Joe & Pats

East Village

New York City

Restaurants

A Popular Staten Island Import, It's Become One of our Favorite Pizza Joints in the City

Joe and Pats Pesto pizza restaurant east village

Joe and Pats pizza drink specials east village

Joe and Pats pizza restaurant east village dining

Joe and Pats pizza spritz east village cocktails

Joe and Pats Vodka pie east village food

Joe and Pats Shrimp scampi pizza East Village

Cuisine:

Italian| Pizza

Price:

Features:

Dine at the Bar Neighborhood Feel Tops in Neighborhood

About Joe & Pats

& why it made the Carpe City list

Tops in the City for ultra-thin-crust-NY-style pizza.
Joe & Pats is family owned and operated since 1960. This East Village outpost is just as delicious as the Staten Island original, but with nicer digs, with a dash of Manhattan style. (Gone are the paper plates, in are the Aperol Spritzes.)
The wafer-thin crispy crust and fresh mozzarella deliciousness make it hands down one of our favorite places in the city for a pie.
Our top picks are the Vodka, the Tri-Pie and Shrimp Scampi pies
Although Joe & Pats is old-school, they know this is the East Village, so of course, they also offer vegan, gluten free and cauliflower crust options.
They also offer a full Italian menu with classics like pasta, paninis and parmigiana.
Full bar and a decent wine selection and a friendly welcoming vibe.
You will see the Lanza’s sign under the Joe & Pats sign out front. Lanza’s was a century old Italian restaurant that closed in 2017. (More on Lanza’s below!) The owners of Joe & Pats wanted to keep that history alive so have kept the original stained-glass signage and also some of Lanza’s murals, which date from the 1920’s.

Carpe City Trivia

Mamma Mia! Lanza's Mafia Madness

Before Joe & Pats there was Lanza’s, a popular Italian eatery opened in 1904 by Michael Lanza. Lanza was well connected back in Italy. Rumor has it that he was the chef to Victor Emmanuel III, the King of Italy. We are not sure if that is true, but his food was definitely popular here as Lanza’s remained open for over a century. Unfortunately, the restaurant encountered some tax issues and abruptly closed in 2017. Lanza’s was a favorite location to many — celebrities like Robert De Niro and Mariah Carey were regulars. However, rumor has it that Lanza’s also was a spot for some shady business. Michael Lanza was cousins with the infamous mobster Joseph “Socks” Lanza, the head of the Luciano-turned-to-Genovese crime family. Michael himself was no angel; he was arrested in 1976 for bribing a police officer with $18,000 after committing some illegal activity. What the illegal activity was, no one knows for sure, but Michael was charged with bribery, conspiracy, and gambling. The Mafia connections do not end there — the boss of the Bonanno crime family, Carmine “Lilo” Galante, frequently feasted at Lanza’s. When Galante was murdered in 1979, the Bonanno family held his service at Lanza-Provenzano Funeral Home, also owned by the Lanza family. Luckily, the restaurant’s maître d’ was able to make some money on the side as a mortician.

Manhattan murder mystery

When you go to the Joe & Pat’s East Village location, the first thing you notice is the authentic stained glass that fills the restaurant. The look was too good to pass up for director and actor Woody Allen. In 1993, Woody Allen wrote, directed, and starred in his movie Manhattan Murder Mystery alongside Diane Keaton, Alan Alda, and Anjelica Huston. One particular scene took place in a proper old fashion Italian restaurant with mafia ties. You guessed it … Lanza’s!