Eat All About It: Richland’s Eatz Pizzeria brings East Coast flair to downtown

Reader Linda Strassburg calls Eatz Pizzeria & Deli one of the “best-kept secrets” in the Tri-Cities.

“I have lived here for many years (coming from the East Coast) and it is truly one of the best eateries I’ve found in the Tri-Cities,” she wrote.

The secret is getting out. Since opening in July, the East Coast-influenced pizzeria and deli is swiftly building a following for its New York-style thin crust pizza, Italian subs and growing menu of custom-ordered pasta dishes.

Next week, owners Charity and Phil Forzaglia will expand the menu to include more salads, soups, pasta and burgers on Monday. The business will launch a catering arm to target business lunches and gatherings.

Phil Forzaglia, a native of the Bronx who grew up in California, said he’s always worked in food and calls sandwiches his favorite. When he and his wife moved to the Tri-Cities to raise a family, they set out to create a restaurant that would bring authentic East Coast styles to the market.

The couple opened Eatz at 1308 Lee Blvd. in a small building beside the Richland Albertsons grocery. They funded the venture with personal savings.

Eatz faces a side entrance to Kadlec Medical Center and is part of the Lee Boulevard corridor of local dining options. Its neighbors include Zip’s Hamburgers, Atomic Ale Brewpub & Eatery, Monterosso’s Italina Restaurant and Chapala Express.

“This location just kind of fell in our laps, and we just went and opened,” he said.

Forzaglia has been pleasantly surprised by the number of patrons who, like Strassburg, hail from the East Coast and view Eatz as a taste of home.

His goal is to install an Eatz Pizzeria & Deli in each of the Tri-Cities, he said.

In the interim, the Richland eatery is open Monday to Saturday, opening at 10 a.m. daily and closing at 9 p.m., except on Monday and Tuesday, when it closes at 8 p.m.

In the Pipeline

▪ Taco Bell — The Tri-City area’s seventh Taco Bell Mexican fast food restaurant is taking shape at Kennewick’s Southridge. The restaurant is under construction at West Hildebrand Boulevard and Plaza Way, between the Southridge Sports Complex and the Trios Hospital at Southridge. Taco Bell has spots on West Kennewick Avenue and North Columbia Center Boulevard in Kennewick, at Queensgate and on George Washington Way in Richland, and on North Road 68 and on West Court Street in Pasco.

▪ Bruchi’s CheeseSteaks & Subs — The Spokane-based cheesesteak chain is joining the rush to establish locations on Edison Street near Kamiakin High School. The newest Bruchi’s is under construction in Kennewick at Edison and West Okanogan Place, next to a new Roasters Coffee outlet, also under construction. The 16-unit chain has 14 locations in Eastern Washington and one each in Vancouver, Wash. and Sacramento, Calif.

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This story was originally published October 4, 2016 at 6:06 PM with the headline "Eat All About It: Richland’s Eatz Pizzeria brings East Coast flair to downtown."