Pizza has played a huge role in George Tagaris's life. Some of his favorite memories of growing up in Flushing are of family outings over to Whitestone, where dinner was a slice or two at Freddy's and an ice cream from Carvel's next door. His parents ran a pizza parlor of their own in Manhattan, on Broadway and 55th Street, and once Tagaris hit 16 or so he began what has been, so far, a 25-year stint slinging slices as a chef and/or owner of multiple spots in Queens, Brooklyn, and Long Island. My guy loves feeding people pizza, that's for sure.
About a year ago though, Tagaris launched what he hopes will be the final, most glorious chapter in his career, when he and some buddies bought Freddy's of Whitestone—established 1961, as it says everywhere—from Joe Iurillo, the son of co-founder Angelo. (The lore is convoluted, but apparently the Iurillo family ran two parlors, Angelo's and Freddy's, and after a dispute between the namesake brothers, Freddy wound up with Angelo's, and Angelo got Freddy's.)
The first thing the new team did was shut down the Whitestone Freddy's for a total revamp (reopening is still TBD), and the second thing they did was secure a storefront in Astoria for Freddy's Pizza II, which opened about six weeks ago in a brand new building on Broadway. The aesthetic is retro, the mix is '90s hip hop classics (clean versions), there are three booths and a bunch of stools for dining, and a long display case up front shows off a truly impressive array of pizzas, heroes, random specials, and pastries. Really, it's a lot. I suggest taking a moment to process everything that's going on here before you order.
