Emmy Squared Pizza - Durham

Family weekend at NCCU and I was craving pizza. The restaurant was across from our hotel and had great reviews and it did not disappoint.We were seated immediately, our server was great. The restaurant was quiet, but very nice. You could sit indoors or outdoors, we decided to sit inside. The pizza was amazing, drinks were amazing, not pictured Caesar salad was delicious also. Highly recommend!

Emmy's Pizza: A New Yorker's ReviewLiving in New York for more than 40 years, I had to write an honest review. Hands down, five stars! I've ordered here more than 50 times. The reasons I'm giving it five stars are the following: consistency, customer service, food quality, taste, presentation, and cleanliness. This is my go-to spot if you have an extra few dollars. This knocks Pizza Hut out of the box by a thousand when it comes to quality. Not only do they have options for gluten-free or Detroit-style, but this place also doesn't leave you hungry. Yeah, you might pay a little bit more than Pizza Hut, but it's truly worth it for the fine dining experience.Let's get to about 90% of the menu. Let's start with the Margherita: delicious, crispy crust, fresh mozzarella, and the sweet basil they put on top. Definitely five stars. Let's get to the next square pie pizza. By the way, just to let you know, I've been to over 100 pizza places in North Carolina, having lived here for 12 years, and this is definitely my top along with Anna's Pizza, but we'll talk about that later.I've been dying to find a vodka pizza because the best vodka pizza I found was in New York by a restaurant called Artichoke's Pizza. They make the most delicious vodka pizza in NYC, but back to NC... I wish they put a little bit more vodka sauce on the pizza, but it's still delicious. I haven't found a vodka pizza in North Carolina that comes even close.Next stop, the impeccable Roni pepperoni pizza (apologize if I'm butchering the name). It gives you a surprising spicy kick, but not too overwhelming. I had to buy it five times just for the true experience. It's a legend. They even brought back my Bodega days in Spanish Harlem with the chopped cheese on a pretzel bun. The pretzel bun was so delicious, a little pricey, but like I said, so delicious. Ground chopped cheese, seasoned to perfection with grilled onions and peppers. It's a must-try if you have the pocket.Now last but not least, and if this is a mistake, I apologize... the chicken sandwich. My family loved it, BUT I believe they make it with chicken thighs. I'm a chicken breast fan, so it was mediocre to me, but definitely fresh ingredients. If you don't mind chicken thigh, you're going to love this one.Oh, and lastly, I had a birthday party for somebody and the customer service went out of their way.. if you don't try this place, then your Nuts That's my review. I hope you enjoyed it!

Tried this Detroit-style pizza place for an early Saturday lunch. It's in Brightleaf Square which we hadn't been to in a long time. Parking was in a nearby lot that said free for Brightleaf customers for 2 hours. (we were told later when I asked that we didn't need to validate anything, and nobody checked). Another note about Saturday lunch parking is heads up there's a Saturday outdoor flea market and it was packed! We got lucky to get a spot. Also got lucky that the restaurant wasn't crowded. But they do allow folks to use their two restrooms to try on clothes, which was not something I was a fan of as a customer.We were given our choice of sitting inside or out, booth or table, and we chose an indoor booth. Two unsweetened teas later we shared a small Colony with sausage added. This was just the right amount for two of us as it is super rich! Even though the doughy crust is thick, it's also light (must be lots of oil). Full of flavor. Love the tangy sauce. And not expensive at all, especially for the quality. Service very good.Also note they are apparently known for their burger as well, but it would be hard to go there and not get that pizza.

I give Emmy Squared Pizza's Durham location 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. When it comes to Detroit-style pizza, I think Emmy Squared does it best, at least in recent years. This new Durham location was no exception based on our experience. If you've never had Emmy Squared before, I highly recommend it.To be clear, I thought the pizza was five stars (great) and everything else - the non-pizza dishes, drinks, and service - was four (good). Service-wise, I think the staff was still in training and working out the kinks.This location opened at Brightleaf Square on May 9, 2024. Brightleaf Square is a retail development in downtown Durham, consisting of repurposed brick warehouses that used to store bright leaf tobacco in the early 1900s.We parked for free in the surface lot at the corner of W Main St and S Gregson St. You can enter the lot from either Main or Gregson. Pay attention to signs in the lot as you may have to pay during certain hours. We visited on a Sunday from around 6:20pm to 9:50pm and didn't have to pay.I'm familiar with Emmy Squared's locations in Charlotte (two opened in 2021, September and December) and Atlanta (openings in April 2021 and January 2022). The original location opened in Brooklyn in 2016. Currently, this location in Durham is the only Emmy Squared in the Triangle.This place is popular. When we visited, it was busy, same as the other locations we've been to. Book reservations on OpenTable. Emmy Squared Durham awards dining points. Not all OpenTable restaurants do.The vibe was hip and casual. There's indoor and outdoor seating. The patio seating is nice because Brightleaf Square has a quaint, boutique feel to it. Inside, there's a small wraparound bar in the back and a big TV on one of the walls (sports were on). The storefront and interior design are consistent with the industrial look of the development, with a touch of style.You can customize your own Detroit-style pizza or choose from one of the restaurant's roughly dozen signature selections. They also serve appetizers like Sriracha-glazed wings (10 for $15) and loaded waffle-cut fries ($15), salads, and burgers and sandwiches. My wife commented that she wished Emmy Squared had more variety in their apps.Here's what eight of us ordered:Plates* 'Brooklyn' Mozz Sticks ($15) - five crispy hand-stretched mozzarella sticks, red sauceSignature Pizzas* Colony (large, 10x14, 10 slices) ($25) - red sauce, Ezzo pepperoni, pickled jalapenos, honey.* MVP (regular, 8x10, 6 slices) ($18) - housemade vodka sauce, red sauce, parsley pesto, sesame seed crust* MVP VIP (large, 10x14, 10 slices) ($25) - housemade vodka sauce, red sauce, parsley pesto, sesame seed crust + VIP ingredients: Ezzo pepperoni, Calabrian chiles* Good Paulie (large, 10x14, 10 slices) ($25) - caramelized onions, sausage, smoked GoudaCocktails-- Seasonal* Emotional Damage ($14) - tequila, lime, passionfruit-- Classics with a Twist* House Sangria ($12) - red wine, orange, brandy * Palomo ($14) - tequila, lime, grapefruit, agave syrup, grapefruit soda-- Off Menu* Aperol Spritz ($15)Beer (Drafts)* Red Oak Amber ($8)The 'Brooklyn' Mozz Sticks were alright. Nothing special or out of the ordinary, but not bad either.All of the pizzas were superb. Emmy Squared's Detroit-style pizzas are rectangular in shape and the slices are cut into rectangles as well. My favorite thing about them is the crust. It's deep-dish thick, moist, springy, and delicious. The crust isn't dense or dry at all. They get the texture and flavor just right. It's crispy on the outside, with charred outer edges, and soft, warm, and appetizing on the inside. Compared to other types of pizza, the crust is also heavier in that it's more buttery and oily, but that's also what makes it so good. I could chow down on the rich crust alone.During this visit, my favorite pizza was the Good Paulie. It's hard to go wrong with all of that sausage and Gouda. To me, it was umami to the max. At the Emmy Squared in Plaza Midwood in Charlotte, I had the Bad Paulie, which also comes with Calabrian chiles and banana peppers. I didn't see the Bad Paulie on the menu here. The Colony and MVP pizzas were excellent as well. I do recommend making your MVP a VIP, which means adding Ezzo pepperoni. Ezzo is an old-school pepperoni brand from Columbus, Ohio and considered some of the best pepperoni around.Of the cocktails, I tried the Emotional Damage and House Sangria. They were tasty. Towards the end of our meal, the head bartender personally delivered a second sangria to my wife, on the house. The bartender didn't think the first sangria was made right. How nice of her.Trivia: If you've watched The Sopranos, they had a vegan pizza on the menu called the Artie Bucco, named after the restaurateur character from the show. That got me thinking maybe the Good/Bad Paulie was named after Paulie from the same show, but I think it's more likely named after mobster Paul Cicero from the movie Goodfellas.

This place is delicious. It was already packed the two times I went but I think this will be a popular and known spot very soon. I would recommend making reservations because it seems to always be busy and the bar is pretty small and tight if you happen to find room there (it was packed both times too). They have indoor and outdoor seating and parking is best at the pay-to-park parking lot across the street. Everyone is very friendly and both times I was greeted by a friendly hostess and had a great server. All together in both visits I tried their famous burger, the wings, caesar salad, cheesy garlic sticks, and various pizzas.The burger is phenomenal. I usually like pickles but theirs are extremely sweet so the first time I felt like it threw off the burger but I got them on the side the second time and the burger was perfection. This is definitely a top 5 burger in the area and I am extremely picky when it comes to rating a burger. I didn't care for the wings or the caesar salad. The salad was kinda dry and tangy, and the chicken in it felt boiled. The chicken wings were very mediocre. I wouldn't get either dish again.I enjoyed the cheesy garlic sticks with the pesto on them and thought the marinara was very flavorful.I LOVED the vodka pizza. It was 10/10. I also love a perfect deep dish pizza so I was already satisfied. We added burrata to it, but after trying the ricotta on another pizza we wish we did ricotta instead. Since you can't customize the speciality pizzas, we created our own for the second pizza with ricotta and fried chicken. The fried chicken was not good at all and tasted fake. I would've rather just got a margherita. I do not recommend that topping. However the vodka is great and people seem to love the pepperoni pizzas. The truffle one looks amazing too, I just don't have friends who like mushrooms like me.

Amazing spot for some Detroit-style pizza! This place has a great vibe, with a nice bar and several TVs if you're looking to catch a game. The customer service was excellent--our server, Mackenzie, was super nice and helpful with recommendations. The Big Ang pizza was cheesy, the crust was crispy, and the sauce was delicious. I highly recommend checking this place out!

Emmy's is a chic, casual yet upscale pizza place in the heart of downtown Durham. We had fantastic service despite an almost full restaurant, and the pizza was even better. The crust was fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside, and the toppings were delicious. The pizza sauce was also fantastic. I would absolutely come back to try their mozzarella sticks and other pizzas.

Hot honey pizza!! I really enjoyed the thick deep dish style and it was a perfect amount for two people! It is a bit pricey but will definitely be coming back and trying a new combo

Emmy Squared is a small but growing chain of pizzerias specializing in Detroit style pies. My wife, brother in law, and I visited the Durham location for a recent, weeknight dinner and had an overall mixed experience. This location of Emmy Squared resides in the Brightleaf Square complex. Street parking around the area is limited, however a large lot with 2 hours of complimentary parking for customers can be found right next to the development.We made reservations to be safe, but found them completely unnecessary as the restaurant was mostly empty on a weeknight. We ordered two large pizzas (the VIP and a custom red pie with sausage and jalapeños), which ended up being a little too much food for three hungry diners. The VIP seemed unique in concept with both vodka and pesto sauces, Calabrian chili, pepperoni, and a sesame seed crust. Ultimately, we found that pizza a little too indulgent and salty. Furthermore, the crust on the pizza felt a little undercooked and wet given the heft of toppings. Our custom red fared better with a more puffy, light crust and slightly more restrained salt content. If we were to return, we would definitely opt for the less indulgent pies to allow for better appreciation of the Detroit style bases. The food at Emmy Squared earned four stars, but I have to dock a star for service. Our waitress failed to make us feel welcome and unnecessarily rushed our meal despite the emptiness of the restaurant and the relatively late closing time. For example, as soon as we sat down she asked us if we wanted to put appetizers in, and seemed annoyed when we asked for a chance to look at the menu. Similarly, she asked us if we wanted dessert and a box for leftovers in the middle of our dinner while we were actively eating our pizzas. Overall, we found the pizzas at Emmy Square indulgent but worth a try. Perhaps opt for takeout given the service issues we encountered.

Snuck into the new Emmy Squared Pizza at Brightleaf on opening day and it was delicious! A concept from Brooklyn, actually serves up Detroit-style pizza which is thick like pan pizza but features rich and buttery cheese, browned to the edges. Emmy sits in the open courtyard area at Brightleaf and is easy to find. The space is large, open and basic with a smallish bar in the back. Choose from a handful of apps, salads, and pizzas in specialty combos or build your own. Supposedly the burgers here rock, too. We did the vodka and Big Hawaiian pies which were quite good. Two or three slices and you're done. The garlic cheesy bread is pretty good but may be too much in the way of carbs.Great to have Emmy in the area. The only other places I know doing Detroit style pies are Hutchins Garage (Wednesdays) and Trophy Pizza on (Mondays). So enjoy it, Durham!