Next Door Restaurant Serves Up Stone Oven Pizza On Emmons Avenue

by Megan McGibney

Walk into the newly opened restaurant, Next Door, and one may immediately notice something different about this upscale pizza restaurant at 2005 Emmons Avenue. It might be the stone oven flame burning brightly in full view in the back, or the Manhattan style décor. Either way, Next Door has been providing a unique dining experience to Sheepshead Bay since opening on May 3.

“I have been very lucky to have such positive responses,” said owner George Katsichtis. “They’re all like, ‘finally something different’. Something was missing, and we nailed it.”

The waterfront corridor once boasted dozens of Italian restaurants, but only three remain. Katsichtis was determined to do something about that shrinking footprint.

“I wanted to change this neighborhood around, honestly,” said the soft-spoken 32-year-old. “Every other restaurant is Turkish or Russian, which is fine. But I wanted to spice things up.”

Changing a neighborhood may not be easy, but Katsichtis is familiar with Sheepshead Bay. He grew up in nearby Mill Basin. His parents, Peter and Anna, have operated their Greek restaurant, Yiasou (2003 Emmons Avenue), in the area since 2005. In fact, Yiasou is attached by an open space to Next Door, hence its name.

Katsichtis initially worked for his parents, but when Mambo Sushi did not return in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy in 2012, Sheepshead Bay was ripe for a new dining experience.

“I want to offer everything to this neighborhood,” he says. “I grew up here, and I always want my neighborhood to improve. I just want to have people smile again.”

Through his passion for food, Katsichtis sought to make a difference. He imports ingredients, from the cheeses to the meats, from Naples, Italy, to help create Next Door’s menu. Katsichtis also relied on his own taste buds to come up with his restaurant’s dishes.

“I like to put items that I personally like onto my menu,” he says. “I have a kale and quinoa salad, which is different. I have a truffle pizza which is out of this world. A meatball which is eight ounces, which is great to share. We have a lot of amazing items.”

Amazing could be an understatement. The popular salmon burger that delights with its juicy taste. The Pizza di Parma oozes with soft, warm cheese. Even the complementary bread has an appetizing smell. Next Door also hits the spot with one of its desserts, Nutella pizza. Topped with banana and strawberry toppings, Katsichtis calls this dish a knockout, and we cannot disagree.

But there’s more to Next Door than its menu. The interior and location of the restaurant is open and appealing. It also has two levels, one for the main dining area with the second level meant for private events. Katsichtis designed both levels with Manhattan establishments in mind. He also displays awareness of his customers’ needs by placing outlets along the walls for anyone who needs to charge their phones. In addition, there’s a bar where patrons could either have a drink or have a meal. Outlets are provided there as well, rather than asking the bartender to charge one’s phone.

Next Door will soon include a rooftop dining space, either later this summer or next year. All in all, this new restaurant is providing Sheepshead Bay residents, and other Brooklynites, a variety of memorable dining experiences.

“This is my major project, this is my baby,” Katsichtis says. “When you make your first child, and you can make it the way you want it, this is it.”

He showed Next Door to the world on May 3 when, following a friend’s birthday, he and his staff decided to open their business’ doors and see what would happen. There was no announcement about Next Door’s opening day, but curious diners did come in.

“When the first customers walked in, I had this big smile on my face,” he remembers.

Since then, diners have been steadily streaming in, with half making reservations and the other half being walk-ins. Experiences have been positive, making Katsichtis’ efforts worthwhile.

“Running a restaurant is very hard,” he says. “I’m nervous, but you have to take a risk. I’m at the age now where you have to take a risk. This is my passion, this is my forte.”

Clarification (June 11 at 8:59am): A previous version of this article’s headline stated it was a “wood-fired” oven. The oven is in fact a wood and gas combo oven, so the reference was removed from the headline.