Jul 25, 2023 - Food and Drink

Lovers Pizzeria bringing New York-style pizza to San Antonio

Dustin Dworak and Victoria Moreno. Photo: Courtesy of Dustin Dworak

East Coast-style pizza is filling the walk-up restaurant space that was once Carnitas Lonja.

Details: Lovers Pizzeria will have its grand opening on Friday, selling 16-inch pizzas, slices, Italian sodas and desserts at 1107 Roosevelt Ave.

  • Whole pizza options are cheese and tomato pie for $22 (or by the slice for $3.50) and poblano for $25 ($4.50 for a slice).
  • Pepperoni is available by the slice for $4.50.

Between the lines: First-time restaurant owners Dustin Dworak and Victoria Moreno told Axios they wanted to provide San Antonio with an option for the kind of pizza they fell in love with in New York City.

  • Dworak previously worked at 2M Smokehouse, then staged at Philadelphia's Pizzeria Beddia, which was once named the Best Pizza in America, before returning to Texas to work at Bufalina and Favorite Pizza in Austin.
  • "We always want a good slice to go and there's nothing like that around, so we figured we should just do that," Moreno told Axios.

What they did: The owners road-tripped to Wisconsin to buy a Blodgett oven, which is typically used in New York, to fire up the pizzas at the new San Antonio spot.

  • Dworak says the pizzas will be made with naturally leavened crust and topped with ingredients sourced from Texas suppliers like Dos Lunas Cheese, South Texas Seasonals and Barton Springs Mill.

Flashback: James Beard-nominated chef Alex Paredes broke hearts throughout the city in June when he announced Carnitas Lonja would close.

  • Lovers Pizzeria was revealed as the next tenant of the space, and details about Carnitas Lonja returning were sparse at the time.
  • The beloved taco joint reopened this month in a larger space next to Lovers Pizzeria.

What's next: Lovers Pizzeria will be open Friday through Monday, 3-9pm (or sellout).

  • Cash, Venmo or Cash App accepted.
Pizza by the slice at Lovers Pizzeria. Photo: Courtesy of Dustin Dworak
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