New York pizza snobs, rejoice: Miami is getting an outpost of NYC’s most famous pizzeria
Joe’s Pizza, the New York pizza snob’s pie of choice, is coming to Miami.
The family-owned pizza chain, which opened its first spot on Carmine Street in Greenwich Village in 1975, plans to open a restaurant in Wynwood in the spring of 2022, one of the owners said.
“We’ve been looking at Miami for a long time,” said co-owner Sal Vitale, whose grandfather, Joe Pozzuoli, founded the original Joe’s and still runs the restaurant at 84. “We saw Wynwood and we felt like that’s us, that’s our brand. Plus Miami has a lot of New York transplants.”
The new spot will be situated at 240 NW 25th St., Vitale said. Joe’s has been looking to open just its second location outside New York for six years, after a deal fell through for a spot in Wynwood in 2015.
“The Wynwood of six years ago wasn’t the Wynwood of today,” Vitale said.
It’s easy to see why New Yorkers love Joe’s. The original thin-crust New York pizza, Joe’s massive slices fold easily, the cheese pulls readily, the sauce is just the right amount, and despite a line that’s always 10-15 people deep, hungry diners get their food quickly. Joe’s keeps the toppings simple, with cheese, mozzarella and thick, square Sicilian slices (although a host of other toppings naturally are available on request).
Fans may worry whether the Miami version will live up to New York’s. Fear not, Vitale said. They have hired one of Joe’s longest-running pizza chefs, Aquiles Bisogni, who has worked alongside Joe Sr. on Carmine Street since 1990, to man the new restaurant. Bisogni has been in Miami for nearly a year, living with family — and even consulted on the pizza recipe at downtown Miami’s Eleventh Street Pizza (which pivoted from Fooq’s during the pandemic).
“Everything came together,” Vitale said. “We’re really excited about Miami.”
Joe’s is just the latest in a slew of New York restaurants opening in Miami, including Carbone and several other concepts from the Major Food Group, Cote and, expected next summer, Pastis.
Joe’s Pizza
Where: 240 NW 25th St., Wynwood
Opening Spring 2022
This story was originally published September 10, 2021 at 4:43 PM.
