Zutt: New York Pizza in a Tel Aviv Hotel Basement

Living in Israel means we always end up writing about the serious parts of life here, like war in Iran or problems in our government but I’m in a phase of life where I want to write about joy so I am circling back to my first love- food, wine, travel, and leisure writing. The best times, the best places, and the best moments I can find. I’m posting here at Times of Israel and also on my Instagram @dayinthelife

As a native New Yorker, I know there are lots of places to get a genuinely good Neapolitan pizza, from a hole in the wall to your friend’s basement. The last place you would expect is a fancy hotel in Tel Aviv.

Zutt is the pizzeria that Dan Hotels opened downstairs at the Link Hotel on Shaul Hamelech Boulevard, and they turned the basement into a vibe that reminds me of hanging out with my friends back home — ordering pizza, playing pool and video games with my buddies.

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Even the name is in on the joke: “Zutt” is Italian-American slang for “downstairs” — a nod to the immigrant kitchens of New York where this style of pizza was born, and to the pizzeria’s home one level below the lobby, in the hotel’s HUB.

The space is open, vibrant, and unmistakably young. Every wall is covered in Tel Aviv street art: a John Lennon collage, a giant graffiti heart, a woodcut hamsa layered over torn protest posters, and a little hand-lettered sign reading “אני תל אביבי” tucked into the chaos. The playlist kept pace with the walls — Beyoncé, Britney, Biggie, and Tupac — giving the whole room a fun, slightly retro, artistic-vintage energy. I was glad I came with my son and niece; this is very much a young people’s place, and they were right at home.

It’s also a space that clearly likes a party. While we ate, the staff was setting up for a Mondial viewing party, and the room mixes hotel guests, people working on laptops, groups around the billiard table and video games, and diners like us — all coexisting in an easy, relaxed way. Service is casual by design: there are no waiters, ordering is by QR code from the table, the place is cashless, and pizzas come only as whole trays cut into six slices — no single slices, no build-your-own.

We started with two appetizers: charred corn ribs pulled through brown butter and parmesan, and a plate of fresh mozzarella with tomatoes and Ortiz anchovies — a smart little dish, the anchovies bringing salt and depth against the cream and acid. A simple starter, along with a cold limonana.

The pizza itself is pitched as a bridge between three worlds: the traditional Italian Neapolitan base, the precision and generosity of the modern American pie, and a contemporary Tel Aviv interpretation. The dough is built on three flours from Petra, a boutique Italian mill that still stone-grinds its wheat, and ferments slowly for 72 hours. You can taste every hour that has gone into it. The dough is sumptuous — thin on the bottom and voluminous around the sides, holding a bright tomato sauce and a generous amount of toppings.

The pizzas came out of the fire with a proper char. We ordered three from the eight on the menu: the margherita (tomato sauce, mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, basil), the Tassos olives (with green chili, red onion, and oregano), and the jalapeño-honey. The crust was light and fluffy with a parmesan-dusted edge. I thought they were going to be personal-sized pies, but they were larger than expected, so we ended up with a lot to take home.

The slice I’m still thinking about is the jalapeño-honey: sweet, sour, and spicy all at once; every bite balances the flavors so that nothing is too overpowering, and it blends in your mouth like a song you want to keep playing. It’s a cousin of Brooklyn’s “bee sting” pizza, and Zutt’s version earns the family name.

The rest of the menu is worth a return visit — a leek pizza with béchamel and burrata, a forest-mushroom pie with brie, lion’s mane, and shiitake, a potato-gorgonzola-rosemary number, and an Ortiz anchovy pizza — plus a Caesar salad and a tomato salad with pecorino and sherry vinegar among the starters. We were too full for desserts, but they looked great. Vegan cheese is available, but we didn’t try it.

I’d go back for the pizza — but also for the vibe. My dining partners are in their 20s, and they enjoyed it as much as I did, possibly more. As a middle-aged mom and auntie, this is the place where I know everyone is going to have a great time. Full stop. No questions asked.

The overall impression: high quality, good time. Well done. I visited as a guest of the restaurant. 

Zutt Pizzeria, Link Hotel Tel Aviv (HUB level), 39 Shaul Hamelech Blvd. Not kosher, but the menu is entirely dairy — no meat or seafood. Pizzas 64–78 NIS, starters 42–58 NIS, desserts around 42 NIS. Happy hour Sunday–Thursday 16:00–19:00, 1+1 on drinks. Check current hours on Instagram @zutt.tlv before you go — they host events, and hours shift.

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