There’s a new Buffalo-style pizza business opening at the corner of Allen and Elmwood. I spoke to co-owner Joe Mahiques who told me that he’s inspired by the recent success of Cantina Loco and is looking to emulate the same sort of vibe that he sees across the street. “This will not look like your typical pizzeria in town,” Joe told me. “It’s going to be warm and it’s going to have character. We want people to come in and sit down. It’s going have the same sort of appeal that you would have seen from a restaurant in the 30s and 40s… old school.”

The vegan and vegetarian crowd will be pleased to hear that Allentown Pizza will cater to them as well. “We’re going out of our way to make sure that the health-conscious crowd will have plenty of things to eat… we’re not just making pizza, we’re going to have wraps and other offerings to appeal to a wider audience. We’re making all of our own dough in-house, and we’re ordering the freshest ingredients. Allentown Pizza will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. We’re going to be open late too – 1am weekdays and 4am weekends. This is a family-run business. We want to be open mid August.”

With Jim’s SteakOut so close, Allentown Pizza is sure to land some spin-off business. Also, the crowd that formerly frequented NY Pizza will have another option close to the bar scene. I love the big windows where the activity inside will be visible from the street. This is the ‘most walkable’ corner in Buffalo, and also ranks nationally in the same category. It deserves to have lots of activity on a regular basis. I’m looking forward to this pizzeria generating the proper buzz that this corner building deserves.