NYC Village, a new pizza place with a Mediterranean twist, opened on Fourth Street on March 17.
Owner John Okumus has been in the restaurant industry since 1982 and has other restaurants in New York City.
“We are all from New York,” Okumus said. “The workers are from New York, the food is all from New York.”
NYC Village offers a new take on the traditional pizzeria as an Italian eatery that also sells Mediterranean foods.
“We have kebabs and homemade gyros, so we want to give these things a test.” Okumus said. “We do not compete with anybody.”
Okumus decided to open another Italian restaurant in South Bethlehem because of the location. He said one of the reasons he chose the location is because of the abundance of college students in the area.
NYC Village is far from the first pizza place in the South Bethlehem community. Campus Pizza, Lehigh Pizza, Penn Pizza, Martelluci’s, Sal’s, Oliverio’s and Dominos are all within walking distance of Lehigh’s campus.
Maggie Gross, ‘20, considers herself to be an avid foodie. She has a food Instagram account that has nearly 29,000 followers. Gross said she likes to go to Sal’s with her friends and share a pie but believes the South Side could always have more options.
“It is crucial that every college campus has several good pizza places nearby, whether it’s for ordering in on a lazy Sunday or going out for a nice dinner with friends,” Gross said.
Ian Ferguson, ’18, is also a pizza lover.
As a New Jersey native, he is familiar with what pizza he deems delicious and what pizza he feels isn’t properly prepared. Ferguson said he is not completely disappointed with the pizza options around campus.
However, he also said “more places make the quality of the food better because there is more competition.”
Giving back to the community was a major motivation behind opening NYC Village.
“We just want to support our families, our workers and our community,” Okumus said. “That is why we are here.”
Ferguson said a new business in the area will be beneficial to everyone who lives here and will have a positive impact on the Lehigh and South Bethlehem communities.
“More jobs and more choices are always a good thing for a community,” Ferguson said.
NYC Village takes into account college students’ budgets when setting prices. A plain cheese slice costs $1.79. It also offers an expansive menu with a variety of pizzas as well as chicken wings, sandwiches and wraps.
Okumus applied to have Goldplus, Lehigh’s version of a debit card, at NYC Village and anticipates offering student deals in the future.
“Often pizza delivery takes an extremely long time and is mediocre at best, so having more pizza places around Bethlehem would be game changing,” Gross said.
The pizza place replaced the old Play It Again music store and is located next to the Bethlehem Post Office.
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