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Terrific Burrata-Topped Roman-Style Pizza Now In Union Square
By
Scott Lynch
Published May 21, 2021
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By
Scott Lynch
Published May 21, 2021
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When COVID started to shut down the city last March, Gabriele Lamonaca, a native of Rome and a restaurant worker in NYC for the past 10 years, used his sudden downtime to make pizza. Lots and lots of pizza. So much pizza that, even after constantly giving away pies to all his friends, there was always still more pizza.
Then Lamonaca's girlfriend and fellow Roman native Paola Sinisgalli had an idea: set up a barter-only takeout operation trading pies for just about anything, document the whole thing on Instagram, build a community, make people happy, experiment with all sorts of toppings, everybody wins. And so Unregular Pizza, "pizza for irregular times" was born.
"I said to people, 'Just give me something that you make at home, I don't want money,'" Lamonaca told Gothamist on opening day at his new shop near Union Square. "So the first barter was for homemade cocktails, then homemade lasagna, and lots of pasta... but then it got crazier and crazier, with offers that weren't food, like paintings, pieces of art, classes... I did a horseback riding class for pizza! It really evolved into an exchange of talents and passions."
And even though Lamonaca is now a full time brick-and-mortar guy, he still welcomes bartering, once a day at 4 p.m. "Someone comes to the store, we do the barter in the store," he says. Just contact the crew with your offer on the Unregular Pizza website.
The pizza here, made under the supervision of executive chef Salvatore Gagliardo, late of Sicily, is that relatively rare Roman-style, with square pies made from dough leavened for 72-hours. Slices are medium-thick, crisp but not crackery, chewy but not gooey, and they boast a fine balance between and among crust and toppings.
"I wanted to bring the style of pizza that I grew up with to New York," said Lamonaca. "But I put my own touch to it. I made it 'unregular.'"
Burrapizza Cafonata ($12)
I tried six different Unregular Pizza varieties on opening day, and they were all delicious. The most photogenic choice here are any of Lamonaca's "Burrapizza" slices, which feature a whole housemade burrata on top of whatever else is going on. I had the Burrapizza Cafonata, with pepperoni, hot honey, and both tomato and 'nduja sauce, and it worked brilliantly.
The sleeper hit was probably the UnMushrooms slice, with its trio of fungi (shimaji, cremini, and oyster) adding earthiness to the salty mozzarella and creamy cacio e pepe sauce, the latter an excellent slice shop innovation. The UnVegan--which is, in fact, vegan--tasted like summer, with its asparagus tips, asparagus cream, cherry tomato confit, and tomato sauce. And the most meaty slices totally satisfied too, especially the Bufala Chicken, featuring fat slices of fried bird, and the Polpetta, with its enormous pork and beef meatballs.
Unregular Pizza also offers a few entree-type dishes, including thick slabs of Lasagna Bolognese, Lasagna Pistachio, and Involtini (Eggplant) Parmigiana. These looked like solid take-home-and-reheat-another-day options. If standard soft drinks aren't your thing, try one of Lamanoca's homemade "seasonal drinks," in flavors such as Lemon Basil, Orange Turmeric, and Peach Ginger.
The shop itself is fun and lively, with lots of 1990s nostalgia worked into the vibe, from the set of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles up near the ordering counter to the non-stop mix of '90s hits blasting from a boombox. The color palette is bold and bright, and artist Iena Cruz adds to the energy with his geometric, squiggly designs. There's no seating of any kind--a narrow leaning counter is your only dine-in option--but Union Square Park is just a block away.
Unregular Pizza is located at 135 Fourth Avenue, between 13th and 14th Streets, and is currently open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily (646-609-4699; unregularpizza.com)
Tagged
pizza
manhattan
union square
burrata
Scott Lynch
Photojournalist, food writer, preschool receptionist. Love NYC.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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