Urban Renewal
New pizza place takes on a cursed downtown corner: Are Main Street restaurantscoming back?
True to Haritas Bibas' original vision to make the space look like Times Square,Roma’s features a comfortable, New York pizzeria inspired interiorPhoto by Dillon Sorensen
Much of the exterior of the Congress Avenue and Main Street corner space remainsunchanged from the Bibas days; Roma's features the same colorful umbrelllas andneon "pizza" sign.Photo by Karen Burd
The corner of Main Street and Congress Avenue in the northern part of downtown has seen its fair share of unsuccessful restaurants come and go, with the most recent casualty being the 24-hour Greek and pizza joint Bibas Brooklyn Express.
But Merg Maraiah, part owner of the new Roma’s Pizza in the spot, is convinced that his establishment won’t succumb to the ill-fated location like Bibas and its predecessor, El Rey Taqueria.
“My family has been in the food business for three generations, and we’ve never closed a restaurant,” Maraiah says. “We don’t fail at anything we open, because we focus on providing consistency in food and atmosphere.”
“My family has been in the food business for three generations, and we’ve never closed a restaurant."
Apparently, the folks behind Roma’s Pizza have an impressive pedigree in the pizza world. Their distant relatives own Brothers Pizza locally, as well as a handful of old school pizza joints in New York and New Jersey.
True to Haritas Bibas' original vision to make the space look like Times Square, Roma’s features a comfortable, New York pizzeria inspired interior.
“We’re bringing the authentic pizzeria back to the younger generation,” Maraiah says. “You won’t find any crazy toppings here, just fresh, authentic Italian pizza.”
In fact, according to Maraiah, more than 80 percent of the ingredients in Roma’s kitchen are fresh – not from a can or jar. The vegetables and meats used as toppings aren’t frozen, and the salad dressings, soups and pasta sauces are made from scratch.
Roma’s has also borrowed a piece of a certain national fast food chain’s playbook, encouraging its staff to go around and refill customer’s drinks, even though it’s technically a counter-service restaurant.
“I’m interested in building relationships, and getting to know my customers by name by providing great service, not simply making money in the short term,” Maraiah says.
Roma’s Pizza is soon to be joined by a handful of ultra-hip hangouts at the corner of Congress and Main, including the OKRA Charity Saloon, an expected new restaurant from Joshua Martinez of The Modular food truck, and several additional bar concepts.
Bar-goers need somewhere to eat after a night on the town, and Roma’s, which will stay open until 3 a.m., may prove to be one more crucial piece of the puzzle.
While Maraiah and his staff are focused on serving the best value in cheese pizza slices (he’s willing to bet his is the cheapest in town) as opposed to haute cuisine and craft cocktails, he looks forward to supporting his new neighbors, and hopes they will do the same.
There’s been some talk about a revitalization of downtown, and trendy bars are definitely one step in the right direction. But bar-goers need somewhere to eat after a night on the town, and Roma’s, which will stay open until 3 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, may prove to be one more crucial piece of the puzzle.
