“How does that smell?” Drinking a glass of wine himself, a server informatively lists off suggestions for food pairings to intrigued guests.

While a worker pouring a bottle of chardonnay at a cash register seems like an anachronism straight out of a large, sophisticated New York borough, you can find this very scene at Sacramento’s 15th and Q. As fabric-fashioned lamp shades dim the concrete walls, features such as a neon “OPEN” sign and an ice cream freezer warm the atmosphere, despite the restaurant’s industrial skeleton.

“The spare look of exposed bulbs, bare brick and concrete was often cheaper for restaurant owners and less intimidating to diners than a French ballroom,” Coe Sue Miners, a New York food blogger, said. 

Majka (pronounced MAH-y-kah) brings a slice of The Big Apple to Northern California with its traditional New York City-style pizza, their Empire State-inspired atmosphere and thin sourdough crusts. All the dough is naturally leavened, and the chewy inside with the crispy outside melts into the array of cheese and toppings, a notable feature of Majka pizza­—contributing to its high client ratings.

Following themes of other Michelin restaurants, the eatery functions on a one-pizza-a-night policy, along with finite small plates. The limitation allows their team to perfect their recipes to a T, and the guests to truly embody Majka’s philosophy.

“We’re really focused on making our food perfect,” Alex Sherry, co-owner, said.

Majka was co-founded in 2020 by spouses Alex Sherry and Chutharat Sae Tong, who explore the beauty of sustainable sourcing, local empowerment and the art of perfecting a classic. In fact, in a study by Valley Vision, restaurants use 18 percent California-grown produce. Consequently, Majka has been taking strides to build   personal relationships with  farmers.

“We get much of our ingredients from local farms, like Riverdog and Spring Farms in the area,” Sherry said.

The quality is evident in the results, which locals fawn over. Consistent customers come in often, waving to staff and exchanging the ends of stories they seemed to start during their last visits.

“I’m from New York, and I will say, I love the pizza here,” Paul McClain, a customer, said. “I mean, today they’re serving squash pizza, and I hate squash, but I’ll be damned if they never serve this again—it’s delicious.”

Intrigued, I put the pizza to the test (pictured top left corner). Ordering a traditional slice (it is between that and a square-shaped slice), the menu on Oct. 25 featured this classic fall gourd­—an unexpected pairing with pizza. The sourness of the crust offered an acidity one would expect within the toppings, while the cheese’s flavors melted with the bite. The squash drew itself as the centerpiece, offering a sweet yet spicy warmth to the dish, with hints of peppercorn. Despite its non-traditional toppings, the pizza as a whole never strayed too far away from its cousin, the Pizza Hut pizza we all have come to know and love.

Although Michelin-par dining may seem daunting, Majka is proof that it does not have to cost a million dollars—a testament to how real fine dining goes beyond the surface of high prices and fancy outfits. Somewhere between my first steps inside and my last exchange with the staff, I found Sacramento had stopped trying to imitate New York, and began to outshine it. 

And honestly, I would take it over New York’s any day.