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The fast-growing The Pizzeria brand has a new location in the works — this one is planned for Bay Shore.
The pizza shop is coming to the first floor of Eleven Maple, the 90-unit apartment complex being developed by Greenview Properties on the corner of Maple Avenue and Gibson Street.
“We think this new location is incredible,” said The Pizzeria co-founder Paul Saccoccio, on the Bay Shore expansion. “We’re off Main Street but we’re really right by it.”
Paul, 38, is very familiar with the pizza game, having been around it nearly his whole life at Gino’s Pizzeria of Ronkonkoma, the widely popular pizzeria he and his family owns.
He began The Pizzeria, his new project, with his brother Dan Saccoccio and longtime friend Cliff Weinstein last year.
Their mission is to add “great old-school style slice shops to downtowns across Long Island,” the owners told GreaterBayShore.
They are aiming to open in Bay Shore by late summer or early fall.
This will be The Pizzeria’s fourth location.
The company currently operates in Smith Haven Mall, which opened in October 2020; Bayport, which opened in December 2020; and, soon, Islip. The crew is taking over the old Pizza Parm location, slated to launch this spring.
David and Jacob Zwaik of Bayport’s DJT Development are also now part of the ownership team, as well as Carlos Delgado, an owner of Noble Savage Barbershop in Bay Shore.
“As our locations and brand grows, so does our team,” said Weinstein. “We really want to grow this thing.”
While looking across Long Island for their next storefront, the ownership group all agreed Bay Shore was the perfect spot for their next location.
“There are so many great high-end shops coming [to Bay Shore], new restaurants and bars, and people are out walking the streets,” said Paul. “I was walking in town and saw everyone being friendly and saying hello, and I said to my partners, ‘What a great place to have a business.'”
The group is very familiar with the area as well, with Weinstein living in the Brightwaters area and the Saccoccio brothers having family in Bay Shore.
“We really want to capture the Fire Island family,” said Paul. “We’re the last stop for the ferries and first stop for those coming off the ferry.”
The design of their Bay Shore location is made to mimic something you would see in Italy, the owners say.
“We’re aiming for an Italian cafe, like in Rome or Naples,” said Paul. “It’s a place that you can come by at any part of the day.”
“You come in and have pastries and coffee in the morning, and then come back for dinner and drinks.”
The Bay Shore The Pizzeria will have the company’s largest outdoor seating area (see it pictured below.)
“People can sit and enjoy the atmosphere outside, maybe sit down with a laptop and get some work done, or just enjoy the day and relax,” said Dan.
But this experience doesn’t mean anything if the pizza isn’t good, says Weinstein.
“We’re pizza first, and everything else second,” he said.
The team prides itself on selling quality traditional slices, while also getting experimental with their creations — like their Buffalo garlic knots, or their new fan-favorite vodka margarita slice.
They also started selling Bakeri slices, an all-new concept Paul and Dan came up with.
“It’s a light fluffy crust with a three-cheese blend crisp baked in a specific way,” said Paul, who serves this grandma-style or with vodka pepperoni “No one is doing this. It’s the best slice you’ll ever eat.”
To learn more about The Pizzeria and its menu, check them out online here.
Top: From left, Paul Saccoccio, Dan Saccoccio (in black) and Cliff Weinstein in The Pizzeria in Bayport.
