Neapolitan Cooking
The region of Campania has a diverse cuisine rich in tradition, from Naples, the famed birthplace of pizza, to the fresh seafood of the Tyrrhenian Sea to the rustic fare of Avellino and the mountainous interior. Many of the ingredients we use at PizzArte are imported directly from Campania, including the famous bufala mozzarella and the San Marzano tomatoes used in our tomato sauces.

Our executive chef hails from Naples and brings both tradition and authenticity to PizzArte's cooking, from classics of Neapolitan cuisine to dishes his mother would make for Sunday meals. The menu is filled with authentic Neapolitan dishes such as frittura all' italiana, which is typically enjoyed as an appetizer before pizza, classic minestrone soup, impepata di cozze, sautéed mussels in a pepper and lemon broth, and frittura di mare, fried calamari and shrimp. Our pastas offer a true taste of Campania, from the homemade maccaronara (a specialty from Avellino) with seafood to the paccheri al bacala' with salt cod to pasta alla genovese, a rich onion and meat sauce that's slowly cooked for hours. Every day, we also offer both fish and meat specials.

For dessert try our homemade tiramisu and a true Neapolitan specialty - the fresh, rum-soaked Babá.

Pizza
"Neapolitan pizza" is one of the most popular dishes in the world, but it is widely misunderstood and corrupted. Although "Neapolitan pizza" is widely reproduced around the globe in various shapes and colors with ingredients often loosely resembling those of the original artisanal product, most are actually poor imitations. Authentic Neapolitan pizza is only truly derived from a philosophy that respects tradition by expertly combining humble ingredients.

At PizzArte, our pizzas are cooked at temperatures exceeding 900° Fahrenheit in a wood burning pizza oven built according to age-old methods passed down to a Neapolitan artisan who exclusively used materials imported directly from Naples. What sets our dough apart from others is flour imported from Molino Caputo and the rigor with which it is prepared, according to traditions that among other things require letting it rise for at least twelve hours.

Milestones in the History of Neapolitan Pizza:

Real pizza evolved from the ingenuity of Neapolitans making traditional flat bread more appetizing. The concept gained immediate popularity as a dish for the poor due to its simple ingredients and low cost. In the 1600s, a special pizza was born, pizza "alla mastunicola," made with lard, caciocavallo cheese, black pepper and basil, which lent a fragrant aroma to the dish and became a staple ingredient as pizza evolved.

1700. Mozzarella was one of the preferred foods of the Bourbons, who ruled the Kingdom of Naples. In the second half of the 18th Century, Charles of Bourbon raised water buffalo on his manor not far from the Palace of Caserta, where he later built a dairy. The royal's appreciation of mozzarella made it one of the principal ingredients of pizza, which became popular with the poorest Neapolitans as well as the nobles and the court.

1800.Pizza topped with tomatoes gradually became the favorite of all social classes and spread to regions throughout Italy with the number of pizzerias growing at an exponential rate. At first they were simple storefronts with nothing more than ovens serving patrons who ate pizzas while standing in the streets; subsequently, trattorias and pizzerias accommodated diners more comfortably. The success of this simple yet tasty food converted the palates of the sovereigns of the House of Savoy and, in 1889, master pizza maker Raffaele Esposito dedicated the "Pizza Margherita" to Queen Margherita of Savoy, representing the three colors of the Italian Republic – red tomatoes, white mozzarella, and green basil.

1900. With the wave of emigration from Italy in full force, pizza and pizzerias, first a Neapolitan then Italian sensation, became an international one. But it was only after World War II, with an increasing variety of ingredients used to cater to local diners, that pizza became a global phenomenon grossing huge revenues and creating fortunes, but also betraying its origins as the simple, healthy and inimitable "Pizza Napoletana."

2011. The inauguration of PizzArte marries art and cuisine in a modern space in Midtown Manhattan, placing culinary artistry side by side with fine art, allowing New Yorkers to enjoy two of the great cultural traditions of Campania.