Sud NYC (79 Grand St.), a new pizzeria and bar in Williamsburg, opened at the end of last month in the former home of Bacàn, an Italian bistro that opened in 2022.
Helming Sud’s kitchen is Chef Antonio Pisaniello, who immigrated from Italy to Brooklyn three years ago. Chef Pisaniello was the owner of Michelin-starred La Locanda di Bu in Italy for a long time, but closed the restaurant during the pandemic.
His new restaurant, Sud, is inspired by the cuisine of Southern Italy, where he grew up. “My cuisine is inspired by memories as a child traveling to the various regions,” Chef Pisaniello told Greenpointers.
“The pizzeria is built on the strong foundations of Southern Italian culinary tradition… It aims to bring the regional gastronomic identities of that part of Italy to the table, while also embracing American culture with new age pizzas and pastas.”
“The goal is to provide a glimpse into a specific segment of the culinary heritage that made Italian food famous worldwide,” Chef Pisianiello said.
Sud’s current menu starts with traditional Italian appetizers like arancini, polpette, and caprese salad, plus some less common ones like montanara di mortadella, which is fried pizza dough topped with mortadella, stracciatella, pistachio, and orange zest.
The menu continues with a long list of pizzas. There’s everything from classic Margherita to the Abruzzo with mashed potato, saffron, smoked provolone, and fresh sausage. Chef Pisaniello explained that his pizza is “very crisp with an Italian taste and a square shape.”
In a few weeks, Sud’s menu will expand to include pasta and fish.
Sud’s weekend brunch menu offers egg dishes like an omelette and Benedict, plus options like a prosciutto and mozzarella panini and a baguette with smoked salmon and cream cheese.
Chef Pisaniello said that his recipes will “continually evolve with the seasons, drawing inspiration not only from thorough research but also from childhood memories and extensive professional travel.”
He also told Greenpointers that, in the future, he hopes to organize cooking classes of his favorite Southern Italian recipes.
Sud’s current hours are Tuesday through Friday 4 p.m. – 10 p.m, Saturday noon – 11 p.m., and Sunday noon – 6 p.m.