Dough & Co. Pizza opens in Northport

After two years in Huntington, one of Long Island’s most lauded pizzerias has launched a second location in Northport.

When Danny Rocca and Teddy Fortunato opened the original Dough & Co. Pizza in 2022, the focus was on the pies: Could these two young entrepreneurs (22 and 23, respectively) distinguish themselves in that village’s crowded field? The shop was across the street from Rosa’s and less than two blocks away from 1653 Pizza Co. and Little Vincent’s.

Dough & Co. carved out a narrow niche: more artisanal than Rosa’s and Little Vincent’s, yet still a slice shop — unlike the chic trattoria 1653 (where Rocca worked for a year). Within a year it had landed on Newsday’s list of Top Pizzas and Rocca and Fortunato started looking for a second spot. They found it on Fort Salonga Road in Northport, in the former digs of La Casa Pizza. (Once again, they’ve got some direct competition: Fattusco’s is right across the street.)

Now, Rocca said, the challenges have less to do with pizza, more to do with running a pizzeria. “It’s not just about the product, It’s about managing costs, staffing, taking care of the staff so we keep the staff. It’s about making this business last.”

Not that he’s taking his foot off the pizza-making gas. A restless baker, Rocca said that he’s gone through 15 dough recipes in the last two years. “And I thought each one was great — until I made the next one.” He constantly fiddles with hydration (water-to-flour ratio), proofing time and temperature with the goal of achieving a crust with the right structure and texture. “I like it to be dark, with a floury finish,” he said. “And I’m always tinkering with the sauce-cheese ratio — I think a little more sauce makes a crisper pie.”

Dough & Co. makes pies in a few styles: There are classic Long Island Neapolitans, Sicilians and grandmas, topped with everything from tomatoes and oregano (the marinara) to Buffalo chicken and spinach-artichoke. Whole pies range from $22 to $35, slices from $3.65 to $5.25. Artisanal meter-long “metro” pies are baked directly on the floor of the oven and include the metro Margherita (fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, Sicilian oregano, freshly grated Parmesan and extra-virgin olive oil) and the metro West (mushrooms, caramelized onions, ricotta and fresh mozzarella, black pepper and Parmesan). Whole pies are $39 to $44, slices from $5.60 to $6.30. There are also personal pies (available with cauliflower crusts), rolls, calzones and garlic knots.

No pizza? No problem. The flip side of the menu has meatballs, salads ($9.50), pastas ($16 to $21), wings ($18.95), heros ($14.50 to $16) and mains alla Parmesan, Francese and Milanese ($25).

It’s a pleasant, light-filled room with seats for about 20. The idea, Fortunato said, is to be “a real family place.” Huntington, he said, is full of people coming to the Paramount or to see the tree at Christmas or to shop or to have a night out. “Here in Northport, we don’t expect to be a destination — we want to be part of the community.”

Dough & Co.,1014 Fort Salonga Rd., Northport, 631-651-5803, thedoughandco.com. Open Tuesday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., closed on Monday.