The staff at Pizza NY Margherita continues to serve up delicious pizza and Italian food after reopening in late Aug. 2010.The reopening of Pizza NY Margherita is cause for celebration for Gainesville-area families that consider it their favorite casual dining restaurant.
Hometown Italian restaurant Pizza NY Margherita in Gainesville's Virginia Gateway Center reopened, Aug. 28, after shutting down following an electrical fire in June.
Owner Joe D’Agostino said the reopening was delayed as he waited for replacement parts and to secure permits. As they waited for approval to reopen, they did a light renovation on the restaurant that opened in 2008.
D’Agostino, who is originally from Naples, Italy, is the nephew of Tony D’Agostino who brought “Tony’s Pizza” to Manassas a generation ago. It’s clear D’Agostino knows real NY pizza, but he has also made the restaurant uniquely his own.
Pizza Margherita serves Italian dishes such as pasta, seafood, chicken parmesan, hot and cold subs, and of course, New York and Margherita style pizzas. The restaurant also serves authentic Italian desserts, such as cannolis, tiramisu and gelato and wine and beer.
But more than a restaurants, with its large dining room, and kid-friendly atmosphere/Pizza NY Margherita is a special place for families. On any given weekend, one will find families, friends and whole youth sports teams gathering over pies and sodas, chatting or watching sports on T.V.
“It’s a young family crowd here,” he said. “It the best way to contribute to the community. Once you get the kids in here, it’s done.” D’Agostino even had to bring back his gelato because the kids kept asking for it.
The locally-owned restaurant was also one of the first to safely respond to COVID-19 with safe curb side pick up options. They quickly created pizza kits for those who felt more comfortable cooking from home in the early days of quarantine. D’Agostino believes his restaurant was first to offer kits and others soon followed.
Now upon reopening, he can once again utilize their dining room. Under Phase III guidelines, Pizza Margherita is now open at 50% capacity. Fortunately, the restaurant offers plenty of room to spread out.
D’Agostino said he is serious about people wearing masks when they are not eating. It is absolutely required.
Arcadio Sierra is a regular at Pizza NY Margherita, but it is his first time inside the restaurant after COVID-19 restrictions.Pizza NY Margherita also continues curbside delivery, at-home delivery and working with food-delivery services such as DoorDash.
Regulars are happy to see the pizza restaurant back open. Arcadio Sierra, a Spaniard living in Gainesville, was eating at the counter, Thursday evening. He said everyone know him at Pizza Margherita as, “El Patrino.”
“I love it. This is my first time back since COVID-19,” Sierra said. “I come here everyday just to have one to two hours saying 'hi' to people. It relaxes me. Everything they sell is the best.”
Pizza NY Margherita is located at 5115 Wellington Road in Gainesville.
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