Say Cheese Pizza Cafe opens in Melville
Melville's Say Cheese Pizza Cafe will offer both Roman- and New York-style pizza. Credit: Newsday/Melissa Azofeifa
Melville's dining scene just got a cheesy new addition: Say Cheese Pizza Cafe has taken over the former Ruland Road Deli.
Owner Rosario Asta has been renovating the space for the past year, he said, and opened in late May. The pizzeria serves New York- and Roman-style pies and slices. "It’s a different process of making the dough," chef and manager Angelo Amato said of the latter. "We want to be as authentic as we can."
Other lunch and dinner items on the menu include sandwiches served on schiacciata (Italian flatbread) and Italian American dishes, Amato said.
Inside, a wooden pizza peel chandelier hangs at the entrance. A Nintendo Super Mario mural covers a wall next to a life-size Vespa, and a small Ferrari model hangs on another wall. The restaurant also has its own mascot, Mr. Cheesy, who’ll be making weekend appearances.
"Everything is about the kids," Asta said. "They like to see things that you interact with, colorful stuff."
Say Cheese Pizza Cafe, 89 Ruland Rd., Melville, saycheesepizzacafe.com, 631-270-4492. Open 11 a.m to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday and 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Melissa Azofeifa is a restaurants reporter with Newsday's FeedMe team. Having grown up on Long Island, she loves talking about food and its impact on culture. A graduate of Stony Brook University, she joined Newsday in the fall of 2024.
