Peter’s Since 1969 Brings Comfort Food to the East Side

Last week, we reported that Peters since 1969, a comfort food joint with outposts in Brooklyn and Hell’s Kitchen, moved into the old Yummy Yummy falafel space on Lex between 55th and 56th. Jeremiah tried out the Hell’s Kitchen location a while back and reported back without much enthusiasm, but how does the new location stack up?

The menu is short and sweet, consisting of hearty comfort food dishes such as rotisserie chicken, brisket, and meatloaf with platters ranging from $8.95 to $11.95, including two sides. There are also several soup, salad, and sandwich options. Almost all of the meal items and all of the sides are laid out on a steam table along the countertop, so you basically just point at what you want and they scoop it onto a plate or into a takeout container for you. I couldn’t decide between the slow-cooked pork and the homemade meatloaf (both $9.95), but I was sold when the guy behind the counter told me that the meatloaf is “bigger”. More food? Same price? Done. For my two included sides, I chose mac n’ cheese and green beans from the steam table laid out along the counter, and the meal also came with a small corn muffin.

The meatloaf is a softball sized hunk of ground meat, smothered with a creamy mushroomy sauce. The loaf was moist and meaty, and while it wasn’t exotically seasoned by any means, it definitely tasted homey and comforting. The mac n’ cheese was cheesier than expected, but you could tell it had been sittng in a steam table for a while. I did go by on the later side of lunch, so it’s possible that during the heavier hours between noon and 1pm they do more volume and go through the stuff a little faster. The green beans were soggy and overcooked but seasoned well with salt, pepper, and garlic.

If you’re looking for a down-home comfort food meal Peter’s Since 1969 is a pretty solid option. While the food isn’t gourmet or complex by any means, it seems like a reliable place for a quick, hearty, filling meal.

The + (What someone who likes this place would say):

  • I’m a huge fan of the west side and/or Brooklyn locations, finally here’s one near my office!
  • Sometimes I just want a home-cooked meal without having to home-cook it myself.
  • There are too many falafel places on this block, it’s nice to have some variety for a change.

The – (What someone who doesn’t like this place would say):

  • It’s kind of expensive for what you get
  • Everything could have a bit more flavor
  • Everything is so heavy, mac n’ cheese and mushroom cream sauce are a recipe for an afternoon nap.
  • I like my green beans to have some crunch left, no need to cook them to death!

Peter’s Since 1969, 667 Lexington Ave (btw. 55+56th)

4 Comments

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    So basically its a glorified, more expensive Boston Market

  • Does anybody else hate this name? I mean, this place hasn’t existed “since 1969”; not even close. It’s named after a butcher shop that opened back in 1969. Lame.

  • On my visit to the Hell’s Kitchen location for dinner one night (I work on 8th, so not hard to go out of Bounds), everything was served on real plates, with real cutlery… out of Enamelware Dutch Ovens.) I enjoyed my roast chicken meal very much and it was a slight step above Boston Market (also now going the “real plate” route.

  • I went there last week. It wasn’t terrible. It’s basically a Boston Market with less salty chicken. The corn was overflowing with garlic and wasn’t very good. The mashed sweet potatos were abundant, but not very sweet. I’m not even looking for artificial sweetener. They need to find a sweeter sweet potato.

    The chicken wasn’t bad, though there was a hint out sourness to it which made me wonder about quality.

    There was also something weird with the drinks. The only drinks were premade lemonade and sweet tea. No other soft drinks. The homemade drinks didn’t have ice and weren’t cold. They were on top of some shelf. It was odd.

    I think this place has potential because this is comfort food that I think people will enjoy. If they get the garlic out of the corn, sweeten the sweet potatos, get new cold drinks, and make sure the chicken quality is good, it has a chance.

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