

“If you grew up in Birmingham, then more than likely you grew up eating Milo’s hamburgers and Rocky’s pizza,” Rocky’s Pizza co-owner Cynthia Dunlap, whose father, Dennis Dunlap, started Rocky’s in 1986, tells AL.com. “It just made sense to combine the two. And what I will tell you is that it ended up tasting incredible.”

Adds Rocky’s chef and co-owner René Mercado: “We are all huge fans of Milo’s. Who’s not? It made perfect sense.”

Before serving the Milo’s Hamburger Pizza to their guests, though, the Rocky’s team invited the Milo’s folks in for a taste test, and to get their seal of approval.

“That was our test run,” Mercado says. “We all ate it together and agreed that everyone would give their honest opinion. Everyone loved it.

“Our only issue was that we were split between those who loved the three-cheese blend and those who wanted to use cheddar,” he adds. “So in the end, we decided to leave it to the customer and let them decide. They can pick whatever cheese they want.”

RELATED: The story behind Alabama’s famous Milo’s hamburger sauce

The Milo’s Hamburger Pizza is another example of why Milo’s signature sauce is more than just a condiment for burgers and fries, Mary Duncan Proctor, marketing director for Milo’s Hamburgers, says.

Previously, Milo’s teamed with another iconic Birmingham brand, the Alabama Peanut Company, on a special-edition batch of boiled peanuts flavored with Milo’s sauce.

“When we started selling Milo’s sauce and putting it in bottles, our marketing team came up with recipes for all sorts of things, and pizza was one of them,” Proctor says.

So, when Rocky’s reached out with an idea for a hamburger pizza of their own, Milo’s was all about it, she adds.

“It was really great and easy to work with them,” Proctor says. “They came up with the idea, and we just jumped on board.”

While the Milo’s Hamburger Pizza will be available only through the end of March, Rocky’s Pizza has more Birmingham-centric collaborations in the works, Dunlap says.

“Follow us on Facebook or Instagram, and you will be the first to know when we announce the next one,” she says. “But for now, it’s all about Milo’s.”

Rocky’s Pizza is at 1924 11th Ave. South in Birmingham, Ala. The phone is 205-201-6112. For more information, go here.