Get lost in the sauce. That’s the motto down on the corner of Avenue A and East 9th Street where Village Square Pizza got its start and continues to thrive, sitting right across from Thompkins Square Park in the East Village. Now, the popular downtown pizzeria has plans to open a new shop right here on the Upper East Side.
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A brand new royal blue awning bearing Village Square Pizza’s name now hangs above the upcoming Upper East Side pizzeria, which is currently under construction at 1200 Lexington Avenue between East 81st and 82nd Streets.
The storefront has been home to a few different businesses over the past five years, since Feldman’s IV Housewares left the location— first, a studio and photo lab, then a thrift shop and finally a Covid-19 rapid test center have occupied the space.
As for Village Square Pizza, the Lexington Avenue location is their third in Manhattan. The original East Village pizza shop opened in 2019, followed by a Christopher Street pizzeria in the West Village in 2020.
Using a family recipe and premium ingredients, Village Square Pizza says every bite of its slices hit all the right notes— crunchy, crispy, tasty, sweet and savory.
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Known for their square slices topped with piles of pepperoni, with or without Mike’s hot honey, Village Square’s straightforward menu is packed with favorites like their vodka square, buffalo chicken square and of course the classic Sicilian, for pizza purists.
Vegans rejoice, Village Square Pizza also offers three square slices and pies that are 100% plant-based. The Bruschetta Square features freshly chopped tomatoes, red onions and fresh basil, while the Vegan Square is topped with roasted mushrooms, peppers and onions.
There’s also the Eggplant Square, topped with fried eggplant, of course, as well as hand crushed tomatoes, garlic and fresh basil– it’s also available with fresh mozzarella for non-vegans.
And if square pizza isn’t your thing, The Classic and Margherita pies are round and cut into standard triangle slices.
Inside the Lexington Avenue pizzeria, work is still underway, though one of the pizza shop’s popular neon signs reading ‘Pizza is Life’ already hangs on the wall.
Village Square Pizza tells Upper East Site it expects the new UES pizzeria to open in early November, “hopefully sooner.” We can’t wait.
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