A slice of Times Square’s vast underbelly is quickly becoming one of Midtown’s coolest destinations.
Steps from a recently abandoned Duane Reade and a massive, shuttered Sbarro’s at the neighborhood’s northern end, the concourse level of the 50th Street downtown 1 train station is home to a growing cluster of businesses giving Bushwick vibes in the heart of tourist land.
What you’ll find: A nihilist cocktail joint, a sleek espresso bar that roasts its own coffee, a digital art gallery and now, as of Mar. 1, a tightly curated new restaurant, See No Evil Pizza.
“What we deliver is far greater than what you expect when you walk down the stairs leading to the subway,” See No Evil chef Ed Carew told The Post of the 1,000-square-foot sit-down eatery, which he co-opened with longtime friend Adrien Gallo, the subterranean Midtown magnate behind the adjacent, two-year-old drinkery, Nothing Really Matters, and months-old coffee shop, Tiny Dancer.
“We are champions of Times Square as a neighborhood and a culinary destination for everything and everyone,” said Gallo, who finds the nabe generally — and the crud-caked corridor where he’s built his basement empire specifically — “an awesome place that’s so alive, once you get past all the noise.”
Gallo isn’t the first to recognize the sneaky, underground charms of both the Crossroads of The World and the station concourse — former tunnel tenant Siberia Bar, opened in the Nothing Really Matters space in 1996, offered a “dank, celebrity-infested” dive which complimented the grimy passageway, all the way up until the turn of the century.
This time around, the contrast between the depraved surrounds and the latest, tasteful offerings is striking.
Diners willing to venture into the subway — and See No Evil’s laidback space — can nibble on “hybrid” Neapolitan and New York-style pies topped with house-made, farm fresh produce and a proprietary crust — all starting at $20. (It’s “certainly the best pizza in Midtown!” Gallo brags.)
The menu also offers a small selection of appetizers, including a potato and cod puree, chilled octopus and risotto croquettes, as well as gluten free lasagna, a delightful extra virgin olive oil vanilla soft serve, and assorted drinks.
The pizzeria is open Monday to Saturday from 5PM to midnight, attracting both straphangers who happen by on their way to the train and in-the-know patrons seeking a unique dining experience.
While the 50th Street station ecosystem is a uniquely authentic blip in one of the boroughs’ most-dismissed neighborhoods, it’s not the only NYC subway stop to become a dining destination in recent years.
When cocktail lounge La Noxe opened in the 28th Street 1 train stop during the pandemic, for example, it immediately accrued a 1,500-person waitlist.
Then, last fall, the $225 tasting counter Nōksu opened in the 34th Street Herald Square station — attracting foodies from around the globe, including the Michelin inspectors.
Well before that, Turnstile Underground Market became a hit in a passageway of the vast Columbus Circle station complex, though today it lacks some of the draws it enjoyed pre-pandemic.
The fun of having a locale within the public transit system, and the reason Gallo has gone all in on the 50th Street station, is because venturing into the Big Apple’s core for a meal turns dinner into “a journey,” Gallo says.
“You’re finding something new that’s hidden, but not intentionally,” he went on. “It adds another layer to your experience, and at the end of the day, you can’t get any more New York City than this.”
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