Pizza Champion Hakki Akdeniz Opens Another Slice Joint on Hester Street
This image has been archived or removed.
Famous dough-stretcher Hakki Akdeniz is expanding his Lower East Side pizza empire. The one-time World Pizza Champion just opened another parlor at 84 Hester Street, beside the corner Chinese bodega. Newspaper clippings boasting his prowess hang in the windows, as do bilingual printouts.
The pizza joint is seemingly without proper title, identified solely by its simple white-on-red store signage. They’re currently running a grand opening sale – $2 for any pizza slice, including toppings.
Hester Street is the fifth neighborhood slice outpost for Akdeniz, behind the La Margarita (Ludlow, Cleveland Place) and Famous Hakki brands (123 Essex, 170 Rivington).
Hakki Akdeniz was crowned World Pizza Champion in 2010; his accolades apparently included fastest pizza making and best in “freestyle acrobatics.”
Recent Stories
Moving in New York — All the Little, Weird and Crazy Things [SPONSORED]
New York City, often described as the cultural, financial, and media capital of the world, is one of the most densely populated major cities in the USA. This is why moving in New York is a living nightmare for most people. “People generally find moving stressful. But moving in New York City is a whole […]
The City’s Battle to Keep One Artist from Reaching the Allen Bathhouse
One street artist remains a thorn in the Lower East Side of the city. Nadja Rose Madder will not be deterred from her artistic muse – the Allen Street Bathhouse at Delancey. Parks Department claimed the chain-link enclosure installed last week was a “safety mechanism” to protect spillover of art and belongings into traffic. But […]
Ace Hotel Quietly Closes ‘Sister City’ on the Bowery
The Ace Hotel’s boutique brand on the Bowery, Sister City, is closed for good. The lodge (and its rooftop bar) had shuttered at the outset of the pandemic in March 2020, never to return. One need only search online for Sister City to see that Google returns a “permanently closed” status, and the official website […]
Bialystoker Tower Tops out at 30 Stories on East Broadway
One month is an eternity when covering the rising real estate in the neighborhood. In that time since our last follow-up, the tower flanking the Bialystoker Nursing Home finally reached the top. The shadow-casting luxury development at 232 East Broadway reached its thirty-story pinnacle late last week. Token stars-and-stripes affixed to the top. Round Square […]
Patti Smith Rallies with Supporters for Elizabeth Street Garden as City Terminates Lease
The legal and political battle to save Elizabeth Street Garden from redevelopment intensified last week as the city sent the beloved urban oasis in Little Italy a notice terminating its month-to-month lease at the end of October. News of the potential eviction broke over social media in the midst of garden plans to host a […]
