Zoli's NY Pizza Is Leaving Oak Cliff, But Where Will It Go?

Devoted fans of Zoli's NY Pizza better stuff their faces with Grandma slices while they still can: The Cane Rosso sibling will be on the move come next year — and where it will land, nobody knows.

Owner Jay Jerrier tells GuideLive he'll be shuttering the Davis Street pizzeria in Spring 2016 due to the impending Bishop Arts Gateway project by developers Alamo Manhattan, which has created major controversy in the neighborhood. (Said development would also take down other businesses like pub Ten Bells Tavern, which isn't going down without a fight.)

Reached for comment, Jerrier says they've got several ideas in mind for a new Zoli's location: "I think it could work in East Dallas, Preston Hollow or North Dallas ... Houston and Fort Worth are also strong possibilities."

Houston? Say it ain't so. Hopefully Jerrier and his team can find Zoli's a new home that's still within delivery distance of its current diehard fans — but regardless of where the New York-style pizzeria lands, it won't be like the Zoli's we know now: Jerrier says they'll be switching from the current counter-service setup to full table service (like Cane Rosso).

"I love the food at Zoli’s... I just do not like the whole 'fast casual' concept. It’s totally reliant on volume which I just don’t like — no one really buys salads, apps or beer," the pizza mogul explains. "As a counter service restaurant, we’re not really a destination. More of a convenience. We do fine on the weekends…but it can be slow for lunches midweek. Ironically, the thing that would make Zoli’s a better fit for Bishop Arts is the density that the Bishop Arts Gateway will create — even though the Bishop Arts Gateway is the reason we have to relocate!"

Jerrier's clearly not too broken up over his impending move out of Oak Cliff, noting that Zoli's current home — formerly the home of Monica Greene's BEE Enchiladeria — is fraught with foundation and plumbing problems.

The good news is, once the Zoli's concept makes the switch to a table-service pizzeria — meaning higher check averages and, presumably, bigger profits — it could eventually be poised for expansion. "As a sit-down, I think Zoli’s can definitely do multiple locations," Jerrier says.