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This image has been archived or removed.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
Clayton’s Corner: Overthrow the Wrong Way
In this installment of Clayton’s Corner, photographer Clayton Patterson shares news that the Overthrow boxing gym on Bleecker Street is back in action. Then, crosstown on Essex Street, two cops stopped for a quick slice. However, flouting traffic by driving the wrong way to park in front of Champion Pizza. This move seemed to irk […]
How COVID and a Bus Stop Chased Benson’s from Essex Street
The following guest post was penned by Boogie reader Sydney Fishman. For five years, Benson’s held down the corner of East Houston and Essex Streets with craft beers, sumptuous burgers, and the occasional movie night. The movie nights, according to owner Annie Morton, were the highlight of Benson’s tenure on the Lower East Side. Before […]
Next Phase of Market Line at Essex Crossing Now Visible
With scaffolding and other construction elements removed from The Artisan building at Essex Crossing, another part of the Market Line is coming into focus. Unlike the westernmost third of the Market Line, this section beneath 180 Broome Street feels less like a dungeon. Design elements, including massive grand staircase and full facade glass open the […]
14-Story Eldridge Street Hotel Hit with Stop Work Order
The hotel newcomer underway on lower Eldridge Street – recently topped out at fourteen stories – met the might of the city. Inspectors from Department of Buildings issued a stop-work order on 79 Eldridge about a week ago. It’s a full order which only allows work “to provide shoring for all staircases and provide design […]
Eighteen Groups Sign Open Letter Demanding Transparency over CB3 Removal of Committee Chairs
Eighteen community groups within Community Board 3 on the Lower East Side this week co-signed an open letter to city and state officials urging inquiry into the removal of Alexandra Militano and Carolyn Ratcliffe as chairs of the SLA and Arts & Culture subcommittees, respectively. The shakeup, apparently inspired by a stated “new direction” for […]
