WHEN TOMMY HABETZ, co-founder of Bunk Sandwiches, first started talking about opening a pizzeria—one that would be an ode to his time as a young chef in New York in the ’90s—visions of Cubano pizzas floated through my head. Coming from the creator of the city’s most iconic sandwiches, just think of the magic he could work with cheese and sauce!
- Natalie Behring
Over the course of a year, Habetz’s planned Moon Pizza got a name change to Pizza Jerk, found a spot on NE 42nd, and installed a high-quality electric oven for the perfect char.
“I have the need to knead,” he told the Mercury last April. “I can deny my inner pizza child no longer.”
If this is Habetz’s midlife attempt to relive his childhood, I’m grateful he’s not a motorcycle guy. From the plastic red-and-white checkered tablecloths, to the vintage Pac-Man console, to the haphazardly hung posters of Blondie and travel destinations, Pizza Jerk is very much a flashback to the parlors of yore. Hot damn, there are even disco lights by the bathroom.
But the casual, quirky atmosphere belies serious pizza. The pies are monumental: They easily take up most of the real estate at a two-person table. They’re a New York/New Haven hybrid with a thin crust that can only sustain a few toppings before folding, and a generous edge of dough that’s a salty delight to eat. And the sauce… it’s my platonic ideal—fire engine red, acidic, and bright with very little sweetness.
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