• Recipes
  • Contact
  • Work with Us
  • Privacy

Chattavore

What I ate, plate by plate.

  • Start Here!
    • Contact
  • Easy Recipes
    • Air Fryer
    • Drinks
    • Easy Baking
    • For the Grill
    • Freezer Friendly
    • Instant Pot
    • No-Bake Desserts
    • One-Pot Recipes
    • Salads and Cold Dishes
    • Sheet Pan Recipes
    • Slow Cooker Recipes
  • Videos
    • From Scratch
    • Recipe Videos
    • Techniques
    • Tools
  • How-To
    • How to Cook From Scratch
    • How to Get Organized
    • How to Make Ahead and Meal Prep
    • How to Use Tools and Techniques

New York Pizza Department-January 5, 2013

January 6, 2013

When I was a kid I didn’t like pizza.  No joke.  I don’t think I was awakened to the fact that pizza was, in fact, a good thing until I was about middle-school age, when our teachers would occasionally allow us to partner up with a classmate and order from the nearby Pizza Hut for lunch.  I have no idea what my aversion to pizza was-the sauce, perhaps, or the toppings that my parents ordered (supreme, usually) but I would beg for everyone’s crusts because that was the only part of the pizza I would eat.  Now, I have to admit, pizza is one of my more frequent “impulse dining out” indulgences, since there is a Domino’s two miles from my house.  Admittedly, Bi-lo is in the same plaza, so I should probably just go there and some mozzarella and make my own…but sometimes, I just….don’t. When you’ve had a rough day, carryout is just easier.  You’ve all been there.

There aren’t an awful lot of places in this area making pizza from scratch so I was intrigued when I saw the storefront for New York Pizza Department pop up across from Wal-Mart in Hixson.  I don’t remember what was there before it came in or if anything was there at all, but I remember wondering if it was to be locally owned or if it was a chain/franchise.  One day last summer Philip and I were out and about and realized that we needed to eat, so we stopped there.  I checked on my phone and came to the conclusion that New York Pizza Department was a chain, presumably because there were several other locations that popped up in the search engine.

Since then, several people have suggested that I blog about them, and I once told someone that I wouldn’t blog about them because they were a chain.  He called me out, saying that he was pretty sure they were not a chain, so I messaged them and found out that they are indeed locally owned.  The owners are originally from New York and saw a need for true New York-style pizza in this area.  They decided to name the restaurant New York Pizza Department because of their family ties to first responders in the New York area and to honor those who served on 9/11 and continue to serve-in New York and around the world-as first responders, armed forces, etc.  Since my dad is a firefighter and my grandfather was an officer in the Air Force, I love the nod to those who make these sacrifices for others.

Since we are still recovering from the holiday eating frenzy, we weren’t looking for a huge, rich meal.  Pizza seemed a perfect answer to our burgeoning hunger, plus we had a coupon for a free entrée from our Adventures in Dining guide.  We had tried to go the week before Christmas, but they were packed out with shoppers (I am not exaggerating…people were lined up to the door).  They were pretty crowded when we went in…I guess we hit the last of the lunch crowd at 1:45 because I snagged the next to last table then suddenly all the tables around us were open.  When you walk in, there is a wrap-around line with pizzas displayed in a case.  You choose your pizza (stromboli, etc.), order, and sit down, then someone calls you to a window several minutes later to give you your order.

There’s quite a selection of pizza, but on this day the Blue Light Trooper (ahem, BLT) pizza caught my eye.  If you are a regular reader you will understand why BLT pizza reeled me in (um, my love of bacon and the story in this post).  The Blue Light Trooper is a slice with sauce, mozzarella, bacon, tomatoes, and lettuce/light mayo on request (which, of course, I ordered….you can’t have the “L” without lettuce!).  Now, these slices are huge and I can’t imagine how someone can eat two, which is what is included in the daily lunch special (2 slices of cheese and a drink for $6.95) but the guys behind us each had 2 slices plus garlic knots, so I suppose it can be done.  I did well to finish this slice.  There was plenty of bacon, which was definitely a good thing, not too many, not too few slices of Roma tomatoes, chopped iceberg lettuce, and a light drizzle of mayo.  The crust is thin and crunchy but chewy at the same time (not cracker-y like what you would find at Crust).  Quite good.

Untitled

Philip decided on the Blazin’ Brooklyn Buffalo, with tomato, mozzarella, grilled chicken, Buffalo sauce, and ranch dressing.  When the slice first came out, he did not think it had enough Buffalo sauce on it…you couldn’t see the sauce, so I am not sure if it was under the cheese or not, but he didn’t taste it, so he went up and asked for more.  The guy at the window generously drizzled the sauce over the top of Philip’s pizza…I mean, he covered Philip’s pizza with Buffalo sauce, which Philip declared “more like it”.  He really liked the pizza but would have preferred it with blue cheese dressing since he feels that Buffalo and blue cheese are pretty much the perfect pair….and he didn’t like it as much as the first Buffalo chicken pizza he ever had, at Portland Pie Company in Portland, Maine…but I don’t think anyone is ever going to measure up to that pizza.

Untitled

We also had an order of six garlic knots with a side of marinara.  The marinara here is slightly spicy, a little chunky, and perfectly seasoned.  Very tasty.  The garlic knots were not quite as soft as they were the time we ate here before, but instead just a little bit crispy on the outside (which was still a good thing) with a nice amount of garlic butter and parmesan sprinkle on the outside.  Not overpowering and not swimming in butter like the garlic knots that you order at some restaurants.

Untitled

New York PIzza Department’s menu lists seventeen specialty pies plus cheese, Sicilian, and top-your-own (slices ranging from $2.75 to $4.50-I think and gigantic whole pies ranging from $14.95 for plain cheese to $25.95 for the 911, which has tons of toppings).  They also offer sandwiches, calzones and strombolis, pinwheels (fillings rolled up into dough like a cinnamon roll), salad, appetizers, and desserts.  Our order was $11 and some change, including our garlic knots, $0.50 for a side of marinara, 2 drinks (which was part of the coupon stipulation) and my slice.  Philip’s slice (which would have been $4.50) was free with the coupon.

I have seen people argue over who has the best pizza in Chattanooga.  NYPD? Crust? The Pizza Place? Lupi’s? Honestly, they all serve a different type of product, so it would really be impossible to declare a winner.  I think all of the above are excellent pizza restaurants, making their products in-house, putting lots of thought into their menu, and serving up great pizza to a city that is anxious to devour locally-made products.  It all comes down to taste, and I have to admit that I love them all.  I love pizza.  New York Pizza Department has definitely filled a niche in the Hixson area that needed to be filled and Philip and I were commenting that they probably need to expand their smallish space to accommodate their customer base which is apparently growing quite large.  Good for them.

New York Pizza Department is located at 5731 Highway 154, Hixson, TN 37343.  You can call them at 423-531-8830.  Check out their website, http://www.indoughwecrust.com/index.html and their Facebook page.

NYPD - New York Pizza Department on Urbanspoon

Want recipes from scratch & restaurant reviews in your inbox weekly?
Subscribe below to get Chattavore's weekly newletter AND a free set of recipe cards to help you learn to cook from scratch!
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.

Filed Under: By Location, By Type, Hixson, Italian & Pizza, Restaurants Tagged With: Hixson restaurants, pizza restaurants By Mary // Chattavore 11 Comments

Cinnamon French Toast Casserole

Bea’s Restaurant-January 12, 2013

Comments

  1. Vanderbilt Wife says

    January 6, 2013 at 5:19 pm

    I really do like Lupi's, especially the local sausage ... but I could live on NYPD's Blanca pizza. It is so amazing. My husband and I used a SweetJack deal there in late December - we went for dinner and we had to sit outside it was so packed. They put up a big old heater right by us and we very sweet trying to accommodate us. I do wish they had more space in the dining room. Did you go in the bathroom? It's kind of awesome.
    Reply
    • Chattavore says

      January 6, 2013 at 5:25 pm

      Yes (TMI but I pretty much visit the restroom in every establishment I enter). We were very surprised at how nice the restrooms were-not like we were expecting it to be gross or anything but it was really nice! Actually, I had the Blanca pizza the last time I went and loved it. I am still trying to figure out how to incorporate that information into this blog post :)
      Reply
  2. Beth says

    January 6, 2013 at 11:28 pm

    Just tried this place this past week - tried three different slices. A greek slice, an extremely meaty slice (something with "Offender" in the title), and the Firestarter (spicy!). The Firestarter was excellent. I also found the place to be cramped, and we went at 'off' hours when they really weren't busy. But, I do see the logic behind starting small, in terms of space. Overall, Lupi's is still the best. The slices aren't as big, but the ingredients seem to be a notch better in terms of quality. I did write a review, which I pretty much discuss what is wrong and right about this place, so I hate to re-hash all of that here. Of course there is a Lupi's in Hixson - and BillVol always raves about Chianti, which is in Soddy-Daisy, I believe. I know Biba's, also in Hixson, has two locations in Flowery Branch, GA - but I'm not really sure I would consider them a chain restaurant. Lupi's has more locations than BiBa's, technically. People seem to really enjoy their pizza, as well.
    Reply
  3. TWL says

    January 7, 2013 at 9:29 am

    Chianti in Soddy Daisy makes their pizza from scratch including a 24-hour fermentation step which strongly improves the flavor. The style there is minimalist with thin crisp crust and light toppings big on flavor.
    Reply
    • Vanderbilt Wife says

      January 7, 2013 at 11:30 am

      Yum! That sounds delicious. I'd love to find a crust I like as much as Mellow Mushroom's!
      Reply
    • Chattavore says

      January 7, 2013 at 9:20 pm

      I have heard good things about the pizza at Chianti but haven't had a chance to try it yet. I'll get around to it one of these days :)
      Reply
  4. Jensen says

    January 7, 2013 at 1:18 pm

    Love, love, love this place and I will love it even more when they open their second location on Lee Highway so that I won't have to drive so far to get there.
    Reply
    • Chattavore says

      January 7, 2013 at 9:19 pm

      Jensen, I had no idea that they were opening a second location. Good for them!
      Reply
  5. Ginger Terrell says

    January 9, 2013 at 7:32 pm

    Oh yeh - love this place. I've had their Hawaiian which was quite good - still want to try others. Definitely a keeper!
    Reply
  6. April Freeman says

    January 11, 2013 at 2:23 pm

    I second the comment about Chianti. It's overlooked and I'm kind of amazed the place has stayed in business because it has never had a lot of business. But, their calzone is amazing!
    Reply
  7. Jensen says

    January 31, 2013 at 3:50 pm

    One of the guys working the counter at NYPD told me the Lee Highway location would be opening in April or May but the location he told me they were moving into no longer has a sold sign on the building so the plans may have changed.
    Reply

Thanks for your comments, but remember that Chattavore is a positive site. I reserve the right to delete any comments that contain unnecessary negativity!Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Chattavore

Hi, I'm Mary! Welcome to Chattavore, a destination for people who want to feed themselves and their families well every day! Life can be crazy, which means that getting dinner on the table can be a challenge (more often than not!) and my mission is to take all your favorite recipes and figure out how to serve them on a Tuesday.

Follow Chattavore!

  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Bloglovin
  • Instagram
  • Email
  • RSS

Categories


Copyright © 2025 | All content property of Chattavore and may not be reproduced without permission | Cha Creative Clique

Want recipes from scratch & restaurant reviews in your inbox weekly?
Subscribe below to get Chattavore's weekly newletter AND a free set of recipe cards to help you learn to cook from scratch!
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.