Born and raised in a close-knit Italian American family in New Jersey, Mangieri’s obsession with eating and making pizza took root at an early age. From having his mother drive him to every well-known pizzeria in the tri-state area to reading books all about baking, including French and Italian styles of bread baking, his pursuit of passion flourished into a lifelong quest to create the perfect pizza.
At 20, Mangieri opened a wood-fired bread bakery called Sant Arsenio in Red Bank, NJ. In his early 20s, in 1996, he opened Una Pizza Napoletana in Point Pleasant, NJ, one of the first places to introduce Neapolitan-style pies stateside. He moved himself and the restaurant to New York in 2004. Later there was a bicoastal move from New York City to San Francisco and back again, and outsider offers to expand Una Pizza Napoletana nationwide. But Mangieri’s only ever operated one restaurant; having only one location, he says, allows for an obsessive focus on every detail.
Now located on New York’s Lower East Side, Una Pizza Napoletana has continued to garner praise, claiming the #1 spot on 50 Top Pizza’s global and US rankings. The restaurant also holds a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide.
Mangieri launched Genio Della Pizza in 2022, a frozen product he had spent three years developing to reclaim quality in the freezer section.
When he's not covered in flour, Mangieri can be found putting himself through his paces on two wheels.
Restaurant
As the chef and owner of Una Pizza Napoletana, Mangieri is known for his meticulous attention to detail, often described as obsessive. According to the restaurant’s website, "Since day one, Anthony has made every piece of dough served."
Since 2022, Una Pizza Napoletana has been located on New York’s Lower East Side, marking the sixth and only iteration of Mangieri’s renowned pizzeria. The focus remains, as always, on naturally-leavened, wood-fired pizzas.
The pizzeria’s iconic Neapolitan-style pizzas are famous for their fluffy edges, delicate crusts, and minimalist toppings. The restaurant offers six classic options, including marinara, margherita, and pizza bianca, made with ingredients like the finest San Marzano tomatoes, Amalfi wild oregano, buffalo mozzarella DOP, and Sicilian sea salt.
Beyond its celebrated pizzas, Una Pizza Napoletana offers an intimate dining experience. Guests seated in the dining room, surrounded by one-of-a-kind art pieces—many created by Mangieri’s close friends—can watch the team handcraft dough and bake the pizzas to perfection in a wood-fired oven.
The warm, communal atmosphere mirrors Mangieri's deep passion for authentic craftsmanship and dedication to creating a simple yet unforgettable meal.
Recipes and dishes
Known as "a pioneer of Neapolitan-style pizza in the United States," Mangieri has perfected a pizza-making craft that balances tradition with innovation. His fluffy outer-rimmed and gently blistered crusts have a characteristically subtle sourdough tang. Only a trio of pizzas make it into the wood-fired oven at a time to ensure temperature precision and consistent quality.
Mangieri’s passion is evident in his menu, which features half a dozen classic pizzas, including the popular cosacca. A minimalist pizza, and one of Naples' oldest, it showcases the art of simplicity: puffy, toasted dough topped with tomato sauce, sea salt, fresh basil, and a light sprinkling of pecorino Romano added just as it comes out of the oven.
While careful attention is given to the authentic toppings, for Mangieri, the real magic lies in the dough. After nearly 30 years, he still experiments daily with dough recipes. A key technique he uses is adding more water toward the end of the mixing process, which keeps the dough hydrated. attributing the method to ancient French bread-baking techniques.
Una Pizza Napoletana’s pizza has even featured in the US TV show Billions, where Mangieri himself made a cameo, saying, “It’s good to love what you do. Enjoy, guys.”
