Patsy’s Pizzeria on Upper West Side to Close After 28 Years
One of the Upper West Side’s most iconic pizza establishments is preparing to serve its last slice.
Patsy’s Pizzeria at 61 West 74th Street will permanently close in January, a manager confirmed in a phone call earlier this week. Though he declined to give his name, he said the closing is certain, even if the exact final day remains undetermined.
“We are not sure yet when exactly, but we are closing for sure,” the manager said. “Maybe two more weeks after January 1.”
When asked about the reason behind the closure, the manager cited financial strain. “The lease is finished and everything is so expensive now.”
The closure marks the end of a nearly three-decade run for the location, which sits between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West. Patsy’s has served the Upper West Side community for 28 years, becoming a neighborhood mainstay for casual diners and pizza lovers alike. The original Patsy’s opened in Harlem in 1933, making it one of the oldest continuously operating pizzerias in New York City.
The upcoming closure has already stirred strong emotions among locals. Several tips over the past week from residents who had heard from employees about the impending shutdown. One of those tipsters, Erin Gilbert, responded to the news in an email: “We’re devastated!”
The restaurant appears to have been under a sidewalk shed for a remarkable length of time. Imagery from Google Maps shows the structure has been in place for the past ten years, a period during which the shop continued to serve customers despite the ongoing streetside scaffolding.
Despite the closure of the Upper West Side branch, the Patsy’s manager confirmed that the brand’s four other Manhattan locations will remain open. As for opening a new branch in the area, he said there are “no current plans” to do so.
Asked whether there was any possibility the Upper West Side location might remain open after all, the manager was unequivocal: “No. No. No.”
The exact date of closure is still uncertain, but the door will shut permanently sometime in January. Until then, longtime patrons will have a final chance to enjoy a slice from one of the neighborhood’s longest-standing pizzerias.