Hit Pizzeria Chain Tosses New Eatery Into Upper East Side

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A new pizzeria promises to give Upper East Siders a taste of Rome.

Unregular Pizza, a viral pizza chain, opened shop along Lexington Avenue and East 79th Street last week.

The latest establishment signifies the fourth pizza shop launched by Gabriele Lamonaca, originally from Rome. Additional locations include Union Square, Midtown East, and Essex Market on the Lower East Side.

“Come try our pastrami pizza, available only at this location,” Unregular Pizza announced on Instagram following the opening of their Upper East Side branch.

Lamonaca, whose dream was to own his own shop, found himself confined to his apartment in March 2020 without a job. To fill his time, the Italian native started experimenting with various pizza recipes. This led to the creation of a dedicated Instagram account called 'Unregular Pizza,' and soon his friends began requesting a taste.

Eager to share his creations, Lamonaca proposed a barter system: exchanging his pizzas for homemade goods from friends. As his online following expanded, Lamonaca engaged in more bartering with New Yorkers, trading his pizzas for a variety of homemade treats, from traditional dishes to enticing desserts and homebrews.

"And so, during an unprecedented time of global disconnect and isolation, it was the pursuit of human connections that brought Unregular Pizza to life," their website states.

Unregular's menu features the burrapizza, where each square slice is adorned with a whole burrata, alongside offerings like the cacio e pepe pizza, a spicy diavola pizza, Italian sandwiches, and a variety of fried pasta sides.

Slice prices span from $4.50 to $7.50, while whole pies are priced between $27 and $39.

The shop is open every day from 11 a.m. until 9:30 p.m.

To learn more, check out Unregular Pizza's Instagram page here or click here for their website.