Pizza Lyfe, New York Style Pizza Opens in Westport

For those of you who have been craving a good New York style pizza that you can really sink your teeth into, let us introduce you to Pizza Lyfe, a slice of heaven in the heart of New Haven style pizza country. 

Pizza Lyfe prides itself on using only the best and freshest of ingredients. Their specially made mozzarella comes from the Bronx, a location so secret they wouldn’t even share it with us ‘off the record.’ The dough is made from a special unbleached, high-protein flour that is fermented for two days before becoming a delicious pizza crust. 

The menu is diverse with traditional cheese and pepperoni pizza pies (that are also available by the slice and very reasonably priced) as well as their specialty pies which are best described as a Neopolitan/New York, hybrid.

Traditional cheese slices and pies can be augmented with toppings such as sausage, meatball, onion, red peppers, bacon, spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, and olives to name a few. Their specialty pizzas include Salad Pizza, Margarita Pizza, White Pizza, Spicy Pizza Lyfe, Veggie Pizza, Truffled Mushroom, Pineapple and Ham, Buffalo Chicken, Burrata, Meatlovers and Artichoke. There are also two weekly specials on rotation. 

For those of you looking for amazing salads, don’t let the name, Pizza Lyfe life, deter you… Their salads are generously sized, colorful, incredibly fresh and absolutely delicious. They include the House Salad Cesare, Caprese, Traditional Greca, Beet of Lyfe, Baby Kale + Quinoa and Warm Faro.

Diners looking for something other than pizza will also find classic Italian appetizers and sandwiches. A full bar with wine and specialty cocktails will complete any evening meal. 

We met with Dimitri Pantzos a couple of weeks ago and sat down to talk about all things Pizza Lyfe. Spelled with a Y to ensure the name stands out and is memorable… And indeed it is. The restaurant originally opened in December 2022 and is the third brand owned by his aunt and uncle, Kathy and Gino Riccio who have long been a fixture in the Fairfield County restaurant scene with fan favorites Quattro Pazzi and Organika. These guys certainly know the secret to successful restaurants. On the day we visited a fourth restaurant, Vespina, was opening on Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield.

Dimitri describes Pizza Lyfe as a “passion project” stating that pizza truly is their life – many, many years ago, Gino opened his first pizzeria in Yonkers New York.

In staying with the times, they have taken a tried, and true recipe and adapted it to today’s tastes and diet preferences. In addition to the generous selection, there are plenty of gluten-free options, including a great gluten-free crust (not made on premises) that is celiac safe. 

Vegan or Lactose intolerant? Don’t worry there’s plenty here for you as well. Pizza life offers, vegan mozzarella, as well as vegan feta, so eat your heart out in pizza and salad!

We were excited to sit down and try some pizza and ordered the Spicy Pizza Lyfe made with tomato sauce, mozzarella, spicy soppressata, hot honey and fresh sliced Jalapeño. The crust was on point, had the perfect chew that I look for in a pizza, that isn’t often found in these parts. The salad was delicious, colorful, and fresh. 

There were plenty of leftovers to bring home and share with the family. I ordered the Calabrian Cheese Steak pizza special to go. We all enjoyed both that night. I’m happy to report that both pizzas heated up beautifully. (We preheated our oven to 350°F, and once it reached the right temperature, we turned it off and placed both pizzas in their boxes in the oven for about five minutes until the pizzas were warm and the cheese was soft and gooey.) The crusts remained firm.

The following Friday, we decided we needed pizza for dinner again and once again ordered the Spicy Pizza Lyfe (now officially a family favorite) and decided to try the Buffalo Chicken – If you like heat you’ll love this! The next time, we’ll try some of the more basic pies.

If you haven’t yet checked them out, we strongly recommend that you do. Prefer to enjoy Pizza Lyfe at home? You can order through their website, UberEats, GrubHub, Doordash and Slice.

Pizza Lyfe

838 Post Road East, Westport CT
(203) 557-8954