Jay's Artisan Pizzeria — Restaurant in Town of Tonawanda

Adding to the Buffalo metro area's food dominance is Jay's Artisan Pizzeria, which in July 2025 was ranked #4 in the U.S and #28 in the world.

Jay's is located in the suburb of Kenmore, roughly 5 blocks or so from the Buffalo city line. Parking in the area can be hit or miss depending on when you come, but a decent amount of street parking exists.

The restaurant space, while small, is efficiently utilized. The decor is subtly stylish and the music promotes an upbeat theme that reflects the artistic element of the food. The service is excellent as the servers are personable and knowledgeable about the menu.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Are the Bills gonna win the big one this year? Not that question. The real one is how's the pizza? That's a multi-layered one. Buffalo is a food city, specifically pizza. It has some of the best pizza in the country (ranked #4 as a pizza city for the analytics community). So, with that said, Jay's does not pretend to offer traditional Buffalo style pizza.

Jay's is a high-end artisan pizzeria focusing on highlighting traditonal elements of both Neopolitan and Detroit style pizza. The focus is on technique and quality ingredients, which creates a lighter version of pizza with a clean flavor profile.

In other words, this is the opposite of Buffalo style, which is heavy, oily, and packed with big flavors. Verdict? For what Jay's is going for I think it hits the mark. The ingredients really sing as their quality is highlighted. Adding some red pepper flakes really set it off for me and facilitated another dimension of flavor. Also, the technique towards handling and baking the dough to create a crust with great texture is evident.

How does if stack up against traditional Buffalo pizzerias? Subjective question, but my own preference leans towards traditional Buffalo style just due to pizza for me representing ooey gooey goodness.

Jay's is definitely worth the experience, especially for those who may prefer a higher-end and cleaner version of pizza. Bonus, the pricing is actually pretty reasonable as well, especially in today's...

Allora. When I hear anyone talk about the Campagnia region I pay attention. Let me preface this review by saying, I’m Calabrese and I’ve lived in Napoli for an extended period of time previous to arriving in WNY. There is a pride when it comes to Napolitano pizza and for good reason since two main ingredients are sourced from this region in Italy. Buffalo mozzarella and San Marzano tomatoes from Mount Vesuvius. I had very high expectations, I won’t lie. The place itself is piccolino (small). There is limited seating so expect a wait if arriving after 6pm, but the staff are very friendly, welcoming and minutes into being seating I had a Rosè and waters for our table. We started with a mixed green salad and baby this thing is HUGE, refreshing and a great palate cleanser before your meal. Let’s talk dough. There’s some issues. Now I’m not an expert but if the steam is not escaping from the oven or the pizza is being overcrowded, I assume the dough isn’t being cooked properly and you end up with chewy, soggy dough. Which this style of pizza is meant to be crusty and very flavorful with a harder under carriage (to quote Dave Portnoy lol). This had no bite to the crust just a pillowy, chewy texture which was very unusual. I would guess that the pizza hasn’t been allowed to cook for the full length or time or undisturbed. This place is great but don’t let popularity and hype mess with the basis of Italian cuisine. Without a great base for pizza the other ingredients have no place to shine! The sauce and cheeses were perfect and saved the whole eating experience. My friend loved his Detroit style pizza though, but what man from Buffalo...

While the atmosphere was casual and quite enjoyable, the food was decidedly not. It took a reverence for the culinary and elevated it. The Detroit-style pizza was chewy, flavorful, and had a fantastic and clean flavor. While it had slivered garlic in it, it did not stand out in too selfish a manner, balancing and respecting the rest of the ingredients in a manner that does not usually apply to any sort of pizza place or Italian joint. The Belgian endive salad was a dream and a delight. It featured great seasoning, blood orange, and black lime in such a beautiful balance that it was difficult to put aside when my pizza finally came. The food was most impressive, forcing me to make decisions on what to eat until I was well satisfied. After the salad and entree, I had a dessert that was fantastic and rich. A chocolate mousse with whipped cream and pistachio topping. It was quite rich and delicious. It was enough for two people or a major chocolate lover. Overall the food was a bright and shining beacon of dedication to craft and understanding of flavor that stands out in the oversaturated pizza market in Buffalo.

The service was very attentive and eager to please. They were responsive to questions, receptive to conversation, and still took care of the quickly filling restaurant. With the service they have, and the food they bring, I can see why they are so highly touted as a premier...