J.J.'s Pizza

 J.J.'s Pizza offers an inexpensive family excursion with hand-tossed, New York style pizza with fresh dough made daily, a nickel arcade of old-style video games and a friendly smile behind the counter as co-owner Jennifer Salazar makes everyone feel like a guest in her home.

The owners of J.J.'s Pizza did not have a lot of money when they moved to their new location on Menaul about a year and a half ago, but they had a lot of heart, determination and elbow grease -- the same qualities that allowed them to succeed at their initial location.

The new location has space for families to sit and enjoy their meal -- something that the old location did not have. To accommodate the new dining room experience, the restaurant offers pizza slices for $1.99 each, whole pizzas ranging in price from $3.99 for a small cheese pizza to $16.99 for an extra large super combo, calzones for $8.99 and Buffalo wings -- made out of thighs -- for $7.99 for a whole order. Delivery still is available for $1.50 delivery fee.

Jennifer and Justin Salazar met when they were 17 years old, and Jennifer said she knew, even then, that  Justin needed to own his own restaurant some day.  Justin, whom Jennifer affectionately calls the "Pizza Guru,"  worked in a major pizza chain for 11 years and experimented in the kitchen whenever possible. His interest in pizza grew. Family vacations began to center around trying new pizza from different places and incorporating those styles into his own recipes.

Finally, he had enough of large pizza chains and the two of them took their savings of $4,000, maxed out their credit cards, borrowed from families, took out additional financing to reach $70,000 and bought Easy Street Pizza. Then, they personalized the menu to reflect the New York style Pizza that Justin loved.
 
About four years later, they personalized the name to J.J.'s Pizza, and  about four years after that, they personalized the location by moving to 4711 Menaul Blvd. To save money at the new location, Justin spent three months crawling on the floor installing tile himself, designing the kitchen and finagling good prices on used booths and chairs. But the result was worth it, Jennifer said.

"This was a big step for us," Jennifer said. "It was a huge adjustment having a dining room, but it is nice because people can see us and we expanded our menu."

- by Julie Medina, Albuquerque Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Julie Medina

Julie Medina has experience as a reporter at the Albuquerque Journal and has written freelance articles for the Albuquerque Tribune, Albuquerque the Magazine, New Mexico Magazine and New Mexico Kids Magazine. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in print journalism from the University of New Mexico in 2008. She has lived in Albuquerque since 1984 and believes it is best to remember to play like a tourist in your own hometown so you don't forget the vast culture around you.