Patsy's Pizzeria
| Patsy's Pizzeria | |
|---|---|
 Entrance to Patsy's Pizzeria | |
 | |
| Restaurantinformation | |
| Established | 1933 |
| Owner(s) | Frank Brija |
| Previousowner(s) | Pasquale "Patsy" Lancieri |
| Food type | Italian-Americanpizzeria |
| Dress code | casual |
| Street address | 2287 1st Avenue and East 117th Street inEast Harlem |
| City | New York City |
| County | Manhattan |
| Postal/ZIP Code | 10035 |
| Country | United States |
| Other locations | 12 locations in New York, and counting |
| Other information | Franchise owned by Frank Brija |
| Website | www |
Patsy's Pizzeriais an historiccoal-ovenpizzeriainNew York City.Opened inItalian Harlemin 1933,[1]it was regarded as one of New York's original pizzerias for its use of traditional New York style thin crust pizza.[2]
History[edit]
Patsy's Pizzeria was founded in what used to be the predominantly Italian neighborhood ofEast Harlem,orItalian Harlem,in 1933 by Pasquale "Patsy" Lanceri.[1]When it opened it was one of New York's earliest pizzerias along withLombardi's,Totonno'sandJohn's.[3]Patsy's claims to have originated the idea of sellingpizza by the slice.[4]Lancieri is said to have learned his craft at Lombardi's brick-walled coal oven.[5]New York's pizza dynasties are now in their third and fourth generations, and counting.[5]
Patsy's Pizzeria was sold and expanded after its founder's death to Frank Brija, an Albanian from Kosovo, who bought the pizzeria from its founder's widow in 1991.[6]Brija, the current owner of the East Harlem Patsy's Pizzeria, trademarked the name and in 1995 opened Patsy's Pizzeria franchise at 509 Third Avenue, near 34th Street.[5]Tsoulos, "a member of a Greek pizza-making clan in Queens", and his partners opened four more franchise locations in Manhattan.[6]
Dispute over Patsy's name[edit]
The original Patsy died in the 1970s and his widow sold the East Harlem pizzeria to longtime employees in 1991, "to the chagrin of Patsy Grimaldi, her nephew, who opened a Patsy's in Brooklyn in 1990".[5]The feuding deepened when Frank Brija began expanding his Patsy's Pizzeria franchise in Manhattan, and Patsy Grimaldi changed the name of his pizzeria toGrimaldi's Pizzeria,whichThe New York Timesreported is the best and truest to the original.[5]
In 2009, there was a legal battle withPatsy's Restauranton West 56th Street, founded by Pasquale (Patsy) Scognamillo in 1944 and a haven for Frank Sinatra and many celebrities, and Patsy's Pizzeria which was sold to Frank Brija in 1991.[1][7]
Renaissance of pizza[edit]
A story fromThe New York Timesreported in 1998 that, before the "pizza renaissance" of the 1990s, "the classic pizza was on the endangered list, treasured as an artifact of old New York but bypassed by a culture that preferred its pizzas fast, cheap and delivered." The tradition was kept alive by "just a few pizza landmarks, most famously John's Pizzeria on Bleecker Street, Patsy's Pizza in East Harlem andTotonno's Pizzeria Napolitanoin Coney Island... [who] zealously preserved the traditions. "[5]Environmental regulations made it hard to build new coal ovens because they could only be rebuilt or replaced under an environmental grandfather clause, "not installed from scratch."[5]According toThe New York Times,"Pizza makers have become architectural historians, seeking out spaces that once housed a coal-burning oven, like old bakeries or restaurants".[5]
In 2019, a waiter at Patsy's Pizzeria returned a $423,987.55cashier's checkto a customer who left it behind on one of their tables. The customer had left withouttipping,after complaining that the restaurant didn't have enough photos of women on their walls.[8]
Media[edit]
Patsy's Pizzeria was featured in a Manhattan-based episode of theCooking ChannelshowMan v. Food,which first aired on April 7, 2020.[citation needed]
Patsy's features prominently in the 2024 apocalyptic horror filmA Quiet Place: Day One.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^abcMarzulli, John (July 6, 2009)."Patsy's feud continues with heart of matter of name".Daily News.New York. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-07-10.
- ^DeJohn, Irving (April 2, 2013)."Patsy's Pizzeria opening first outer-borough location in Queens".Daily News.New York.Archivedfrom the original on 2015-04-25.Retrieved2015-09-11.
- ^"104 Years of Pizza in New York".New York.July 13, 2009.Retrieved2015-09-12.
- ^Moore, Galen (October 15, 2003)."An enticing slice of New York: In a city known for its coal-fired pies, pizzerias are keeping the tradition alive".The Boston Globe.Archivedfrom the original on October 23, 2012.RetrievedJuly 20,2009.
- ^abcdefghAsimov, Eric (June 10, 1998)."New York Pizza, the Real Thing, Makes a Comeback".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on February 1, 2018.RetrievedFebruary 18,2017.
- ^abEaton, Leslie (February 1, 2000)."Two Competing Pasta Sauces Share a Name and a Trademark Lawsuit".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on June 30, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 18,2017.
- ^Destefano, Anthony M. (April 11, 2008)."Restaurant winner in battle of the Patsys".Newsday.[permanent dead link]
- ^Vazquez, Jennifer; Kuperstein, Adam (May 10, 2019)."NYC Pizzeria Waiter Returns Lost $424K Check to Retired Social Worker".NBC.New York.Archivedfrom the original on 9 June 2022.Retrieved8 June2022.