Buffalo knows a thing or two about comfort food, but Jay’s Artisan Pizza proves that the city’s most obsessive love story might just be with dough, tomatoes, and blistered crusts. 🍕
This Kenmore favorite takes classic Neapolitan and Detroit-style pies and gives them serious craft treatment—long-fermented dough, precise bakes, and toppings sourced from local farms and top-tier producers—turning a neighborhood pizzeria into a place people plan entire nights around. 🔥
How Jay’s Artisan Pizza won Buffalo’s hearts
Jay’s story starts with founder Jay Langfelder, who began serving wood-fired pies out of the O.G. Wood Fire food truck before opening a brick-and-mortar shop in 2017.
From there, the torch passed to pizzaiolo Joe Powers, who traveled to Naples to hone his craft and brought back a dough process built on extended fermentation, light toppings, and lightning-fast bakes—exactly the kind of obsessive detail that makes serious pizza fans sit up straight. 🍕✈️
In a town famous for thick, cheesy, cup-and-char pies, Jay’s Artisan Pizza went a different direction, introducing Buffalo to true Neapolitan-style pizza with airy, leopard-spotted crusts and restrained toppings that let the dough, tomato, and cheese sing.
Then they doubled down on carb dreams by adding Detroit-style square pies with crispy cheese edges and fluffy centers, giving locals two completely different—but equally addictive—ways to fall in love with pizza all over again. 🧀
Jay’s earned national recognition on lists ranking it among the top pizzerias in the United States, with international pizza guides and TV features highlighting the shop as one of the country’s best examples of Neapolitan and Detroit-style pies outside their original homes. 🌍📺
The buzz is so strong that locals know to arrive early—once the dough is gone, they close for the night—a scarcity that only fuels the legend and makes each visit feel a little more special. ⏰
Food Highlights
Margherita: The quintessential Neapolitan pie, built on that long-fermented, airy dough with bright tomato, fresh mozzarella, and basil.
Fans and reviewers repeatedly point to the Margherita as the purest way to taste Jay’s obsession with dough and balance, calling it a benchmark pizza that needs no extra toppings to impress. 🍅🌿
Diavola: A spicy classic featuring high-quality cured meats—often topped with spicy salami or similar heat-driven charcuterie—over tangy tomato and cheese.
Visitors describe it as the perfect option for those who want a kick without overwhelming the delicate crust, making it a must-try for anyone who loves a little fire with their mozzarella. 🌶️
Detroit-Style Pepperoni: A square, pan-baked pie with a thick yet airy base, layered cheese, and edge-to-edge crispy “frico” crust, topped with pepperoni and rich tomato sauce.
Reviewers gush over the caramelized cheese edges and charred pepperoni cups, calling it one of the best Detroit-style pizzas they’ve ever eaten—even compared to spots dedicated solely to that style. 🧀
Specialty Detroit Squares: Rotating combinations that might feature house-cured meats, local vegetables, or creative topping pairings, baked into those signature, crisp-edged squares.
These pies are popular with repeat visitors who’ve already fallen in love with the standard pepperoni square and want to explore just how far Jay’s can push Detroit-style creativity without losing its buttery, crunchy base. 🍕
Seasonal Neapolitan Creations: Limited-time pies showcasing ingredients from Thorpes Organic Family Farm, Flat 12 Mushrooms, and other regional producers, layered sparingly over that signature dough.
These pizzas are beloved by regulars who appreciate how the menu evolves with the seasons, turning Jay’s into a place where you can return again and again and still find something new to obsess over. 🌱
Simple Cheese for Purists: A stripped-back Neapolitan or Detroit cheese pie that keeps the focus on dough, sauce, and cheese quality.
Many guests mention ordering at least one “just cheese” pizza specifically to experience the dough and sauce with zero distractions, a move that often turns first-timers into instant loyalists. 🧀
Atmosphere
Jay’s Artisan Pizza feels cozy, focused, and quietly electric, the sort of intimate neighborhood spot where every table seems to be having its own little pizza revelation.
The space on Delaware Avenue is compact and casual, with an open view of the wood-fired oven and Detroit pans, so guests can watch the dough being stretched, topped, and launched into blistering heat. 🔥
You order at the counter, grab a seat, and let the staff bring out piping-hot pies, creating a relaxed, fast-casual flow that still feels personal and attentive.
Conversation hums, plates clink, and there’s a palpable sense that everyone in the room knows they scored something special just by getting a table before the dough runs out.
Bottom Line
Jay’s Artisan Pizza is a must-visit for Neapolitan and Detroit-style obsessives, offering long-fermented dough, top-notch ingredients, and nationally recognized pies in a cozy neighborhood setting.
Visit for the Margherita, stay for the Detroit squares, and leave convinced Buffalo is secretly a world-class pizza city. 🍕🔥
Address:
Jay’s Artisan Pizza
2872 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14217
📞 (716) 322-1704
🕔 Open Tue–Sat, 4 PM–8 PM (closed Sun–Mon)