Houston-based Russo’s Coal-Fired Pizzeria opening in Richardson

by Teresa Gubbins

RICHARDSON — Houston-based Russo's New York Pizzeria is opening a branch of its "Coal-Fired" chain in Richardson this spring, bringing to the Dallas-area another pizzeria that employs a gen-you-wine coal-fired oven.

Called Russo's Coal-Fired Pizzeria, it's a small subset of the Houston-based chain. Russo's was the first to bring coal-fired pizza to Houston a year ago [first written about by Robb Walsh], but not all of its 25-odd Houston-area locations are coal-fired. That makes this branch special.

The Richardson branch is going into the same "urban village" on Campbell just east of 75 that's also home to Twisted Root, Panera, Jersey Mike's, and a bunch of loft-y type apartments.

The story on Russo's is that they moved to Houston in 1978 and opened Russo’s Italian Restaurant. In the early 90s, Anthony Russo opened Anthony’s Pizzeria, a New York-style pizzeria, in Clear Lake, and then opened New York Pizzeria in Houston in 1992. The Russo's Coal-Fired Pizzeria concept was launched in 2008.