Patsy’s Pizzeria is one of the oldest pizza parlors in the United States and among the first in New York.¹ Patsy’s Pizzeria was founded in 1933 by Italian immigrant Pasquale “Patsy” Lanceri and his spouse Carmela in East Harlem, also referred to at that time as Italian Harlem, a predominantly Italian neighborhood. Patsy is credited with the idea of selling pizza by the slice.² While working at Lombardi’s, prior to opening his own shop, Lancieri learned how to make pizza in a brick-walled coal oven.³ Patsy’s pizza is still made in the original coal-fired oven. Patsy’s offers pizza as full pies and by the slice. The Original, with its thin crust, homemade tomato sauce, and mozzarella, and the Patsy’s Special, with its fresh mozzarella, homemade tomato sauce, pepperoni, romano cheese, basil, and garlic, are the most popular.⁴

Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, and Frank Sinatra were frequent patrons of Patsy’s. Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio were among the many Yankees baseball players who were regulars. Many athletes and celebrities still visit.⁵ The Sopranos, The Godfather, and other movies and TV programs have filmed on location at Patsy’s. Today, few Italians live in East Harlem, which is now known as El Barrio. The original owners sold Patsy’s to a family from Eastern Europe in the 1990s. While much has changed, Patsy’s and its pizza remain.⁶

1. Patsy’s Pizzeria: https://patsyspizzeria.shop/#about ↩︎
2. “Patsy’s in Harlem – The *First* Slice”, Pizzacentric. (2013, October 5) https://www.pizzacentric.com/blog/2017/5/25/patsys-in-harlem-the-first-slice ↩︎
3. Morin, Tracy. “Patsy’s Pizzeria”, Pizza Hall of Fame. https://pizzahalloffame.com/patsys-pizzeria/ ↩︎
4. Interview at Patsy’s Pizzeria with Manger /Staff- 2287 1st Avenue, East Harlem, Manhattan NYC, (2025, April 17) ↩︎
5. Interview at Patsy’s Pizzeria with Manger /Staff- 2287 1st Avenue, East Harlem, Manhattan NYC, (2025, April 17) ↩︎
6. Interview at Patsy’s Pizzeria with Manger /Staff- 2287 1st Avenue, East Harlem, Manhattan NYC, (2025, April 17) ↩︎