Olive & Garlic pizzeria opens in Franklin Square

Olive & Garlic in Franklin Square may well be Long Island's first wood-fired halal pizzeria. Danyal Javeid bought the former Farina 00, on Newsday's list of best pizzerias, and, on March 21, relaunched it with a pared-down pizza menu and smash burgers — but no pork or alcohol.

Javeid worked with Farina 00’s chef-owner, Gigi Sacchetti, for two weeks to learn the pizza ropes, and he’s also kept most of the kitchen staff. You’ll still find about 20 pizzas and a dozen pastas as well as chicken Parms and wings, starters and salads. The Muslim rules governing halal prohibit pork and, while he has found good substitutes for pepperoni and sausage, those looking for prosciutto or mortadella are out of luck.

But Javeid’s Pakistani culinary heritage inspired him to create some new toppings, such as chicken tikka masala and tender, minced reshmi kebab. Individual (12-inch) pies range from $11.99 to $19.99; 17-inch pies from $19.99 to $29.99. There is no longer a liquor license but customers are welcome to BYOB.

Javeid is new to pizza but not to the industry nor to Italian food. He and his father ran a South Asian restaurant, Tabaq, in Queens; he’s worked in various fast-food establishments and, for two years, at DaVinci’s in Island Park (now closed). That’s where this plan began to take shape.

"I know a lot of Muslims like pizza," he said, "but there are not too many options around here for halal pizza — and we are the only ones who have a wood-burning oven."

That wood-burning oven has been turning out pizzas since 2016 when Naples-born Gianluca Chiarolanza opened Naples Street Food in this spot. Chiarolanza eventually moved his operation to Oceanside and Tuscan chef Pierluigi "Gigi" Sacchetti, who came aboard as his partner in 2020, took sole ownership a year later and renamed it Chef Gigi’s Place.

After renovating the dining room and acquiring a liquor license in 2024, Sacchetti renamed it Farina 00. "Farina," Italian for "wheat flour," honors the ingredient that is not only central to pizza but also to the regional pastas of which he was a master, such as orecchiette Baresi from Puglia, fettuccine cacio e pepe from Rome, zitoni Genovese from Campania, maccheroni alla Norma from Sicily, tagliatelle Emiliane from Bologna and strozzapreti Norcina from Umbria. (All but the zitoni remain on the menu at Olive & Garlic.)

To tie up various loose threads: Sacchetti is taking some time off to plot his next move. Chiarolanza sold his Oceanside pizzeria to Luca Schiano di Cola, the owner of Via Cuma in Valley Stream, who plans to open his second pizzeria later this month.

Olive & Garlic, 970 Hempstead Tpke., Franklin Square, 516-673-4630. Open Sunday to Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.