NYC Pizzeria, which has been open for close to 18 years in Vancouver, has decided to open a second location in NE Portland. They’ll offer a slightly scaled-down menu to start, and are looking forward to bringing their style of pizzas across the river into our fair city.
Back in 2022, I published an article indicating that Sizzle Pie was going to open in the old Hot Lips Pizza location on Killingsworth near 33rd Avenue. Turns out that was not meant to be, as Sizzle Pie got caught up in all that Sortis nonsense. So, they never opened and that Concordia location has remained empty for some time.
If you drive by now (at the writing of this article), you’ll see NYC Pizzeria signs plastered all over the storefront. I’m really glad to see something open in there because empty storefronts are not bueno. And it’s kind of poetic to have another pizzeria in there.
Getting to Know NYC Pizzeria
I had a chance to sit down with the folks who run NYC Pizzeria in Vancouver, chatting mostly with the owner, Makhan Singh, who goes by “Singh,” and his son Devin. Singh arrived in NYC in 1989 and until he left for Vancouver in 2005, he worked in the restaurant and hospitality industry. He learned his way around the pizza business at Exclusive Pizza; he managed the W 181st location. He also worked at Palladium, a Greek restaurant on the east side of Manhattan.
He left NYC to come to Vancouver “for a better life.” For him, he knew that raising kids in NYC was not a good fit. When he got to Vancouver, he and his wife grew their family (four kids), the business, and a great life in the PNW. He’s very happy to be here.
NYC Pizzeria in Vancouver is a very clean space, with NYC imagery on the walls—including one of the twin towers that were destroyed on 9/11. Fun fact: At Fire Station 12 in Sumner, they also have a plaque with twin towers imagery on it. Even after all these years and after their destruction, those towers still scream NYC.
While we were there at the pizzeria, there was a quartet of older women playing cards; they reminded me a lot of some of my senior friends in Queens.
NYC Pizzeria: What I Tried
I tried a few things at the pizzeria, including a couple of slices, a gyro, and cannoli. I was less enthused about the pizza crust (they use a gas-powered deck oven to cook the pizzas on a pizza stone) but I loved the cheese-sauce balance on the plain slice. It was a very harmonious mix—the sauce was tangy with a little sweetness, the cheese was not oily, and it wasn’t overly salty.
I also loved that there was enough sauce; so many pizzas out there are cheese-heavy. I added parm and oregano from the shakers on the table and the flavors brought me back to days walking down the street in Astoria, a slice from Polito’s (RIP) in my hand.
We also tried a gyro and it was quite good. Pocketless Greek-style pita, lots of fresh lettuce and tomato, nice strips of meat, and an excellent tzatziki sauce (he learned how to make it from his Greek colleagues at Palladium). The cannoli were also tasty and were filled at the point of ordering them, so they were not soggy. FYI, the pastry shells were not made there and are a little thicker than some I’ve encountered in Portland.
I also had a mango lassi that I loved. Great mango flavor, not overly sweet, and very refreshing.
NYC Pizzeria: What Else They Offer
Along with pizza slices, gyros, and cannoli, you can get whole pies—choose your own toppings or get a Hawaiian, All Meat, a Vegetarian Supreme, or one of their other specialty pies. Singh mentioned to me that in Vancouver they make the crust a little thicker than you’d find in NY, but that’s because the customer base in Vancouver likes it this way. He told me it’s important to give the customer what they want. So, they may adjust in Portland if the PDX customer base wants something different (aka thinner).
You’ll also find they serve Indian pizza, which is a growing segment of the pizza world. Singh highlighted the Shahi Paneer Pizza as one of his favorites. It’s made with Punjabi Passion Sauce, Mozzarella cheese, Indian-spiced paneer, black olives, onions, bell pepper, roasted garlic, ginger, cilantro, and hot peppers. You can also find it in a pasta version.
Additional sections of the menu include appetizers (e.g., garlic knots), sandwiches (e.g., chicken parm, paneer sandwich), salads (e.g., Greek, antipasto), pasta dishes (lasagna, calzone), and dessert (NY-style cheesecake and cannoli). They also serve a variety of NA beverages, beer, and wine.
They are hoping to open before the end of year—it might be as soon as middle of November. I believe Singh’s son Devin will be running the Portland location. Best of luck to them as they prepare the space and open, continuing the pizza presence in that corner of Portland.
NYC Pizzeria [opening fall 2024]
5440 NE 33rd Avenue, Portland
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Meg Cotner
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Honestly, the most Queens thing about NYC Pizzeria is mango lassi and paneer pizza. My sister lived in your neighborhood in Astoria, and the pizza shops that would serve empanadas or baklava were among some of my favorites. It’s nice to see Portland getting some similar crossover
You make a good point. Personally, one thing I miss from even the most mid of New York City pizzerias is a pepperoni roll. I rarely see them out here; I miss the one’s I get as Alba’s on Ditmars and 37th. Jamaican beef patties were something I’d see at pizzerias around Queens. And empanadas, yes! And sometimes even cheesesteaks. Thanks for the comment and observations that bring back some good memories for me.
Sis lived on 36th and Ditmars. I used to house sit constantly when I worked at Metro and bought more produce at Top Tomato and cleaning supplies at Trade Fair than I care to mention. A pepperoni roll is one of those things I always took for granted as a staple, but disappeared almost as soon as I moved to Boston (though Trina’s in Somerville still made them). Alba’s was a lifesaver, but having Martha’s bakery right across the street made it dangerous.
Cheesesteaks were always a staple at pizza places across the river (no idea why), but beef patties—even if it was just a box of Tower Isles in back—is a mark of excellence. I still love going back and walking into pizza places that have them.
One of my absolute favorites, though, was in Jersey City. Chinese families ran the Fresh Tortillas chain of Mexican restaurants forever, but one outpost decided to do a menu of both Chinese and Mexican dishes. People loved the place in the early 2000s and it’s still there: https://www.luckystarjerseycity.com/order/main/fresh-flour-tortillas
I loved Top Tomato (RIP) so much! It was a real perk in the neighborhood and it was a crying shame that it shut down. A bar called River Crest, named after a long-lost sanitarium in Astoria, is in its place. Loved Martha’s huge red velvet cupcakes, too; I remember it when it was a much more modest place, but its growth definitely was a good fit for the neighborhood. And I will forever miss Oleput, run by the Tupelo guys, that opened up there on Ditmars just east of 31st. Those mid-2000s days, when you could still rent a studio apartment for $900, were good times in NYC.
I think we’ve had exchanges elsewhere on the Chinese-owned Mexican restaurants – Fresca/Fresco Tortilla. We would eat at the Fresco Tortilla on Ditmars semi-regularly. I loved the fresh flour tortillas they’d make. The NYT did an article on them in the 1990s: https://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/02/nyregion/where-east-meets-tex-mex.html
I think we have covered that ground before. Sorry for the rerun, but it remains a favorite. Fresco Tortilla, you’re missed.
I’m not at Liberty to disclose what my sister and her roommate (and then her fiancee) were paying for a two-bedroom upstairs from their landlord—who taught them enough Greek to hold passing conversations—but the three-figure price was definitely in that post-9/11, pre-flash crash sweet spot that seems like fiction now.
I love it out here, but I definitely miss the days when I could lend my sister my used Mitsubishi Galant for the weekend and get a shake from Mezzo Mezzo and a ride back to Jersey for Christmas Eve in return.