Taglio opens second pizzeria, in Massapequa Park

Rob Cervoni’s second Taglio pizzeria has opened in Massapequa Park and, based on the crowds that descended on Day One, it looks like it will be easier the second time around.

When the shop opened last week, employees were having a tough time keeping the display cases stocked with the shop’s two styles of pizza, Roman-style "pizza al taglio" — baked in rectangular pans and cut with scissors into square slices ("taglio" means "cut") — and round New York pies sold whole or by the slice. Both types of pies come in more than 20 variations, with toppings ranging from classic (tomato and mozzarella, $4 for a slice, $25 for a pie) to gourmet (mortadella, provolone, burrata, basil pesto and crushed pistachios, $6.25 / $39) to Only On Long Island (sausage, pepperoni, burrata, hot honey, mozzarella, tomato, $6.25 / $36).

When Cervoni and his former partner, Mimmo Tolomeo, opened the original Taglio in Mineola in 2018, the odds were stacked against them: The little pizzeria around the corner from the LIRR was obscured by the Mineola Boulevard overpass and it’s hard to say whether there was less foot traffic or less parking. And yet, this is where the two joined the movement that was challenging Long Island pizza conventions, introducing "pizza al taglio" and upgrading the classic, round New York pie, using long-fermented, high-hydration doughs that they fussed over as if they were newborns.

A fixture on Newsday’s best pizza list, in 2024 Taglio's was also named the #3 slice shop in the country by 50 Top Pizza, an Italy-based industry guide. In 2023, Cervoni won a pizza-themed episode of Food Network’s "Chopped." Now, in Massapequa Park, he’s a known quantity since announcing the new location last June. The chic decor combines Ninja Turtles with Ancient Rome and there’s a free municipal lot out back.

At 1,700 square feet, the ground floor is a bit bigger than in Mineola, but there are another 1,700 square feet of basement where Cervoni set up a prep kitchen and a temperature-controlled dough room with filtered water, a state-of-the art mixer (that promptly broke in time for the opening) and an automated dough baller. This is also where Cervoni stores his Caputo flour, an Italian brand that, unlike many American pizza flours, contains neither bleach nor potassium bromate, which strengthens the dough and enhances rising but has been banned in the EU, the U.K. and Canada.

The Massapequa Park location serves the same pizzas, calzones, heroes and salads as in Mineola. But there’s also a small dessert menu of tiramisu and maritozzi (cream-stuffed brioches). More significant are the new beverage options. You can have a freshly pulled Caffe Kimbo espresso or a "Kimbo Crema," (think creamy coffee slushy) or, in a slightly harder vein, Italian beer (Peroni, Moretti, Menabrea) or, in a much pricier vein, a bottle of Veuve Clicquot ($150) or Dom Pérignon ($350).

Indeed, Cervoni is in a celebratory mood. "When I opened in Mineola, everyone told me I was going to fail," he said. "My whole pizza journey is reflected here, I wanted to show everyone what a slice shop could be."

Taglio, 113 Front St., Massapequa Park, 516-765-2000, taglioromanpizza.com. Open Sunday to Wednesday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Thursday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.