Nashville’s Famed Joey’s House of Pizza Is Closing After 23 Years

Joey’s House of Pizza, one of Nashville’s most-loved pizza joints since Joey Macca opened it in Brentwood in 1999, is closing, owners announced via Facebook and Instagram on Sunday, April 10. In the handwritten note posted to social media, the owners thanked Joey’s longtime customers and wrote that while they’re closing the restaurant, they plan on “remaining in the hospitality business.” How, specifically, has not been revealed.

Macca first started cooking New York-style pizza in Nashville when he moved from Brooklyn in 1988 to work for his brother Manny, who opened his shop, Manny’s House of Pizza, a few years prior. In 1999, Macca branched out on his own to open Joey’s in Brentwood, serving massive, Sicilian-style slices in addition to crispy NY-style pies and becoming a friendly competitor to his brother’s shop. The Gladiator, a stuffed pizza topped with pepperoni, sausage, and mozzarella, firmly emerged as a customer favorite. (Manny’s remains open in its original downtown location.)

Macca, who runs the shop along with his wife Crescenza and their two children, relocated Joey’s to a snug space on Elm Hill Pike about a decade ago, where it became known for an always-present but fast-moving line during its somewhat limited hours — lunch only, Monday through Friday. Early in the pandemic, Joey’s condensed its menu and offered family-style takeout meals, and eventually introduced merchandise featuring its familiar logo.

Eater has reached out to Joey’s to ask about the family’s plans for remaining in the hospitality business. See below for Joey’s full closing announcement.