Jax Pizza Joint opened in LIC last month.
Photo credit: Jax Pizza Joint
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Get ready to indulge in classic New York pizza minus the guilt, now that Jax Pizza Joint is officially open, offering freshly made slices of cheesy pizza and heroes overflowing with chicken parm and vodka sauce prepared without seed oils and cooked in beef tallow, so you can indulge all you want without the regret.
Jax Pizza offers high-quality pizza and sandwiches, as well as dessert from Gian Piero Bakery in Astoria. Photo credit: Jax Pizza Joint
The new addition, located at 27-20 Jackson Ave. in Long Island City, was opened by the team behind Queens staple Utopia Bagels, owned by Jesse Spellman, Angelo Tsoulos and Jimmy Tsoulos, who sought to bring a dose of nostalgia, inspired by the cozy neighborhood pizzerias they remember growing up, paired with the best flavors and ingredients to keep customers coming back for more.
“We always talked about opening a pizzeria, and Long Island City is a pizza desert, so we thought it was the perfect opportunity for us to try out a new concept,” Spellman said. “We went to our favorite pizzerias and took inspiration from the menu and slices from places that we liked that were new or that we connected with from when we were growing up, because we all grew up in the same area.”
The exterior of Jax Pizza on Jackson Ave in LIC. Photo credit: Jax Pizza Joint
Spellman and the Tsoulos brothers have been officially working together since 2023, when they came together to expand the Utopia Bagels brand, started by Spellman’s father, who opened the first shop in 1981. Known for its signature method of handmade bagels that have attracted customers from all over NYC and beyond to enjoy the New York breakfast staple, it seemed only fitting that the group has grown to take on another NYC classic.
The space for their latest project was acquired by Alex Karas and Jeff Winick, the team’s exclusive brokers of The Winick Team at RTL. Pairing a knack for running four bagel shops in NYC along with the Tsoulos brothers’ experience from their father’s pizzerias that he owned throughout the 2000s, the trio, who all hail from Queens, have been serving up slices like the margherita, prepared in classic style before $1 slices became known as a New York slice, to pizza topped with prosciutto di parma and burrata, with their prosciutto imported from Italy, and their Philly cheesesteak hero prepared with ribeye.
“We call our regular slice a margherita slice, rather than a New York plain,” Spellman said. “If you look into the margherita slice in the early 1900s, it meant your pizza was made with higher-quality ingredients. When dollar slice spots started popping up, they used cheaper ingredients and called it a New York plain slice; people think of a margherita as Neapolitan style pizza with fresh mozzarella, but it meant you were using all-natural, non-bromated flour ingredients, and that’s what we’re doing.”
Hot and fresh pizza right out of the oven. Photo credit: Jax Pizza Joint
The restaurant, which has been open for a month, has already been receiving plenty of attention for its high-quality slices and heroes, along with classic dips from hot honey to Calabrian chili oil. Their slices and heroes have names like Baby Luka, in honor of Spellman’s newborn son, and Jimmy Two Times, a grilled chicken hero with fresh mozzarella, cherry peppers and arugula, a nod to the character briefly introduced in the Martin Scorsese classic mob film, “Goodfellas,” who shares the same first name as one of the Tsoulos brothers, inspired by a photo from the film that they have at the restaurant amongst other nostalgic items evoking the 70s and 80s. The interior, which is equally nostalgic as it is cozy, will have outdoor seating, as well as an outdoor counter area to enjoy pizza in the warm weather while inviting passersby in with the aroma of delicious food emanating from their kitchen.
Luka’s classic, made with prosciutto di Parma, burrata, arugula and balsamic. Photo credit: Jax Pizza Joint
“We have these windows that fold open, so when it’s a nice day, the storefront will be completely open, and we have an outdoor counter that flips up so people can stand and eat outside,” Angelo Tsoulos said. “It creates a vibe for the neighborhood; you see it more in Europe, people standing outside, eating and talking and having a good time.”
Their dessert menu ties another Queens classic into the restaurant, featuring sweets like gelato, tiramisu and cheesecake from Astoria favorite Gian Piero Bakery, which has been a fixture in the neighborhood for over 30 years. The space also serves wine and beer, making it a perfect go-to spot after work or on weekends to connect with friends over delicious food.
“You feel good after eating it,” Angelo Tsoulos said. “The dough is higher quality; it’s the flour that we use and the recipe that we have for the dough. There are no additives, nothing that’s going to make you feel bad after eating a slice of pizza, and that was what we were going for.”
Jax Pizza Joint is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. To learn more, visit their website or follow them at @jaxpizzajoint.