After hearing how great the original Patsy’s is on 118th and 1st, my roommates, my friend Dave and I decided to see if it really lived up to the hype. We boarded the 1st Avenue bus and climbed up the 30 blocks - which during the journey, the boys discovered there actually is a White Castle in NYC.
Patsy’s is a typical pizza joint, with two sides to the restaurant - an order-in side, and a to-go section. We decided to eat there, and as I looked over the menu, was surprised to see more than just pizza. There were tons of pasta entrees as well as “secondi” plates (chicken and meat dishes). We decided to start with a caesar salad which was large enough for four of us to share. The salad had delicious croutons and the fact that 4 of us could split a $7.50 salad really made it a deal.
We started ordering the pizzas, and our server James, highly recommended a fresh mozzarella and basil pie. We decided to skip his recommendation and go with just a plain pie and a sausage pie. Both pies were delicious, and the thin crust allowed us to keep stuffing our faces with slices - without feeling super full. Still hungry, we went for a third pie and James again suggested this fresh mozzerella and basil pie. This time, we listened. This pie was excellent and would be first on my list next time I return to Patsy’s. I’ll be honest, I’m typically a white pizza kinda girl because I don’t like a lot of tomato sauce, but I actually enjoyed the marinara sauce at Patsy’s.
Each pie ran about $12, and each topping was an additional $3, which wasn’t too bad. As I mentioned, this isn’t like your normal pie on the corner, so keep in mind you may have to go for an extra pie. James warned us that many times if people are hungry, they can polish off a whole pie easily by themselves. I have to commend our waiter though for being honest with us regarding portion sizes - even when asking about how large the salad was and seeing that I was with 3 guys, he could have probably talked me into 2 salads, but he didn’t try to oversell us and let us go at our own pace.
I think my roommate Alex said it best: Patsy’s is New York pizza.
The Basics Name: Patsy’s Location: 2287 1st Ave between 117th and 118th Who to bring: Friends, Date Price: $$. Under $20 per person for dinner if sharing a couple pies. Overall: 5 stars. This is New York pizza.
i’m a thin crust gal as well.
There’s a white castle in Queens near Queens Center btw.
There’s a lot of White Castles in NYC. They even have a regional HQ type place in Jackson Heights, Queens. At least a few WC’s in every Borough. Lots in Brooklyn/Queens/Bronx especially. -bill