The Pizzeria opens 3rd Long Island location, in Islip

When Cliff Weinstein and Paul Saccoccio met at a soccer tournament when they were around seven years old, there was no way they could imagine that one day they'd conspire on pizza topped with Thai chili sauce or a thick, airy pie with three kinds of cheese baked into the crust.

Thirty years later, though, that's just where the two longtime buddies have found themselves as they unveil the third location, in Islip, of The Pizzeria, their rapidly expanding string of eateries. Clad in subway tile and wooden accents, with gas ovens and front cases full of vividly colored pie, The Pizzeria also counts locations in the Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove and in Bayport; and if all goes to plan, by the end of the summer they'll open another in Bay Shore.

"I always thought we would do something together," said Saccoccio, 38, who has long run Gino's Pizzeria of Ronkonkoma alongside his father, Gino (who founded the shop in 1976), uncle Dominick and brother Marco. When he was approached by the shopping mall operator Simon Property Group, which was looking for a mom-and-pop eatery, "I thought 'it's time'," he said.

Serendipitously, Weinstein, 39, had recently sold a technology business and was looking for the next project. Together with Saccoccio's brother Dan Saccoccio, they signed a lease for a spot in the Smith Haven Mall food court and built the look, feel and recipes for The Pizzeria, a sort of pizza 3.0 concept that combines staples such as cheese slices and garlic knots (albeit petite ones) with gas-fired specialty pies like Detroit-style and vodka margherita pizza.

Like everyone else, they were blissfully unaware of what was to come, in the form of COVID-19. When The Pizzeria finally opened in the mall in July, the food court seating was closed "and malls were in triage mode," said Saccoccio.

"As the year went on, the foot traffic came back, and people appreciated that we brought authentic pizza back into the mall," added Weinstein.

Late in 2020, the partners had the opportunity to take over Tony's Pizzeria in Bayport and opened a second Pizzeria in December. It was there that the Bakeri pie was born, a sort of hacked Detroit-style pie that uses a round baking dish, instead of the traditional rectangular pan, and whose dough takes more than a day to proof. Three kinds of cheese are baked into the crust, one version of which also sports vodka sauce, pepperoni and basil and rises to a cloudlike level of fluffiness. "It's not practical, it's not efficient, but …" Saccoccio said as Weinstein whipped out a phone video of the moment Saccoccio realized they had perfected the pie. As he bites into a slice, Saccoccio's eyes widen and he makes rapid-fire gestures of glee.

The $24.95 pie is not on the official menu at either Islip or Bayport, but there are a few for sale each day to those who know to ask for it. There are myriad other pies to choose from, as well: regular pies ($19.95) such as cheese and pepperoni — a cheese slice is $2.95 — and $24.95 specialty pies such as The Honey Pep, with pepperoni and a hot-honey drizzle; a pie improbably topped with Thai chili sauce, and another with meatballs and burrata.

Heroes, like one with prosciutto, mozzarella, tomatoes and basil on focaccia, start at $9.95, and there are. pastas (baked ziti, penne with broccoli, et al) and entrees such as chicken Francese and eggplant Parm, plus calzone, Buffalo-style garlic knots and other snacks. "We wanted a simple and confident menu," said Saccoccio, adding that Kenny Keane, a CIA-trained chef who works in Bayport, helped hone the menu. So far, Weinstein and Saccoccio have hired 25 to 30 people between the three locations, and Weinstein credited the group's partner-contractor, DJT Development of Holtsville, as enabling them to do quick turnarounds on the spaces they take over. (The Islip location takes over the Main St. space where Pizza Parm used to be).

Beer and wine are on tap in Bayport and Islip, and a full bar is under construction in Bay Shore, which will also have outdoor seating. "We'd like to do our version of Negroni," Weinstein said, but the rest of the cocktails are still in development.

Though Saccoccio has grown his pizza purview beyond Gino's, and branched into new recipes, The Pizzeria still uses the dough that his father taught him to make — and Saccoccio said his dad has developed a ritual for each new iteration of The Pizzeria. "My father comes in to each location the day before we open, helps me prep and helps me make the first pie," Saccoccio said. "We make the pie together. It's his way of saying 'good luck.'"

The Pizzeria opens at 11 a.m. Monday to Saturday and 12 p.m. on Sunday at 591 Main St., Islip. 631-581-9500. thepizzeriany.com