It’s a Friday night and you and your crew find yourselves a little tipsy and a little hungry from bar hoping and dancing. The night is young and it’s still too early for the party to end, but your stomach is rumbling. Chico’s has been done before and the taco truck outside The Briar Patch is just not happening. You want to hit up a cool place nearby to grab a bite to eat. The perfect spot is the little pizzeria known as The Pizza Joint located on 2900 N Mesa St. (and coming this fall to Pride Square at 500 N. Stanton in downtown).
This place has been rolling out and serving New York style pizza by the slice to the El Paso and UTEP community for almost four years. Owned and operated by Melissa Maese (Mel) with the help of her operational manager Miklos Girts (Miki) and their crew, the successful recipe the restaurant is known for today is a contribution from all its employees.
I quickly noticed the enthusiasm and friendliness of the staff when I was greeted with a warm welcome entering the establishment. “Everyone gets that, and it’s just because we are so excited to share our product with others,” said proud owner Mel. “I want people to love this place as much as I do, and I want them to love it enough to come back.”
With its unique ambiance, décor and an eye catching menu with names such as The Vergie, The Jeffery and The Fungi, The Pizza Joint not only offers a different experience from those other pizza places, but a unique menu as well. You can get gluten free, vegan and vegetarian pizzas that have also been requested from stars such as Snoop Dogg, The Cure, Macaulay Culkin, Cut Copy, Nine Inch Nails and Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder.
“The Pizza Joint is just getting too big for its britches and honestly there is such a demand we really can’t help but grow,” said Miki about their success. With The Pizza Joint soon to offer two locations to serve El Paso, it can only mean double the food, double the business and double the support for the artist, music and the local scene these guys already endorse.
With open mic nights held religiously every Wednesday, you can see promotional posters of upcoming shows from local and big name bands displayed outside on their window and they also have rotating art galleries displayed throughout their walls. This place offers a backbone to the local music scene. “Our strong approach to supporting and nourishing the local art scene is essential to The Pizza Joint’s personality and growth,” said Miki. “We’ve been so fortunate to see artists like Diego Martinez, Emily Hardtke, Juan Ornelas, Taylor Bones and Great Shapes develop their talents with The Pizza Joint and go on to do great things for El Paso.”
So what does Pizza mean to Miki? He said, “For me, Pizza is an ability to project positivity and good back into the world. There really is no greater compliment than someone telling you your pizza was the best pizza they have ever had in their life and seeing the truth in their smile.”
The Pizza Joint truly has it all: good ingredients, friendliness, art and a delicious variety of food. What started off as a risk after Mel lost her job, has led to the successful recipe that The Pizza Joint embodies, “El Paso needed pizza by the slice and I knew it would work, and it has! Everything The Pizza Joint is, is not me. Pizza Joint is its own body, its own entity and its own being. So I always say thank you Pizza Joint because I treat it as a friend and care taker.” When entering The Pizza Joint that is exactly what you’ll receive, care from a warm staff and a bomb slice of pizza pie.
TEXT: MATTHEW EUZARRAGA | PHOTO CREDIT: FLORENCIA MAZZA RAMSAY
