It started in 1999 at 100 Broadway, Menands, NY – a small pizzeria called New Yorker Pizzeria, run by a mother, her son, and a belief that great food brings people together.
Zafer Ak was a business student at UAlbany with a love for pizza and a family rooted in cooking. Back home, food wasn’t just a meal – it was tradition, love, and identity. He wanted to bring that same feeling to Albany’s community.
So he did. With family by his side – making dough, pulling pies, delivering to neighbors – Golden Grain Pizza was born from the ground up. No corporate backing. No shortcuts. Just a family doing what they knew best.
27 years later, what started as one location has grown into four – Albany, Colonie, East Greenbush, and Troy – with more on the horizon. The name changed. The locations grew. But the heart behind every pizza never did.
We’re not a corporate chain with investors to answer to. We’re a family business built on one unshakeable belief – that the people who walk through our doors deserve the very best, every single time.
That means all-natural ingredients, always. No frozen shortcuts. No compromises hiding behind a brand name. When Zafer says he takes every pizza personally, he means it. Because at Golden Grain, quality isn’t a selling point – it’s a responsibility we’ve carried for 27 years and counting.
Once you believe in something, the hard part becomes easy.
Great pizza doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when every step is done with care.
Our dough is made fresh daily using high-quality, all-natural flour—hand-tossed, never rushed, and never frozen. Our sauce is prepared every morning from sun-ripened tomatoes, while our signature blend of all-natural Italian cheese gives every bite the unmistakable Golden Grain flavour.
Our state-of-the-art rotating brick oven distributes heat evenly, creating a legendary NY-style crust that is crispy outside and perfectly chewy inside.
Old-world tradition. Modern precision. This is the craft behind every Golden Grain pizza.
A legacy of quality, growth & flavor across the capital region
Years of Perfecting the Craft
Locations Across the Captial Region
Specialty Gourmet Pizzas
Standard We’ve Never Compromised
This city shaped us. Zafer’s journey started right here at UAlbany – and it was Albany’s community that gave Golden Grain its first chance, its first loyal customers, and its reason to grow.
We give back by showing up. By creating warm, welcoming dining experiences that feel like home. By taking old, forgotten spaces and breathing new life into them – preserving the character and identity of the neighborhoods we’re proud to be part of.
From Colonie to Troy, every Golden Grain location is a piece of this community. And we don’t take that lightly.
That’s the Golden Grain experience. From the moment you walk through our doors, we want the rest of the world to disappear – replaced by great food, genuine hospitality, and a dining experience that feels like home.
Try it once. We’re confident you’ll be back.
Because 27 years of doing it right doesn’t just build a business — it builds a community of people who know the difference.
Go with the Grain.
