The Pizzeria opens in Yaphank

The Pizzeria can’t stop, won’t stop. On Wednesday, the 6-year-old chain opened its eighth and easternmost outpost in Yaphank at The Boulevard, a 322-acre mixed-use development comprising retail, restaurants and about 700 residential units.

Owners Cliff Weinstein and Paul and Dan Saccoccio hadn’t been considering Yaphank until a real estate agent boasted about the area. Weinstein recalled that "we all drove separately, parked our cars and before we even got into the building, we nodded at one another — this is the place."

Many of their previous locations opened in existing pizzerias or restaurants but this one, he said, "was an empty shell, a blank canvas. We didn’t have to retrofit, everything is brand new."

Three sides of the soaring space are glass and both the back and front have patios. The back patio is directly adjacent to the bar so you can be outside and still have a drink and watch TV.

The Pizzeria got its start in 2020 as a 500-square-foot operation at Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove, but successive shops have gotten bigger and bigger: Bayport (800 square feet), Islip, Lindenhurst and Bay Shore (more than double that) and Babylon (5,000 square feet). Last year, a 3,000-square-foot Pizzeria opened in Smithtown’s Branch Plaza.

The Yaphank menu has everything you’d expect to find at a pizzeria, from round and square pies to rice balls and wings, pasta and Parms, heros and wraps. There's also the chain's version of the MVP pizza, the Tri-Fecta, topped with marinara, vodka and pesto sauces. (Large pies range from $21.95 to $34.95, pastas are $21.95, mains are $25.95). As at the chain’s larger locations, there’s a full bar with signature cocktails and well-chosen wines and beers.

Weinstein was unabashedly impressed with The Boulevard. "They built a city out of nothing," he marveled. "They have everything — you don’t have to leave." He believes that the contained nature of the community, and the fact that The Pizzeria is the only pizzeria, will ensure success.

The Pizzeria, 311 Boulevard E., Yaphank, 631-448-7001, thepizzeriany.com. Open Sunday to Monday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.