“Crazy Pizza is not a pizzeria,” says owner Flavio Briatore. “It’s an experience.”
The Italian entrepreneur, and Formula 1 legend, has brought the Crazy Pizza experience Stateside to New York, marking the restaurant’s 16th location worldwide since launching in London in 2019. Ahead of the restaurant’s public opening in SoHo on Wednesday, videos of chefs in white jackets spinning large floppy discs of dough inside a burgundy-hued dining room started popping up on social media.
“It’s not because I’m biased, but Crazy Pizza has the best pizza in New York City,” says Heidi Klum, an investor in the project, who posted about the restaurant after attending a preopening celebration for the restaurant along with her and Briatore’s daughter, Leni. In one video, a pizza-shaped disco ball casts specks of light around the room, and an ABBA song provides a soundtrack for the restaurant’s signature pizza-spinning performances.
Flavio Briatore
Courtesy of Billionaire
“The pressure was that I wanted to do something in the pizza area — but different pizza, different entertainment, music, DJ, and fun and energetic, good looking people,” says Briatore, who owns Crazy Pizza as part of his Majestas hospitality group.
Majestas partnered with the Altamarea Group for the New York opening, with the restaurant taking over the space formerly occupied by Osteria Morini. The dining room, infused with playful retro touches, was designed by Michele Bönan and Nusla Design.
Spaghetti and pizza from the menu at Crazy Pizza.
Courtesy Elliott Furness
The menu, led by executive chef Simone Cavalagli, is consistent across all Crazy Pizza locations from London to Milan, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, highlighting a universal truth: “Everybody likes pizza,” Briatore says. “But we wanted to have a much lighter pizza.” The pizzas are low-yeast and thin-crust, made with dough produced exclusively for Crazy Pizza at a mill in Puglia, Italy, that has a lower gluten content and fewer additives. “We have the best product possible for the pizza from the mozzarella, the tomato, et cetera,” he adds. “The quality needs to be the same in every pizza.”
The robust pizza options include Tartufo with shaved black truffles, classic margherita and the Catalina, with prawns. There are also a few tomato-forward pasta dishes and breaded chicken dishes, listed under “crazy pleasures.” The cocktail program, led by beverage director Daniele Giovinazzo, was informed by popular Italian songs from several decades ago.
The New York opening is just the first chapter for Crazy Pizza in the U.S. Briatore is actively looking into bringing the concept to other major cities like Los Angeles, Miami and Las Vegas. “I’ll be in Vegas next week for the Formula 1 race, and I have an appointment with a friend of mine for a city location,” he says.
With so many balls in the air, the next Crazy Pizza will be up and spinning dough in no time.
Cocktails on the menu at Crazy Pizza.
Courtesy Elliott Furness
