MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) — It’s an American success story for Italian immigrants who dreamed of serving up Roman-style pizza in the Big Apple.

The owners of Unregular Pizza are now celebrating the grand opening of their third location. It’s located at 14 East 37th St. in Midtown.

During the COVID pandemic, Gabriele Lamonaca started making pizza in his apartment and bartered it for other food and goods while restaurants were shuttered.

Lamonaca, his wife Paola Sinisgalli and business partner Salvatore Gagliardo opened their first Unregular Pizza location in 2021 in Union Square. In February of 2023, a man vandalized the store on Fourth Avenue and threw glass bottles at Lamonaca and an employee.

“At this very moment, we are becoming the first Roman-style pizza chain in New York City and I want to say the U.S.,” Sinisgalli told PIX11 News on Thursday.

What is Roman-style pizza?

“The dough is Roman-style. It’s leaven for 72 hours, so that makes it very digestible and crispy and light,” Sinisgalli said.

“If you keep your positivity on all the time, then something good might always come out, and in our case, something very, very good come out,” Lamonaca told PIX11 News.

For more information and locations, click here.