Zurilee Pizza Bar
To give you an idea of what ZuriLee Pizza Bar is about, two words: oxtail pizza. But according to Paul Burrowes (left), who co-owns the Flatbush restaurant with his brother Jermaine, venturing into Neapolitan-Caribbean fusion was a little scary.
“Many times I’ve gone to pizzerias where they had pizza with chicken and different stuff, and I thought, ‘No thank you,’ the aficionado says. But ZuriLee’s wood-fired pies with toppings inspired by their Guyanese heritage — like bake and saltfish, and jerk chicken — absolutely work. Opened in 2015 by the Guyana-born, Flatbush-raised brothers, ZuriLee’s success is no surprise. For nearly a decade, Paul and Jermaine have run another restaurant a few doors down, popular Caribbean spot Mangoseed. “We wanted to open a second restaurant, but we didn’t want to open a second Mangoseed,” says Paul, 37. “We felt like we could open up anything because we know this business.” .
In and of itself, ZuriLee’s wood-fired pizza is seriously tasty, the result of study and practice. “The stuff we grew up on is good, don’t get me wrong,” Paul says of the classic New York slice. “But there’s a better process in the Neapolitan style.” On our visit we devoured the jerk chicken pie, generously studded with fiery chicken and roasted corn, and one with tender braised oxtail and savory oxtail ragu (none of the bones, none of the work), both with a charred, chewy crust. Other noteworthy dishes include the edamame, oven-roasted and sprinkled with truffle oil and sea salt, as well as their umami-rich brussels sprouts with smoked trout and a squeeze of lemon. Just as flavorful are ZuriLee’s creative craft cocktails. We recommend the Crooklyn (bourbon, lemon, strawberry black pepper jam and ginger ale) and the Do The Right Thing (vodka, limoncello, Cocchi Americano, rosemary, lemon juice and soda).
“I have friends who had never left the block and didn’t know what sitting down in a restaurant really felt like. Bringing this to our folks in the neighborhood means a lot.”
Bright, funky and whimsical (with a spacious backyard dining area), ZuriLee is an ode to Paul and Jermaine’s favorite things. The restaurant is named after the middle names of their daughters. The ZuriLee logo, massively emblazoned over one wall, is a bicycle crank — a nod to the brothers’ career as elite professional cyclists. And eagle-eyed diners will spot several menu items named after their beloved Air Jordans: the classic Margherita, for example, is the Bre(a)d 1, a reference to the classic Bred 1 sneaker, and the Columbia 4, named in honor of the white Jordans, is a white pie with four cheeses and spicy honey.
“We opened these places with a purpose and a goal,” says Paul of their decision to become restaurateurs 10 years ago. “I have friends who had never left the block and didn’t know what sitting down in a restaurant really felt like. Bringing this to our folks in the neighborhood means a lot.”
755 Flatbush Avenue, 718-513-6084, zurileepizza.com
