Root Baking Co. on Friday, August 7 debuted its Pizza Jeans restaurant on the second floor of Ponce City Market’s Central Food Hall, according to a press release. Originally founded as a pop-up, Pizza Jeans serves pizza by the slice and pie, drinks, dessert, and more for walk-up takeout and delivery on Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 8 p.m.
Pizza Jeans offers diners a menu with a choice of two red pizzas and two white pizzas each day alongside breadsticks, subs, salads and desserts, like Italian Lemon Ice, Sourdough Doughnuts, a Cookie Jar with six freshly baked cookies and NYC Cheesecake. Customers fill out their order on paper menus with provided Pizza Jeans golf pencils before paying at a counter.
Co-founder Chris Wilkins makes fresh, naturally-leavened dough daily that’s light and flavorful, and guests can customize pies of the day with seasonal toppings sourced from local farms. Take-home family meals, like baked ziti, lasagna, and a coursed dinner for two, are to come.
“To me, good pizza is simple: really good cheese, meat, and vegetables on really good dough,” Wilkins said in the release. “We’re doing just that and pinning it as Atlanta-style pizza, showcasing well-executed dough with regionally sourced ingredients and local flavor.”
Behind the bar, Beverage Manager Drew Gillespie, most recently of Little Trouble, serves beers on tap (think Miller High Life) lemon soda on tap (add a shot of vodka to make it boozy) and wine specials. Around half of the wine selection is from woman-owned or -operated vineyards and those that employ sustainable farming practices to produce biodynamic, organic, vegan, and unfiltered wines.
Pizza Jeans features an eclectic design with blue hues, dark draperies, leather booths, items sourced from antique shops and bookstores, and a nine-seat bar which will eventually offer full-service dining.
Open Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Root Baking Co. will reopen in a new food stall adjacent to Pizza Jeans on Saturday, August 8, and offer an all-day, counter service menu with bread, pastries, and brunch, featuring breakfast sandwiches, a new Grit Bowl with farm egg, local vegetables, sausage and Farm and Sparrow Mill grits, mimosas and brunch cocktails, and more.
