JACKSON HEIGHTS — After two decades of serving up authentic pies and homemade pastas in nearby Astoria, the Sacramones were ready to open a second restaurant.
Domenico Sacramone said they looked at a few neighborhoods throughout Queens to open up another Sac's Place, which has been at 25-42 Broadway since 1989.
They settled on a former pizza place on 37th Avenue, drawn to Jackson Heights' diversity and — despite countless global food options — a dearth of authentic New York pizza spots.
"I love the community," Sacramone said inside Sac's Place of Jackson Heights, at 86-14 37th Ave. "I always grew up in a diverse neighborhood and I love diversity."
He also loves the old-school recipes his relatives brought from Orsogna, the town in the Abruzzo region of Italy on the Adriatic coast.
"The way my mother made pizza is the way we make pizza," he said.
At Sac's of Jackson Heights, with a smaller menu, there's a return to the original restaurant he opened in Astoria nearly 30 years ago.
"I'm back to my roots — it's a pizza place," he said.
There's pizza, of course, including marinara, white, mama's old fashioned and Sicilian.
They also sell rolls, including sausage, pepper and onion; chicken; and broccoli. Calzones are made fresh to order and stuffed with whatever a customer wants.
And while the focus is on pizza, there will still be specials including homemade pasta dishes and salads. They have a farm in Pennsylvania, and Domenico and Anthony load up their Ford truck with the freshest produce twice a week.
That menu is dictated by what's fresh, with the produce options changing as the seasons do.
Sac's Place of Jackson Heights opened two days before Labor Day weekend, with a full grand opening scheduled for Sept. 22. They'll include delivery and daily specials, but for many residents, they're simply excited just for the pizza.
"Thank God you're here, we need real pizza," one woman said as she stopped in recently for a menu.
It's been a common refrain from people coming by, Sacramone said.
"We felt Jackson Heights needed this," he said.
Follow Sac's of Jackson Heights on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
