Esquire profiled Anthony Mangieri after the re-opening of Una Pizza Napoletana on the Lower East Side in 2022.
“I’m a single dad and that is not a responsibility I take lightly, and it is beautiful,” Mangieri says, employing one of his favorite adjectives. “I also felt deep down, which is something that has happened at a few crucial moments in my career, that there was a limit to what I could do where I had landed, and that New York City still needed to be the place.”
With two starters, a handful of pizzas, and a tight selection of wines, the vision marks a return to the simplicity with which Mangieri has always felt most comfortable: a few things done as well as possible; an argument for restraint. “For years, I’ve heard people comment on how similar the topping combinations of the pizzas can be,” Mangieri says. “That’s what we are about: the nuances. We’ll do a margherita and then run a special that’s basically the same thing on paper, with smoked mozzarella instead of fresh, and oregano in place of basil. It will be a completely different experience.”
Reflecting on the state of the food world, Mangieri says that “somewhere along the way this idea of subtlety is getting lost when it comes to pizza.”
He now owns the space outright, after parting ways with chefs Jeremiah Stone and Fabian von Hauske, the Michelin-starred partners who originally joined forces with him on Orchard Street in 2019. The short-lived trio served several appetizers and desserts that drew on Stone and von Hauske’s strengths.
Going forward, if Mangieri has his way, Una will only open on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. He is trying to work things out so he can run a viable business while spending all of Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday with his daughter.
