NY Style Pizzeria Serving Up Authentic Italian Favorites That Are Hard To Refuse

Jeff Walker,  Entertainment Writer / Food & Beverage Review

Understandably my visit was during their grand opening week. However, despite the anticipation of being the new kid on the block (or in this case Nexton Parkway) Woodhaven Pizza was packed, and rightfully so. They check all the right boxes when it comes to food and beverage. Great food, good service, all at an affordable price. 

While they are every bit a modern New York style pizzeria with an old school NYC subway swagger, Woodhaven Pizza also carry a Italian ristorante and neighborhood watering hole feel as well.

Owned and operated by New Jersey natives Craig and Sonia Sodano with Vincent Barcelona, alongside Juan and Lina Acevedo, the two husband and wife couples and Barcelona share a love affair with pizza. Together they are committed to delivering high quality Italian pizzeria staples, albeit with a twist.

True to form they serve up incredibly delicious cheese and pepperoni pizzas, but catering to a wide variety of tastes, they allow for another dozen or more signature pies including Eggplant Marinara and an Italian Meat Pie, alongside a menu that carries antipasti, salads, Italian subs, baked pasta, wings, and dolce (desserts). A handful of your favorite comfort foods all under the same roof. That's 'awesome baby'!

It is approximately 740 miles from Summerville to Garfield NJ. And although Woodhaven Pizza's generational recipe was born out of Barcelona’s Pizzeria (circa 1933) in the garden state, it reflects the great tasting sliced pizza New Yorker's enjoy at just about every subway stop along the route in Queens, in midtown Manhattan, or in northern Jersey. 

Surprisingly, this is not Woodhaven's first lowcountry pizza rodeo. The owners first threw open the doors in May of 2024 to their original location in the Indigo Square off 17N in Mount Pleasant. The continued success and reception east of the Cooper, prompted the owners to open one in what has become the fastest growing area in greater Charleston, with many in Nexton of Summerville eagerly awaiting their arrival. It doesn't hurt they are located in the all new One Nexton shopping center anchored by Publix.

I often rave about pizza. Having been raised in the Garden State, pizza was a mainstay of my diet growing up. I've come to realize there are pocketed areas catering to specific pizza in the country. You have the deep dish Chicago and Detroit style, gourmet west coast pizzas, and then there's the New York City thin crust pizza that folks in the northeast recognize as true pizza, which was first introduced to America in the late 19th century with the arrival of Italian immigrants. Grazie!

Craig and I agree, authentic NYC pizza is born out of three set in stone principles. There's the dough, the tomato based sauce, and the cheese. If you use inferior products you get a pizza that resembles most of the what gets delivered from the nationwide chains. If they're offering up a $6 pizza, do you really think they spend money on quality ingredients. Absolutely not! Cheap ingredients equal a cheap pizza.

On the flipside of the pizza equation, Woodhaven Pizza make every pizza from scratch starting with the dough that is a tried and true hand-crafted nine decade old recipe providing the right consistency, allowing for taste and crispiness, with a tad bit of chew. Thank you for setting the bar high Sicily immigrant Peter Barcelona. 

As their website declares, exceptional dough requires nothing less than exceptional sauce. As expected, Woodhaven make their own sauce starting with the best tomatoes from La Valle San Marzano Italian, a 60 year old family owned company in southern Italy known for producing plum tomatoes that are used in upscale Italian eateries the world over. Top that with the finest mozzarella and grated parmesan cheese and you end up with hellacious pizza. Mangia!

Pizza may be their cornerstone, but if you crave Italian dishes than Woodhaven has so much more to offer. Signature entrees including Stuffed Rigatoni, which is their version of ravioli. A hearty serving of rigatoni pasta stuffed with ricotta cheese under a blanket of marinara and fresh mozzarella. Woodhaven Pizza offer two Baked Ziti dishes, one with marinara and another with classic vodka sauce with ground prosciutto. Both can be further enhanced by adding meatballs. 

Speaking of, most pizzerias offer their signature meatballs as an appetizer or as part of the anti-pasta (non pasta) menu. Woodhaven Pizza serve up three slightly larger golf ball sized meatballs derived from Craig's grandmother's hand-crafted recipe using a blend of beef, veal, and pork with a handful of grated white bread and seasonings to provide taste and cohesiveness. Served at your table under a bed of marinara and parmesan cheese. Also great as a Meatball Parmesan hero. 

Craving that New York Italian Sub found only in delis in the Big Apple, than order up the aptly named hero overflowing with salami, mortadella, capicola, sopressata, prosciutto, provolone cheese, tomato, shredded lettuce, oregano, oil and vinegar, all on a 10”seeded semolina bun from Melone Brothers Bakery out of Linden, NJ. Quality ingredients taste better on a quality bun!

Want to indulge yourself on Woodhaven's dulce aka dessert, than I recommend the New York Cheesecake. Craig admits they don't make it themselves, because it's hard to compete with New York's famous Carnegie Deli which is where he gets his cheesecake from.

A taste of Carnegie Deli is a taste of New York. Known for their CPM–Corned Beef & Pastrami Maven, as well as a Reuben Sandwich, and cured meats, cheesecake from Carnegie Deli is as iconic as Sabrett's Hotdogs on the street or pizza from Barcelona's Pizzeria in Garfield, NJ.

While not an all out sports bar, the neighborhood watering hole with a massive TV wall in the dining room, and another half dozen big screen TVs situated throughout including behind the bar, airs current and classic sporting events to keep sports enthusiasts happy.

Maybe throw back a few signature cocktails, drafts, and crafts, several from local breweries like Rusty Bull and Edmund's Oast. Any adult beverage would go great with their Garlic Parmesan Fries, swirled in a medley of virgin olive oil and garlic, before being sprinkled in parmesan cheese. Celeste! 

Woodhaven Pizza not only serve up real NY style pizza and Italian favorites, but they celebrate the essence of New York City. You'll see imagery and quotes from two iconic movies commemorating the Big Apple, including Marlon Brando from 'The Godfather', and John Travolta from 'Saturday Night Fever'. 

Who can forget Don Corleone's 'I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse', translated in Woodhaven speech as 'I'm gonna make him a pizza he can't refuse'.

Of course there's Tony Manero's famous words 'Two. Two. Give me two. That's good' during the opening credits of Fever as he struts his stuff in the Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst neighborhoods of Brooklyn. As definitive as are rappers Run DMC and The Beastie Boys are to 'Classic NYC Za', so to is Woodhaven Pizza's appreciation to their beginnings. 

Do you love daily specials. Monday thru Friday order two slices of pizza for just $6. You can also enjoy happy hour weekdays from 4-6pm (discounted apps, drafts, & cocktails). Wednesday is half off bottles of wine. Want to feed the entire family. Monday & Tuesday, whether you dine in or order take out, you can enjoy two large pizzas, a family sized salad, and an appetizer for just $49.95. Woodhaven celebrate the ladies on Thursday with martinis and small plates just $8.

Woodhaven Pizza is the epitome of a New York or New Jersey pizzeria. They are family owned and operated. They carry that distinctive pizzeria smell. They serve up a majority of the staple foods you've come to expect in an Italian ristorante including garlic knots, cannolis, gelato, and a $10 kids pasta meal. And the upside, Woodhaven is exceptionally clean. That goes for both locations.

Truth is you don't have to be a northerner to enjoy Woodhaven's real NY style pizza and pasta. In just over a year, Mount Pleasant residents have fallen in love with them, and many are low country natives. Summerville of Nexton transplants hailing from Jersey, Pennsylvania, NY, and Connecticut will recognize Woodhaven's authenticity, while the rest of Berkeley and Dorchester counties will come to appreciate great food, good service, and affordable prices.

They open at 11am everyday, closing at10pm Mon-Thurs, 11pm Fri-Sat, and 9pm on Sun.  Drop in for lunch, after work, for dinner, or late night snack. The answer is yes to both questions. You can order ahead for pickup, and yes they provide catering. By the time you're reading this review they'll probably have their outside seating available. 

Put Woodhaven Pizza on your regular food and beverage tour stop. Find them in the One Nexton Shopping Center anchored by Publix approximately one mile off I-26 (exit 197). They have a corner location (right side of Publix) that provides plenty of sunlight and ample parking. Their physical address in Summerville is 1288 Nexton Pkwy, Suite 401 Summerville. Call them at 843.900.3997 or visit https://woodhavenpizza.com/  for more.