Vegetarian pizzeria, Eliyahu’s Yardley Pizza, takes over the former pizza shop

Eliyahu’a Yardley Pizza opens in downtown Yardley

Co-owner Eliyahu Kheel shares what’s on the menu at his new pizzeria in Yardley.

Hira Qureshi, Cherry Hill Courier-Post

After acting, singing and producing in the theater industry for six years, Eliyahu Kheel left it behind to follow his passion for pizza making – leading him to open his own pizzeria in the heart of Yardley.

When he left the industry for a career change, Kheel began making pizza. He fell in love with it and decided to pursue it professionally.

He studied Neapolitan and New York-style pizza-making at two internationally certified pizza schools – Accademia Pizzaioli and Goodfella’s Pizza School of New York. Kheel then went on to work in pizza shops in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

In January, he and his wife Keira took the leap to open their own pizzeria. The couple is aiming to open Eliyahu’s Yardley Pizza on South Main Street on July 31. Their pizzeria is taking over the former Yardley Pizza with the goal to keep its essence intact.

“It’s a 30-year-old shop that needs a facelift, so I’m trying to, I guess, respectfully, modernize it without losing what it has always been,” Kheel said.

From home baking to a restaurant

The former pizzeria’s owner Jim Verrelli reached out after seeing Kheel’s pies in a Facebook group for local pizza lovers.

Kheel, who moved to Levittown in November, was making up to 25 pizzas every week from his home kitchen. He would post and offer them to the members of the group.

“It would sell out within five minutes every week,” he said. “Just one pie at a time out of my tiny home oven.”

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Verrelli messaged him asking if Kheel was interested in buying the space for Yardley Pizza. After touring and working at the pizza shop for a couple of days, the Kheels decided to buy it.

Owning a pizzeria was always in the plans for Kheel but it sped up his timeline with all the social media attention.

“I didn’t have the space or finances to keep running it out of my home,” Kheel said. “It’s very expensive to do it out of your home oven with all the electricity costs, keeping your oven running, eight hours a day.”

‘Options for anyone’

The pizza shop is all about vegetarian pizza, focusing on New York-style pizza but occasionally introducing other styles like New Haven-style and Detroit-style. New Haven is a type of thin-crust, coal-fired Neapolitan pizza, while Detroit is a rectangular pie with thick crust and cheese below the sauce.

As a lifelong vegetarian, it was natural for Kheel to open a vegetarian pizzeria. He also wanted to offer a way for everyone to enjoy pizza, he said.

“I’ve always lived by saying that an omnivore can eat vegetarian pizza, but a vegetarian can’t eat meat pizza,” Kheel said. “So simply having vegetarian pizza gives options for anyone. You can still come get a Brooklyn pizza or a white pizza, and if you want to risk it, you can try our vegan pepperoni, which is pretty spot on.”

The dough is vegan. Gluten-free options are available to guests who want them.  

Keeping the old with the new

The restaurant has new floors, freshly painted walls, new equipment and furniture, and a change in the dining space and kitchen layout – the wooden booths were taken out and the pizza prep and cutting table were moved in front of the oven.

The main thing the Kheels wanted to maintain from the previous pizza shop is the “family feel of it” – the way Verrelli would treat his guests, says Kheel.

“Whenever a customer came into the shop, Jim was always there with an amazing smile on his face and he would ask you how your day was; he would talk to you about your family and become your friend,” Kheel said. “That’s something I plan to continue.”

“I love that kind of pizzeria feeling,” he continued. “I’m not just here to sell you pizza – I’m here to make a connection with everyone who eats my pizza.”

Prior to purchasing the restaurant, the Kheels worked at the restaurant to meet regulars, guests and employees and introduce themselves. 

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“We didn’t want the transition to be too jarring like suddenly Jim’s gone and these new random people are here,” Kheel said.

Opening with protocols and excitement

Though most restaurants are fully open for dining, Kheel said they won’t have dine-in until all their employees “feel fully comfortable having people dining in.” He estimates that will be until the end of August or early September as long there are no other COVID variants.

They will keep the mask mandate and social distancing as they offer takeout and delivery only.

The Kheels are most excited to meet people in town and connect with their guests over their vegetarian pizza.

“I really can’t wait to show everyone what we’ve been doing over the last two months, all the amazing food we’ve been getting ready,” Kheel said. “It’s going to be really great.”

If you go

 20 S. Main St., Yardley, 215-493-6888; facebook.com/eliyahusyardleypizza

Hira Qureshi covers food and drink for the Courier Post, Burlington County Times, Daily Journal, Bucks County Times and Intelligencer. She can be reached at HQureshi@gannettnj.com or 856-287-8106. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.