Our already rockin’ food scene is about to get even better: Pie.Zaa (46 Millard Ave.), a late-night pizzeria specializing in 28-inch, New York-style pies, will have its soft opening Mon., Aug. 31, followed by a grand opening on Mon., Sept. 7.

Co-owners Tyler Kotch + Jack Morrissey told me NY-style pies are distinguished by thin crusts that are crunchy throughout, foldable, and enormous. Pie.Zaa offers the aforementioned gargantuan pies, as well as individual slices that are 15 in long and 12 in wide. Hailing from up North (Pennsylvania + Massachusetts, respectively) where NY-style pizzas are commonplace, the duo noticed Asheville lacked this style of pie — as well as a dearth of late-night dining options.

From left, Jack Morrissey and Tyler Kotch I Photo by Mallory Paige Photography

With guidance from friends Graham House (formerly of Sovereign Remedies) and Sam Grossman of OWL Bakery, the two set out to create authentic NY-style pies, as well as a safe + contactless dining experience that’s ideal for a pandemic. All orders are online, and Pie.Zaa offers dine-in service + pickup, and delivery for folks within a five-mile radius, as well as some outdoor seating. In addition to hand sanitizer, they also offer masks.

Tyler + Jack want the pizza and ingredients to shine, so they offer only five pies, and everything from the dough to the dipping sauces are made in-house: Cheese Please (fresh mozzarella), Roni (cup + char pepperoni), The Garden (artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, onions + mushrooms), Sultry Sausage (mild Italian sausage), and two rotating monthly specials inspired by their partnerships with local bizzes. In a nod to Burial Beer’s Surf Wax, the first will be Pineapple Express (pineapples and Chop Shop Butchery ham), and the second will be Strainge (a blend of local mushrooms), which pays homage to Sierra Nevada’s Strainge Beast kombucha.

Pie.zaa offers canned beers + wines, plus two liquor slushies. And for your sweet tooth, there’s oversized, small-batch cookies from Morsel Cookie Company.

Here’s what a few of you said about it on Instagram:

“Been waiting for this my whole asheville life!! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🍕🍕🍕” - @robinknepp

“FINALLY what looks like good pizza here. I'm from (heavily Italian) northeast PA and nothing beats the pizza there so hopefully these northeast owners have it down pat!” - @kelli_thirteen

“EXCELLENT hours!👍 AVL needs more late night eateries! I miss Rosetta’s 😩” - @jenna_jaffe

Pie.Zaa is open Sun.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-12 a.m., and Fri. + Sat. 11 a.m. -3 a.m.