East Fifth Avenue welcomed another business in September. Del Baggio, offering pizza, wings, gyros and other items, opened across from M.I.A. Hookah Cafe, giving hookah smokers and tea drinkers a convenient late night food option.
Tarik Ezzini, owner of both establishments, said the pizzeria has proven to be a necessity in the neighborhood in just the couple weeks it’s been open.
“We didn’t expect we’re going to be overwhelmed with orders,” Ezzini said. “We were overwhelmed with the volume.”
A few ideas for the lot, including opening a grocery store, were thrown out before Ezzini landed on Del Baggio. While he earned his business degree at Temple University in Philadelphia, Ezzini worked a side job making pizzas. It was there that he met Issac del Baggio.
“I got a call from a friend of mine that I used to work with in Philadelphia when I was there,” Ezzini said. “And so I proposed to him, if he wants to move here, we can open a pizza place together. He’s gonna run it, and that’s how the idea started.”
The staple pizzeria menu items are available, but Del Baggio also serves a few specials, including a Greek chicken pizza and one with shrimp and Alfredo. Open late, Ezzini said Del Baggio is meant to serve the college students and young professionals filtering into the neighborhood.
Del Baggio opened at 127 E. Fifth Ave. on September 16. For more information, visit their Facebook page.