Staten Island Pizza Stalwart Joe and Pat’s is Opening a Manhattan Outpost

Legendary Staten Island pizzeria Joe and Pat’s is making its way to Manhattan. The nearly 60-year-old family-run restaurant — known for its ultra-thin crust — will be taking over the former Lanza’s space in the East Village at 168 First Ave. near 10th Street, according to owner Casey Pappalardo. He and several uncles will be running the outpost and expect to open the 50-seat restaurant with a bar in the next six months.

Joe and Pat’s is known for slinging some of the best pies in New York City. Its fans in Staten Island are fiercely loyal, and pizza devotees of the cracker-thin crust topped with fresh mozzarella often come from outside the borough, as well. It’s thinner than most Neopolitan pies, meaning that you can eat several before getting full. It’s a New York City pizza icon and serves one of Eater critic Robert Sietsema’s favorite pepperoni slices in the city.

Pappalardo says that he’s wanted to open in Manhattan since he was young. The family has had sister restaurant Rubirosa in Nolita for years with a thin crust recipe, but the new Joe and Pat’s will be a copy of the the original. “It will be the same, same pizza, same food,” Pappalardo says.

It’s the second Staten Island institution to make its way to Manhattan in the last year. Denino’s, known for its clam pie, opened a Greenwich Village location that’s reportedly just as good as the original.

Take a look at a video of Lucas Peterson of Dining on the Dime’s visit: