Pizzanada, a family-owned, pizza, empanada, vegan, and Italian restaurant, opened on July 8 on North Beverwyck Road in Lake Hiawatha, Morris County, New Jersey, is already catching the attention of residents. Indeed, it is fast becoming a favorite spot, even before its Grand Opening, scheduled for August 15.
The Petocz family, that runs the restaurant, opened their first location in Bloomfield during the difficult Covid-19 pandemic period. This their new location in Lake Hiawatha, is however coming at a more auspicious time and is being welcomed by a very embracing customer base.
“I tried it a few days after it opened,” said Lake Hiawatha resident, Joseph Tasse. “It is exactly the kind of restaurant we need in Lake Hiawatha. The workers are great, the food is great. I am so happy they came here!,” he said, beaming with smiles.
The Petocz family bought the building on North Beverwyck Road in March 2023. After over three years of refurbishing what used to be a closed down laundromat, Pizzanada was able to open its doors in early July, with its Grand Opening coming soon.
“We are having our Grand Opening on August 15, at 1 PM with one free empanada for each customer in-store,” said Joseph Petocz, co-owner of Pizzanada. “We are very excited to make ourselves more known in the community,” he stressed.
The Petocz family said that opening up the Bloomfield location in 2020, right around the shutdown, was challenging but rewarding. “We had to solely serve takeout and delivery with the whole shutdown, but we couldn’t have asked for a better launch.” Pizzanada flourished in Bloomfield, but moved to Lake Hiawatha’s downtown area to be around its very diverse food scheme.
“We have customers from all over Northern New Jersey, people of all ages and backgrounds. It’s a great thing we have here,” said Petocz about their new location in Lake Hiawatha.
The Bloomfield location has been temporarily closed since the opening of the restaurant in Lake Hiawatha, as the team gets accustomed to the Lake Hiawatha location, its welcoming residents and conducive environment.
Pizzanada has, indeed, also benefited from the beautification project on North Beverwyck road that allows for more outdoor seating. “Its very nice to have some more seating outside for our customers,” said Christina Petocz, co-owner of Pizzanada. “We love our location and how good business has been in Lake Hiawatha,” she said with a broad smile.
