Pizza and a lox bagel are arguably two of the most iconic New York eats. So, when we heard that Emily rolled out a pizza topped with bagel and lox-inspired flavors, we had to go check it out.
Located in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, Emily is known for their pizzas and burgers. A favorite pizza of The Infatuation, Emily’s secret is a thin crust that is refreshingly crispy on the bottom. Their new lox pizza, available for weekend lunch, comes on the same base, and is topped with cured salmon, dill crème fraîche, crispy capers, fresh dill, red onion and hard-boiled eggs. One bite and it instantly recalls a classic New York bagel with dill smoked salmon and cream cheese, except that the fluffy bagel base has been replaced with that lovely crunchiness from the crispy crust.
#SpoonTip: In New York, ‘cream cheese’ is traditionally called ‘schmear’.
Co-owners Emily and Matt Hyland met in college, and their first three meals eaten together were, interestingly, pizza. Matt wanted to pursue a career in food, but Emily persuaded him to finish his college degree. After graduating, Matt went to culinary school before the couple opened their first restaurant in 2014, named after Emily. Called the “Prince and Princess of Pizza” by Tasting Table, this NYC culinary power couple subsequently opened Emmy Squared in Williamsburg in 2016, and are now opening a third location in the West Village.
The Burger
If pizza just sin’t your thing, Emily is also famous for their Burger, which has received rave reviews by Eater, and their new duck burger is no less praised. Available for lunch on weekends, it comes on a pretzel bun, and has a duck meat pattie, carrot ginger daikon slaw, a gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)-based sauce, cilantro, sesame seeds and — get this — a medium-well poached egg that’s used as a “spread”. It’s messy to eat, sure, but worth every napkin. The hash browns that accompany it are equally delicious: the chefs actually went to McDonald’s to taste their hash browns before coming up with their own recipe, which may we say are much superior.
We can’t wait to go back to Emily, perhaps to try their famous pepperoni slice next time!