After temporarily going on hiatus during the pandemic, Lola Jean’s Giveback Coffee has reopened with a new pizza concept, Lola Jean’s Pizza (5400 Nottingham), from co-owners Russell and Emily Ping, who own Russell’s a block away in Southampton.
The Menu
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Lola Jean’s Pizza is serving Sicilian-style focaccia-dough pizzas, which literally take days to make. The pizzeria uses a cold fermented dough that sits for 72 hours before being proofed and shaped. The dough is then lightly sauced and baked before toppings are added, and the pizza is cooked for a longer period of time. After that, it’s placed in a perforated pan and baked for a few minutes longer to achieve a charred, crispy crust.
“It’s really the New York-style, Sicilian pizza,” says Russell.
Service is to-go only and available on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Orders are limited and must be placed online by reserving a time slot for when you want to pick up your pie. Time slots are in 30-minute increments and range from 4–8:30 p.m.
Weekly dessert specials, just-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies, and drinks are also available for purchase. Alcohol is not available, but Russell says, “People could walk down the street and buy a bottle of wine and walk back if they wanted.”
The Space
Originally debuting as a café, prior to the pandemic, the space has reopened with a lounge-style atmosphere. All orders are to-go, but there are chairs and couches available if customers want to eat on site.
The patio is slated to open in the spring for additional seating and events. “We’d like to do some fun things back there,” says Ping, such as outdoor movies.
The Background
For the Pings, pizza was always part of the plan at Lola Jean’s (named after their daughter), but other business opportunities caused delays. The space operated as Lola Jean’s Give Back Coffee as the owners acquired the equipment needed to make the transition to pizza.
When the pandemic caused additional delays, the spot was temporarily used to produce retail items. “The spot worked out great for us for wholesale,” says Russell, “but we really just wanted to see people back in that space again.”
The Pings decided to use half of the production space to circle back to their original intention: pizza. The plan is to continue the operation on a limited basis for at least a year before reevaluating. “If it takes off,” says Russell, “it’s something I’d love to see turn into a full-scale restaurant.”
