My family was hosted by Russo’s. As always, all thoughts and opinions stated are my own.
Back in January my family and I were invited to the Grand Opening of a new Russo’s NY Pizzeria location in Spring. We have visited a closer location to us several times and thought celebrating the opening of a new location would be a fun night out for the family.
And it was. We all had a blast and enjoyed some fantastic food.
When the marketing team at Russo’s NY Pizzeria reached out to me to see if I was interested, they told me that Anthony Russo (The Russo in Russo’s NY Pizzeria) would be in attendance that night and would love to show my family how to make pizza. Once I read that, I was sold. I knew it would be a fun experience for the kids, and I was right.
Since it was the Grand Opening, the restaurant was packed. Every table was filled and there were people filed in at the front waiting for a table. When we arrived there were no tables, so they sat us at the back of the restaurant in a quaint little corner that is reserved for the franchise owner. It sits right by the kitchen and we were able to watch the cooks as they prepared the entrees. My youngest son had an absolutely wonderful time watching them at work.
But before we made our pizzas, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner. To start, we had an order of Mozzarella Fritti and an order of Garlic Knots.
We had the Mozzarella Fritti first. It came to the table not as hot as I’d like and was underwhelming to be completely honest. I’ve had a lot of fried mozzarella sticks in my day and there was nothing particularly exciting about these. But the Garlic Knots, a whole different story. They arrived at the table piping hot and they didn’t disappoint. They were covered in a generous amount of garlic and served with a delicious marinara sauce for dipping. Honestly, I could have eaten several plates of these and went home completely happy and content.
The staff was attentive to our needs, making sure our glasses were always full. Our entrees arrived in an acceptable amount of time considering how busy the restaurant was during our visit. I ordered the Gnocchi Alla Piemontese, my husband ordered the Mulberry pizza, and the kids all ordered a kids meal. The serving sizes were generous, which is always nice. I love being able to take home food for lunch the next day.
There is something so comforting about dinner around the table with family with tasty food. We always eat dinner together and many times on the weekend, we invite others to join us. Many of my favorite memories are made around the table. I hope my children will continue the tradition with their families one day.
After we ate dinner, it was time to make pizza. I didn’t tell the children we would be making pizza at the restaurant, only that we were going out to eat. Once they found out, you couldn’t have wiped the smiles off their faces even if you tried. I mean, because how often does the owner of a restaurant take time out of his busy night to show you how to make pizza? It was definitely a memory-making night and the kids often mention “making pizza at that restaurant.”
After we all made pizza with Anthony, they cooked them and packed them up for us to take home. We all had pizza for lunch for days, and nobody complained.
Obviously this was an experience we will remember for years to come. I don’t think that Russo’s NY Pizzeria offers this as part of a normal every day experience, but I think it would be something fun to add to the menu.
Overall we had a wonderful time at Russo’s. The food was fantastic, the atmosphere was fun, and the staff made sure we had a phenomenal time.
How many of you would like to make your own pizza at the restaurant as part of the dining experience?
Robin Rue (@massholemommy) says
I love NY style pizza. It’s hard to find that outside of NY, but it looks like Russo’s figured it out.
Michele says
Living in New York (near the city but not in it) I live near a whole bunch of pizza places. I love my pizza and no where is it as good as in New York! As far as I know none of the pizza places around will let you make your own but many times you can see them making it at the counters. NOW I want a couple of slices!
Shannon Schmid says
First of all – that food looks mouth watering! Nothing better than awesome tasty Italian food. And I love that you got to make your own pizza afterwards – so fun!
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
Now THAT’S a pizza joint! That food looks amazing.
Jeanine says
How fun! I think this would be great. We love making our own pizzas so why not! Looks like a fantastic place!
Anne - Mommy Has to Work says
Everything looks amazing! We are getting a NY Pizza place here and am looking forward to trying it out.
Debra says
My family loves pizza! I prefer the thin, New York brick oven crust vs the Sicilian slices my kids prefer.
Catherine S says
That sounds like a lot of fun. The food sounds really good. I could go for a pizza right about now.
Shop with Me Mama (Kim) says
How neat that you got to make your own pizzas! What a fun and yummy place to visit!
Michelle F. says
Looks like you had a great family day. All of the food looks really good.
Liz Mays says
Wow! I’d love to go there for some delicious pizza. Those appetizers sound incredible too!!!
Pam says
This looks like an awesome experience for your family. Plus that food looks so tasty.
Liz Mays says
Yes, I’m drooling over the garlic knots! And the pizza is calling to me too.
vanessa: BriteandBubbly says
Pizza is like me and my family’s favorite food. The food looks delicious and I would love to eat here one day!
Janelle says
First, let me say how amazing those garlic knots look! I absolutely love having a delicious dinner with the whole family, it truly does make the time special. I bet they had a blast making the pizzas – that looks like fun!
Christie says
I love when it’s TRUE New york pizza. This pie looks heavenly!
Sara P. (@SensiblySara) says
What an incredible opportunity!! I’d love to make my own pizza as part of the dining experience. We don’t have a Russo’s here. I guess it’s time for a trip to Spring! 😉
Marcie W. says
I am first generation west coast and my entire family is from New York. I adore traditional NY pizza and the overall family oriented, welcoming, atmosphere that goes along with it.
Patty says
Good pizza is one of the things I miss the most since moving to Montana from New Jersey. Making your own is a lot of fun
Demetra @SweetSavant says
Oh those garlic knots look incredible. I haven’t had one since I left N.Y.. Russo’s looks like a great family restaurant.
Ora Lee Gurr says
I would love the chance to make pizza while out to dinner. I can see you all had a great time at Russo’s NY Pizzeria.
Julie says
What a cool experience to make your own pizza with the owner! We have a local NY style pizza place that we frequent often enough that they know my name and what I usually order.
Ashley S says
YUM! The Mozzarella Fritti looks delicious. I’ll have to remember this place next time I find myself in NY 🙂
Debra says
This looks amazing! I love pizza and NY!
Kelly Hutchinson says
I have never had genuine NYC pizza and this looks like a great place to get some!
Mary @ The Flying Couponer says
Wow, looks like you had a blast!! Everything looks delicious!
Scott says
Even though we live closer to Chicago, I have to admit that NY style pizza is my favorite. Now my mouth is watering!
Donna Ward says
Wow Crystal – that sounds like an amazing time to go to the opening and sit right by the kitchen and to watch the cooks as they prepared the entrees, then make pizza with the owner! Wowee! Fun and tasty memories
Rosey says
That does look like a fun experience! I can almost smell the pizza cooking! That might be because I am hungry… 😉
Caitlin says
Yum! This meal makes me hungry! And it looks like a great place to go in NY!
Tammilee Tips says
All of your food looks amazing!! What a fun experience for the whole family!
Chrystal @ YUM eating says
All of that food looks really great. And what a fun event to see and have kids make pizzas. That was really nice of him to do that!
Valerie Remy-Milora says
What a fun family evening! I love family owned restaurants. There’s something so comforting about them .Mulberry pizza sounds intriguing… I may have to find a recipe or come up with one of my own… What did they pair the mulberries with?
rachel says
Oh yum! Our family loves visiting and trying out new local pizzerias. This one looks delicious and family friendly. A win in mybook!
Claudia Krusch says
Everything looks soooo good! It’s a shame we don’t have one around!
Ann Bacciaglia says
This looks like a great place to eat. The food looks amazing and delicious.
katrina g says
everything looks so good. i bet everyone had a blast.
Jocelyn McGaffic says
What a great family restaurant! Family owned pizza places are the best. Your pictures are fantastic!
Ashley says
My preschooler loves when we do homemade pizza night. She like being able to choose her toppings.
Kiwi says
What a fun family bonding experience! I love NY pizza!
valerie g says
that looks amazing. If i’m ever near, I will have to go and check it out. good pizza places are hard to find sometimes.
Amy Desrosiers says
I love that they let the kids make the pizza! This place looks soo darn delicious!
Camesha | Mama Motivator says
What a cool experience. I LOVE pizza! So nice that you got to take them home. My kids wouldn’t have complained either. They can never have too much pizza.
brett says
oh, making the pizza at the table? That is SUPER fun!! that would be something to get us going back again and again