www.memyselfandpie.comBleecker Street – South Side Italian Favorites Bleecker January 17, 2015 Daily, Dinner, Featured, Greenwich Village, Italian, Lunch, Pizza, Restaurants, Reviews Clearly Bleecker Street is my favorite Street in the Village. Well, here are two of my favorite old school Italian places on Bleecker Street John’s of Bleeker Street – 278 Bleecker Street My favorite old school brick oven pizza place in all of New York City. It is the only place that I ever patiently wait in line for. Yes it’s just that good. Family owned and operated since 1929 . Entering it is like you have stepped back in time. The wooden booths from another era and once seated you can see where many satisfied and long term customers have etched their marks in the wood. Even the floors are from another time, black and white art deco which are reminiscent of one in my mom’s kitchen that I played on during the 1960’s. The coal fired brick ovens warm the rooms and give John’s a cozy relaxed feel. The waiters are friendly and if you go regularly enough they remember you and how you like your pies. My favorite pie to order is fresh basil, tomatoes and meatballs. If I’m feeling a little more adventurous I’ll add black olives or peppers. They also have a very decent salad which is big enough to share with one or more people. The pizza is so extraordinary good there that one night while eating a pie with my family we spied Tom Collichio at a table eating with his son. I wanted so badly to ask which pie was his favorite but held my tongue as we passed. John’s of Bleecker Street is a staple of the Village and if you haven’t tried a John’s pie than you have never had a real New York pizza. Fiacco’s Pork Store – 260 Bleecker Street Fiacco’s is your old fashioned Italian Deli complete with saw dust on the floor and hanging aged sausages. This is my go to place when I want to eat a delicious meal at home without cooking. Fiacco’s has homemade fresh sliced rare roast beef, ham, turkey and of course Italian sausages. They also make an incredible spinach and a broccoli rabe sausage bread . They have both rice and potato balls and I can never walk out without buying fresh mozzarella and a prosciutto bread (meat bread or lard bread). I have a particular fondness of Fiacco’s prosciutto bread as I ate it every day when I was pregnant. If you love eggplant parmigiana I highly recommend Fiacco’s. For people who are unlike me and want to cook their own dinner Fiacco’s is also a butcher shop so they sell all sorts of meat from London broil to pork liver. I’m not a fan of liver anything but I will bet, that if you like liver, Fiacco’s is fantastic! The meats are fresh and meticulously trimmed. I also find the staff friendly and yet very much New Yorker’s. . They are helpful with a great sense of humor. John’s of Bleecker Street – Website Fiacco’s…no website 🙁 Eat Up New York!
