Operations

Kosher pizzeria boasts a stand-out menu

Moshe Dahari and his brothers run Elite Pizza, a kosher pizzeria in Great Neck, New York. Keeping kosher is challenging but its focus on the community and great food makes it stand out.

Photo: Elite Pizza

May 1, 2025 by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group

There are a lot of sayings about family, but for Moshe Dahari, keeping his pizzeria in the family has been important since his father, Toby, passed away unexpectedly several years ago and he and his brothers took over running Elite Pizza for their mother, Miriam.

His father "was very big in the community," Dahari said in a phone interview. "He was very well loved and memorable in the community. Today, people come into the store and tell us how much they really miss him. But they're really happy with what we've done so far.

"And that's something that we want to just continue. It was his legacy and his legend."

There have been many learning curves in the last three years, and Dahari said he and his brothers have been learning as they go. The Great Neck, New York-based pizzeria is kosher, fairly common in their Jewish community but not as common in the pizza industry.

A pizza with spicy fries is popular. Photo: Elite Pizza

On the menu

There's no meat, no pepperoni or sausage which are typically very popular on pizzeria menus. The restaurant relies on strict kosher rules. That means offering vegetarian toppings and adhering to the rules set forth by supervisors who make sure Elite Pizza is keeping kosher.

Elite was initially targeted toward the Jewish population of Great Neck, but now many just enjoy the vegetarian food, as vegans and Flexitarians have risen in popularity.

"I definitely see more and more people coming in and enjoying the kosher pizza," Dahari said. They also offer gluten-free pizza and pasta.

The pizza is New York-style and uses a high-protein flour to get the highest gluten dough.

"That's what we've been doing since the beginning and that's what I'd like to do moving forward," Dahari said.

The pizzeria's cheese pizza is its top seller. Mushrooms and olives are popular toppings, as is a pizza topped with spicy French fries that people seem to enjoy.

The brand makes a spicy mayonnaise that is a big seller, and Dahari said he's gotten catering orders that included gallon jugs of the spicy mayo.

"People love to put that on the pizza," he said. "People buy that by that gallon."

Another favorite is a calzone roll shaped like a pretzel.

Dahari said Elite doesn't compete with the big pizza chains.

"We're a kosher pizzeria," he said. "We follow different rules. We have different kinds of cheeses, there's the sauces and everything has to be kosher brands.

"In the kosher world, there's competition, sure."

Pizza is popular because it's a comfort food, and it's known for its ability to bring people together.

"We provide them an environment for a more religious crowd if they want to practice Judaism," Dahari said. "It's just a great place to bring people together."

Dough and sauces are made in house, especially important when keeping kosher. Consistency and quality are both important to the Dahari family, and it was a tenet of his father's when he was alive, so the sons hope to carry that along.

"The type of flour that we use is a sort of special type of flour," Dahari said. "It's called kemach yoshon (which refers to flour made from grains that sprouted before the second day of Passover). We try to go in the highest kosher bracket."

Since they haven't found a dough that functions the way this flour does, they choose to make their own. The pizza is baked in Baker's Pride gas deck ovens. Though they've considered more modern ovens, Dahari said he worried changing the ovens will change the flavor and bake of the dough.

Pizza accounts for about 60% of sales. Aside from pizza, Elite Pizza sells handmade fresh sushi — while that may seem atypical for a pizzeria its common for kosher pizzerias. Fish is not considered meat in the kosher world, so Elite Pizza has a sushi maker on site.

Photo: Elite Pizza

Operations

Dine-in, delivery and pickup are available. Elite Pizza has its own drivers who mainly deliver a short distance from the pizzeria, but it also delivers with third-party delivery services like DoorDash and Uber Eats. "I try to reach as many customers as I can," Dahari said.

Dine-in accounts for about 60% of sales. Delivery makes up 20%, with the rest online delivery and carryout. The brand has about six employees.

For years, lack of technology has been Elite Pizza's biggest challenge. It operated with an old-school cash register until the brothers took over, and it took a few years to adapt to modern trends.

One of the first moves Dahari made was to put in a POS system by Toast.

"Once we got in, I was able to put that in there, and so my challenge today is how do I increase awareness of the brand," he said. He's assessing AI and how trends can affect — and improve — the pizzeria.

Last week it launched a feedback system through Ovation which gives customers the chance to offer feedback about how their visit with the brand went.

To a fledgling operator just entering the pizza business, Dahari recommends people remind themselves that they're not in the pizza business — they're in the hospitality industry.

"And be big on the community," Dahari said. "The community is going to make or break you. How much you put in is how much you're going to get out of it."

About Mandy Wolf Detwiler

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Mandy Wolf Detwiler is the managing editor at Networld Media Group and the site editor for PizzaMarketplace.com and QSRweb.com. She has more than 20 years’ experience covering food, people and places.
 
An award-winning print journalist, Mandy brings more than 20 years’ experience to Networld Media Group. She has spent nearly two decades covering the pizza industry, from independent pizzerias to multi-unit chains and every size business in between. Mandy has been featured on the Food Network and has won numerous awards for her coverage of the restaurant industry. She has an insatiable appetite for learning, and can tell you where to find the best slices in the country after spending 15 years traveling and eating pizza for a living. 

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