Emmy Squared opened its doors to the hungry diners of Williamsburg, Brooklyn first in in 2016. Co-founders Emily Hyland and executive chef Matthew Hyland quickly found a place in the hearts of many Midwestern transplants who were fond of the Detroit-style pizza rarely found in New York City. This square pizza develops a crispy crust from the caramelized cheese around the edges of the pan, but maintains a fluffy center with stripes of sauce ladled on top with toppings.
Emmy Squared Pizza is part of the Pizza Loves Emily family of restaurants which started in 2014 with the opening of Emily Pizzeria in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. October 2019 brought Emmy Squared to Queens Village Philadelphia on the first floor of the Queen Hotel. The hotel also opened in the fall with a modern black exterior. The restaurant is stylish lots of natural lighting, natural wood and white marble tables. With a bar accented by gold light fixtures with Edison bulbs, green tile, and an exposed brick wall. There’s also a courtyard with outdoor tables for dining during the warmer months.
The majority of the menu is pizza, with classic options like the Margarita with burrata and basil, make it a Big Al by adding sausage and Calabrian chilies. Roni Supreme with pepperoni and Calabrian chilies takes a spicy twist and make sure to check out the only-sold-in-Philly Tony Luke Jr. It’s a play on a roast pork sandwich with broccoli rabe, roasted garlic, bacon, hot peppers, and provolone. Chef Matt who has always enjoyed making pizza at home, spent a lot of time tasting and exploring, adjusting the dough recipe, and developing a sauce and cheese combination for these Detroit-style pies.
Almost all of our menu items at Emmy Squared have at story. From pizzas named after family members and friends, or places Emily and Matt have dined at, to inside jokes. Chef Matt has turned his wife’s name into half the menu items they offer. The naming of dishes is a fun and light-hearted way for us to incorporate people and places we love.
Take the famous Le Big Matt burger. This special burger features grass-fed blend patties from Pat La Frieda (2 of them), plus American cheese, pickles, lettuce, and Sammy Sauce, all packed into a pretzel bun with a side of waffle fries. The famed double-stack burger, was named ‘#1 Best Burger in Nashville’ by The Tennessean, voted one of ‘The Best New Burgers In NYC’ by Gothamist, and listed as one of the ‘20 Best Burgers in NYC’ by The Infatuation
As Emmy Squared expands from their Brooklyn roots they put a focus on being rooted in the neighborhood; it is important to honor the energy of what they intended for the restaurant to be from the beginning, which is a place of warmth and hospitality for neighbors to get their fill of all things pizza and burgers. That’s particularly why Emily loves the Queen Village Emmy Squared– the neighborhood is quaint and small and tight-knit, and they have regulars who live nearby and have welcomed us into their wonderful pocket of Philly.
The menu does have a lot of consistency across all locations — nonetheless, in each community where Emmy Squared opens they love to pay tribute by adding some items inspired by the region. In Philadelphia, the menu offers diners a taste of The Tony Luke Jr. Pizza or Chopped Cheese Fries, a serving of waffle fries topped with chopped beef, red onion, bell pepper, pickles and smoky queso (paying tribute to the Philly cheesesteak).
There are a lot of savory delights on the menu, but you really are doing yourself a favor if you save a little room for the Banana Pudding for dessert. And if you’re curious about the Emmy Square logo- Emily actually drew the cartoon as a triangular pizza slice, so her features and limbs are her original artwork. Then, Director of Marketing, Samantha Ullrich worked with a graphic designer to add her pepperoni blush and turn her bones to a square. Finally, graphic designer, Chris Nguyen, incorporated her into the full logo.
Emmy Squared offers Happy Hour Monday – Friday 4-6 pm and reservations via OpenTable.
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