Popular Upper West Side Pizza Spot Closed By City Health Department

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — A popular pizza place on the Upper West Side was shut down by the New York City Department of Health this week due to a number of sanitary violations, according to city health inspection records.

Marinara Pizza at 483 Amsterdam Ave., near West 83rd Street, was visited by city Health Department inspectors on Tuesday and was issued six violations and an order to immediately close its doors.

Officials gave the store 63 violation points during the regular inspection for an array of violations, leading to the pizzeria's immediate closure, according to city data.

Inspectors found a number of issues with conditions inside the pizza place, including evidence of mice, improperly labeled and stored pesticides, foods kept and stored at improper temperatures, according to the inspection.

Officials also issued a violation because apparently, Marinara lacked a required bathroom. The violation notes that the shared customer-employee toilet was only accessible via the eatery's kitchen.

The store said Friday that they were now back open and had been closed earlier this week for maintenance.

Marinara Pizza first opened in 2017 and now has six locations in Manhattan, including a second Upper West Side location on Broadway and West 97th Street. They serve up round and square pies, gluten-free cauliflower crust pies, buffalo chicken rolls, cheese calzones, meatballs, mozzarella sticks, salads, wings, pastas, hero sandwiches, garlic knots, and more.

The Amsterdam Avenue location first opened in 2019.

According to the West Side Rag in February, Marinara's Broadway location — which had just debuted in July — had not been open for months. The local news blog also said that a gas shut-off notice from ConEd was found on the storefront.