Midtown Lunch

I can’t say I’ve had any interest in the 99¢ pizza trend. Cheap is good, tasting good is better. Still, I have to admit some morbid curiosity when passing the new 99¢ pizza shop that’s opened up in the old K! Pizzacone location. If I could try that abomination, how bad could this be? As I waited though, I glanced at the menu and saw a single other option on the menu: a Jamaican beef patty available with cheese and pizza toppings.

I hadn’t had one of those since my high school days when every pizza joint sold slices for a dollar. It’s greasy and spicy and cheesy, I had to try it out after all these years and see if it was actually any good.

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If you’ve always been curious about the goings on at 99 Fresh Pizza, you’ll want to check out Nightline’s pizza report from the other night.  They actually got an interview with the $1 pizza “Director of Operations”, and he was shockingly realistic- admitting that the pizza wasn’t “high quality” or the best pizza he’s ever had but adding “you get your bucks worth”.  The best part of the piece, however, is the interview with lovingly insane Jim Lahey, the owner of Sullivan St. Bakery and Company, who proceeded to call all pizza inedible. Check out the entire segment here>>

This week while I was hunting for the Sami Dosa truck (which I now know has migrated to 39th and B’way) I noticed a new 99¢ Fresh Pizza shop under construction on Broadway just below 55th Street. With so many dollar pizza spots opening, it’s hard to keep track of them all!  To help solve that, we’ve compiled a list of them all after the jump.

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As I left work yesterday I noticed that the new 99¢ Fresh Pizza (on Lex btw. 45+46th) is now open- (let the 99¢ pizza war begin!) It’s owned by the same people as the location on 43rd btw. Lex+3rd, but this one is significantly larger and includes an actual counter to eat your slices at. When I visited they only had plain slices available, but with a good amount of counter space, one can assume they may offer more than that. These additions may give it the advantage it needs going to battle on Lex (and it could be seen as a preemptive move against a possible 2 Bros future onslaught.)

Remember the good old days, when Prince was the only 99 Cent pizza on the East side?  Then 99¢ Fresh Pizza opened on 43rd btw. Lex+3rd and that was the end of them.  Then in December, 99¢ Fresh Pizza received some pizza competition of their own when a former employee decided to set up shop on Lexington btw 45th and 46th.  Well, if you thought that was the end of it, you don’t know much about 99 cent pizza!  Yesterday I noticed a new green awning on Lexington near 46th where a juice place used to be… and the green awning reads:  99¢ Fresh Pizza. Who’s ready for a pizza war?  Because this is going to be some Iron Chef-like Throwdown shizz going on here, and I will be in the sweet middle, eating very cheap pizza. (But in all seriousness… how many of these places can the east side support?  Or do you think they’re just trying to out-do 9th Avenue?)

This morning’s New York Times has an article on the rising popularity of the two major $1 pizza empires in New York City… 99 Cent Fresh Pizza and 2 Bros. Some interesting tidbits… $1 pizza has “delighted, dismayed and disturbed pizza lovers, food bloggers and rival pizzeria owners” (who knew!?), the Manager of DiFara thinks “it’s great… for the people that aren’t interested in high-quality product” (ouch!), some businesses buy the pizza in bulk and resell it for twice the price (really?), and the inspiration for the original 99 Cent Fresh Pizza place behind Port Authority was wanting to help homeless people (I actually believe that.) The article didn’t mention the brand new 2 Bros that just opened on 8th Ave., but it did break the news that 99 Cent Pizza will be opening a new location on 34th Street and 3rd Ave. next month. Nice.

Related:
A New 99 Cent Pizza Battle Surfaces
$1 Slice Alert: St. Marks’ 2 Bros. Pizza is Officially Open
99¢ Fresh Pizza (Expands its Mini Empire!!!)

Remember when 99 Cent Fresh Pizza operated in Midtown with a monopolistic iron fist?  Their original location, behind the Port Authority on 9th Ave. and 41st, has always been well known for its constant line, and fast service.  A slice of pizza for 99 cents is not going to be the best tasting slice you’ve ever had, but there are always customers- insuring a fresh out of the oven slice every single time.  It may not be a taste revelation, but it certainly revolutionized this fat guy’s view of a slice as a viable snack (i.e. if it costs $1, you can consider it a snack.)

Naturally they expanded to 43rd btw. Lex+3rd a couple of years ago, and quite possibly put Prince Deli out of business (it became a Five Guys Burgers and Fries today, actually.)   So it’s no surprise that competition was going to eventually take aim.  2 Bros Pizza popped up behind Port Authority back in April, with what I think is a superior slice- and there is no doubt it has hurt business. So I’m guessing the owners must be equally scared about the nameless 99 Cent Pizza place which opened last month on Lexington btw. 45+46th (right around the corner from the second location of 99 Cent Fresh Pizza.)  2 Bros is a completely different product, making a side by side comparison pretty easy (Slice agrees with me about 2 Bros. being better), but this new spot on Lexington is run by a former employee of the 99 Cent Pizza place on 43rd.  So naturally I was expecting both places to taste exactly the same.

Not so says this commenter, declaring the new place on Lexington the better slice.  Clearly I needed to check this out for myself.

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Thanks to Lunch’er Nick for sending over this photo from this morning.  It looks like the new location of Financier Patisserie has opened in the walkway that goes through the Fox News Building (on 6th Ave. btw. 47+48th).  The best way to access it is on 48th btw. 6+7th.  In addition to pastries they also have hot sandwiches, salads, quiche, and soups.  Also open is the new 99 Cent Pizza place on 3rd Ave on Lex btw. 45+46th.  Not surprisingly it is pretty much an exact rip-off of 99 Cent Fresh Pizza because it was opened by a former employee.  Thanks to Lunch’er Larry for sending in that photo.

Got news to report?  An opening, closing, or recommendation? Email it to zach@midtownlunch.com

99 Cent Fresh Pizza seems to be taking it from all sides these days.  First, 2 Bros Pizza opens one block away from their “flagship” location behind Port Authority, and now this.  It seems as if another 99 Cent Pizza place is opening on Lexington btw. 45+46th. (just two blocks away from the 99 Cent Fresh Pizza on 43rd.)  But here’s the kicker, apparently the owner of the new spot is a disgruntled former employee of 99CFP.  And to add insult to injury, he’s never opened a pizza place before- so after securing the lease, when back to the owners of 99CFP for help.  (Are you following all this?)  Part of me thinks that we can always use more $1 pizza in Midtown, but tell that to the now shuttered Prince Deli (which very well could have been put out of business by the arrival of 99 Cent Fresh Pizza on43rd.)  At least 2 Bros Pizza had something to offer (aka better pizza) when they opened one block away from the Port Authority 99CFP.  If this new location turns out to be a bad 99CFP ripoff- it might just end up going the way of the Prince.