Geulah’s pizza brings a family tradition to GN

Evan Nemeroff

Pazit Barayev’s parents own a pizzeria in Israel and for years she and her husband, Mark, dreamed of owning one in the United States.

That dream came true five months ago when they opened Geulah’s in the Village of Great Neck.

“It feels very good to have our own store,” Pazit Barayev said. “My parents owned a pizza place in Israel and I feel lucky to now have a pizzeria here in Great Neck.”

The Barayev’s actually worked their way up in the business, beginning at King Kosher Pizza, Guelah’s predecessor at 605 Middle Neck Road.

Pazit, who has previous experience managing and working at supermarkets in Queens, is the manager of the restaurant with Mark. The Barayev’s three children including their daughters Tami and Rezital and their son Yossi also work at the pizzeria.

“We wanted to open a business that we were familiar with and we know pizza,” Barayev said. “Having a family business is exciting because there are less expenses and it provides us with a fun experience outside the house by working at a store together.”

The Barayev’s, who live in Queens, decided to purchase King Kosh Piazza because they wanted to have a business in the Great Neck community.

“Great Neck is a nice place with sincere people,” Mark Barayev said. “This is also a good location because there is a church, schools and a park. Everybody loves to eat pizza and can now enjoy eating our homemade pizza.”

Geulah’s, which means redemption in Hebrew, is a kosher (cholov yisroel, kemach yashan) pizzeria with recipes that come from Israel. Geulah’s serves brick-oven pizza with a thin crust and also offers spaghetti, falafel, calzone, soup and sushi. The Barayev’s said the Geulah slice is unique because this pizza contains a “special” type of sauce.

Geulah’s offers lunch specials Monday through Friday for students and adults who can eat two regular slices and a drink. The value for the student special is $4 and adults pay $5 for the special. Geulah’s also offers a special featuring soup and four garlic knots for $4, two sicilian slices with a drink for $5.50, and a cheese slice with french fries and a drink is $5.50.

Geulah’s has a Tuesday special to buy an 18 inch pie, which regularly costs $15, for $12.99. Organizations that purchase food and pizza pies from Geulah’s will receive a 10 percent discount.

“We have a new taste, new food and original recipes that anyone can enjoy at a reasonable price,” Barayev said. “There are all types of pizza slices at Geulah’s that are 100 percent kosher. We are not just looking for Jewish customers, but everyone can eat our pizza. We hope people will redeem themselves by making the right choice by eating kosher pizza.”

Geulah’s is open every day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. On Friday’s, Geulah’s closes two hours before Shabbat and on Saturday’s, the pizzeria opens after Shabbat until 1 a.m. The pizzeria has free delivery within the Great Neck community.

“We are trying to bring the community kosher pizza that is available at all times,” Barayev said. “My friends have told me pizza is best if the cook is always spinning in dough. I’m not spinning in it yet, but hope to be soon.”

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