Over the past couple of weeks, Regent Square has been buzzing with excitement for Rockaway Pizzeria, a well-loved pizza chain that recently opened a location on Braddock Avenue. Weeks after opening, Rockaway is still selling out hours before closing time almost every day.
The new restaurant suffered a bump in the road on its way to opening. Opening day had long been scheduled for May 2nd, but the unusual storm and subsequent power loss resulted in all of Rockaway’s pizza supplies going bad. They were forced to delay their official opening to Friday, May 9th.
The power outage may have delayed Rockaway’s official opening, but it didn’t stop them from distributing pizza to the people of Regent Square. They offered free pizzas to passerbys until they ran out, then restocked when power was restored.
Founder of Rockaway Pizza Josh Sickels began making pizza in his apartment in Pittsburgh in 2016 and opened the first location in Greenfield in 2017. Sickels journey continues in the newly added Regent Square Rockaway Pizza with his notorious Brooklyn style pizza.
Several weeks ago, my family and I dined at Rockaway Pizza on opening night. After being offered the option to either dine in and wait forty-five minutes for food or take out and wait two hours for food, my family and I eagerly waited for one plain pizza and one Prosciutto and Arugula pizza.
While waiting, we chatted with a family that surprisingly went to the same school as my brother and I (it’s a small world), as well as looking around the pizza shop-esque space. Eventually, our pizzas arrived and we tasted them. The Prosciutto and Arugula pizza was delicious; it was covered in arugula and drizzled with olive oil that perfected the taste. The plain was also delicious, with a similarly thin crust to the Prosciutto and Arugula. Before ordering, I had debated between the Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza and the Honey Pie, so now I know what to get next time.
Rockaway Pizza is quickly becoming a regular spot on Braddock Avenue, adding to well-known favorites like D’s, Famous Cafe, Live Fresh, Thai Cottage, and Frick Park Tavern.
