Last week, we reported that Massa’s Pizzeria & Bar was coming to 42-12 28th Street.1 Recently, we sat down with owner Bill Massa to chat about his upcoming restaurant. Here’s what we had to say:
Q. Tell us your philosophy behind Massa’s.
A: We’re going to serving old school pizza. It’s authentic, coal fired, brick oven pizza. We’re going to make it fresh to order, pies only; no slices. It’s the way pizza was made back in the original days. My great uncle Patsy Lancieri worked at Lombardi’s and opened Patsy’s in East Harlem in 1933. His nephew Patsy Grimaldi started working there when he was 14 and opened Grimaldi’s under the Brooklyn bridge and later opened Juliana’s in Brooklyn. Frank Sinatra was a good friend and loyal customer of Patsy’s and even mentioned it in concerts as well as other celebrities. We want our pizza to be made in the same way. So my philosophy is to make my pizza fresh, made to order, and old school with a full bar and a modern vibe.
Q. Why did you pick Court Square?
A. I was fortunate to have met the owner of Heatherwood some years back at my first pizzeria in Huntington and he mentioned he had retail space available in Court Square. I jumped at the opportunity once I visited the area; It’s a great neighborhood that’s rapidly growing, with so many new and amazing apartment buildings, hotels, bars and restaurants. I can’t wait to open and to be part of the community.
Q. When can we expect you to open, and what will your hours be?
A. We’re hoping that we can open in six weeks. We plan on being open seven days a week at 11:30 a.m. On Sunday to Wednesday, we’ll be open until 11 p.m. From Thursday to Saturday, we’ll be open until midnight.
Signage has appeared for Massa’s Pizzeria & Bar