Emmy Squared Pizza: Hell's Kitchen — Restaurant in New York

Best Vegan Pizza in New York!!!!

Decided that this trip to New York (Manhattan) was going to include vegan pizza. My usual stop is the exceptional Vegan on the Fly, but I wanted to find a place solely focused on creating the perfect pizza.

Here’s the thing about vegan pizza: the cheese is simply not the same; the star of the show must be the crust and sauce.

Yes, interesting toppings help, but a really good base is needed. How many times have my fellow vegans ordered pizza just to have the bottom literally fall out, leaving a plate-full of goo?

Back to NYC: I spent nearly an hour reviewing options close to Times Square.

Repeatedly, I found myself drawn to the delicious-looking Emmy Squared Pizza. But wait, Detroit-style pizza in New York?

This is what intrigued me about Emmy Squared Pizza: 1) it was founded in Brooklyn; 2) they combine a New York-style grandma pie with the Detroit style; and 3) the result is like a fluffy focaccia. Yummy! Plus, the brand of vegan Mozzarella they use is one of the better ones.

Although they are not a vegan restaurant, their messaging said, “All of our pizzas can be made vegan!” Yes, that’s what vegans are used to when eating out: substitution after substation.

However, Emmy Squared Pizza offers a couple of options tailored to vegans. Once I found the “Artie Bucco” pie, I was sold! The ingredients were: vegan mozzarella, caramelized onions, garlic confit, and basil.

Around 2:00 pm on a Friday, I arrived at their Hell’s Kitchen location, where I was warmly greeted by Ian. I shared with him that I did my research and was thrilled to find Emmy Squared Pizza.

I opened my menu, but where was the Artie Bucco? Ian explained that the vegan options were routinely updated. I asked if they had the ingredients to make an Artie Bucco. Without hesitation, he offered to ask.

Chris, the manager, happened to walk up, overhearing our conversation. He needed to check on the garlic confit, and was available, they would gladly make an Artie Bucco for me. Minutes later, he confirmed they had it. Simultaneously, Chef passed by, and Chris said, “That’s who will be making your pizza!”

During my wait, Ian and I had a chat about how he decided to go vegan two weeks ago. I asked how it was going, and he said, “Great.” That’s a pretty good feat, since the initial start is often difficult.

Chris stopped by my table and asked, “You know the Artie Bucco is a white pie, right?” No, I had missed that important part. He immediately offered to re-make the pizza. Although a kind offer, I said red sauce on the side would be just fine.

Moments later, it arrived: the best tasting vegan pizza ever.

The crust was delicious. True to Detroit style, the edges were lightly browned and crispy from the pan. I should have asked what they used instead of real butter, because I could detect a slightly-sweet richness. The crust was similar to focaccia, but not too thick. You know how your teeth sink and sink into a Chicago-style pizza? The Emmy Squared Pizza crust was much thinner than that and offered a nice bite.

The sauce was exceptional, bursting with fresh tomato flavor and had the perfect seasoning. The amount of cheese was flawless, providing the exact right amount of creaminess.

As expected, the garlic confit, caramelized onion, and basil were complimentary. Although the toppings were simple, they provided a symphony of complex flavors. The size of my pizza was “regular,” meaning there were six, good-sized squares. I could only eat two, leaving leftovers for dinner and a snack. Score!

I told all three gentlemen (Ian the server, Chris the manager, and Chef) how much I appreciated their extra efforts. Their kindness was the highlight of my New York trip.

As I walked out the door, Ian said, “Vegan power!” I laughed and said I’d see them again when I return in April.

Emmy Squared Pizza is a gem. Superior food with excellent, caring staff. I highly...

I’ve now eaten in at this place and ordered delivery. The service is terrible. I don’t know who’s running this joint, but it’s a mess.

Our waiter was non-existent when we ate in. Food was great, but the experience ruined it.

Delivery experience: they left 2 items off our order. Uber Eats delivery man said that’s all the restaurant gave him. Called restaurant, someone picked up, told them they made an error, they put me on hold for over 5 minutes and then disconnected me.

Called back no one picked up at all. Called again, no one picked up. Left a message. Haven’t heard from them now for 15 minutes.

Called back 5th. Spoke to manager finally. They offered to send my missing items out in an Uber if I walked down stairs to pick them up.

10 minutes later they called me back and said…we can’t do that Uber thing. Make another Uber Eats order with the missing items, we’ll refund that that order, and get it to you that way… the manager said she was sorry, that she’d only been there 2 days? Emmy, have you ever heard of hiring within?

5 minutes later I called Emmy back and said can you just refund the original 2 missing items of the check. The manager said, “of course.” It should have been that easy to start, not the conclusion we reached after 30minutes of phone tag. Sheesh.

Also, one of our two colony pizzas was gluten free. There was no marking on the box to tell which was which.

I LOVE their pizza. Emily’s downtown is the best. This place is run like a McDonalds. I probably won’t be patronizing them anytime soon. Perhaps they can get their act together and I’ll try again in...

Emmy Squared has outrageously good and imaginative pizza that rivals, or in some cases, surpasses some of the legendary pizzerias in the City. I come to the one on 48th now and again because everything, and I mean everything, is great. On this occasion I was here for their Big Matt burger, that they laude as the best in the world. I don’t know. There’s a couple places in the City that make that claim, but regardless it’s very good. Their sammy sauce (named after the guy who makes it) adds a nice tangy flavor to the beef patties, and the toasted pretzel bun is such a treat and a nice change up from brioche buns.

I originally went in only for a quick burger, but couldn’t resist getting a ‘Third Slice’ pizza, which is basically a small portion of their full pie. I got an old fav, the Colony. The Ezzo pepperonis and the jalapeño’s really sets this apart. But the added honey brings the total profile to a whole new level of deliciousness! This is truly one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had. You must try this. In general, their pizza menu has some creative combos that are worth checking out. Interesting and unique.

There are Emmy branches scattered all throughout the City (and country), but I’ve only been to the 48th St one (it’s very close to home). During the evening it’s a perfect date night location and the vibes at that time are great. Perfect place to casually chat the night away with your partner. I really can’t say enough about the place in general, and their great dishes. Worthy of your next culinary adventure, I am sure....