After nearly 10 years in operation, the original Mid-City Pizza shuttered its doors in December 2022, while a location in Uptown remained open. But you can’t keep a good thing down for long, and the Mid-City Pizza brand is set to return to 4400 Banks St.
Co-owner Anthony Cortello recently told What Now New Orleans that he and partner Caufman Talley will be bringing the Mid-City Pizza brand back to its original location, and they will also be taking over Mid-City Pizza Uptown. Cortello said a lot of what people have loved about the restaurant will remain the same.
“One reason we bought the name, and the rights is because we liked a lot of what they did,” he said. “The vibe of the place will be very similar. It’s a neighborhood restaurant and it’ll still be that. The price point will reflect the fact that we’re a neighborhood restaurant.”
Cortello is a New Orleans native comes into Mid-City with some serious pizza pedigree. After graduating from the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute, he shipped up to New York City to work in some high-profile pizza joints. A desire to move back to New Orleans led to his ownership group recently taking over Mid-City Pizza. Cortello said he plans to bring some of his NYC experience to bear, with a focus on New York and Sicilian-style pies.
“There are certain things I want to change because I’m a pizza nerd,” he said. “I was fortunate enough to work with a lot of really high-level people in New York and I learned a lot from them. So there are some things about the business that I want to make my own.”
He added that empowering his staff will also be a major point of emphasis, and the goal is to bring a bit of that New York pizza culture to the Crescent City.
“The places that always do best are the ones that put together a good team and allow their staff to work at a high level,” he said. “As we grow as a company, the staff is growing with us. These guys take pride in their work. It’s awesome. I hope we can add to the growing pizza culture here and really carve out a nice space that’s our own.”
