We know when we post about this we may end up getting hate mail because so many folks have their own personal pizza joints that are their favorites but alas, these lists can’t accommodate every pizzeria in The Bronx.

But please forgive us as this list of the best pizza in The Bronx is from our friends over at amNY but do let us know which is your go to spot!

So who made the list? Well here you go (and in no particular order):

Tommy’s Pizza (Throggs Neck)
4033 E Tremont Ave

According to Gaetano “Tommy” Labue, he started selling pizza for 75 cents a slice back in 1977. amNY thinks that their plain slice is “…just the right ratio of low-moisture shredded mozzarella to tomato sauce to cornmeal dusted crust.”

Louie & Ernie’s Pizza
1300 Crosby Ave

This one consistently pops up on the radar and we cannot argue that this is indeed one of the best pizzerias in The Bronx. Not only have they been at the same location in Schuylerville since but ownership has changed hands since then.

Owners Cosmo and John Tiso claim that their thin-crust sausage pizza is one of the best you’ve ever had according to the post in amNY.



Sorrento Pizza
2004 Williamsbridge Road

Using cast-iron trays that are 60 years old, Tony Nardi is said to make an amazing Sicilian but hey, don’t take their word for it. Just try this Morris Park staple of over 40 years.

Patricia’s
1082 Morris Park Avenue

And of course what would a list of the best pizza in The Bronx be without good old Patricia’s of Morris Park?

A good tip from the article: “Ask for a table all the way in the back, and you can watch cooks like Luis Piedia prepare your pizza through the glass partition between the restaurant and kitchen. When Piedia makes the crowd-favorite prosciutto pie from scratch, he tops it with fior di latte mozzarella (as opposed to buffalo, this wet, fresh kind is made with cow’s milk) before sliding it into the oven. He adds arugula, cherry tomatoes and chilled slices of dry-cured ham imported from Parma after the pizza has cooked for roughly three minutes. That brisk bake in extremely high temperatures leaves its mark as “leopard spots” — i.e. clusters of char on the crust — and a floppy center.”

Full Moon
600 E 187th Street

This Belmont pizzeria’s gargantuan slices will set you back $6 bucks and apparently you need two paper plates to eat this beast but they say it’s quite worth it.

Cafe Al Mercato
2344 Arthur Avenue

Right inside the Arthur Avenue Market, you can pull up here and order up a Nonna aka grandma which is kind of like a Sicilian but not quite. You’ll just have to try it if you haven’t.

Zero Otto Nove
2357 Arthur Avenue

And yet another Arthur Ave pizzeria on the list. I’ve had their pizza numerous times and can definitely vouch that they are indeed some of the best The Bronx has to offer.

The writer suggests: “Get La Cirilo ($14.95), which comes with housemade mozzerella, mushrooms, a decadent coat of truffle oil and one highly untraditional sauce: a butternut squash puree. The puree rounds out the flavor profile of this umami bomb with a tinge of sweetness.”

Mario’s Restaurant
2342 Arthur Avenue

Another Arthur Ave pizzeria? Hmmmm…Well this restaurant, which has been operating since 1919 spanning 5 generations, doesn’t advertise its pizza. It’s not even on the menu but you can order it.

What does the writer have to say about them?

“Mario’s plain margherita pie boasts a thicker, crispier crust than the standard Neapolitan kind — in part because it’s cooked at lower temperatures in a gas oven, rather than a wood-fired one. The very bottom has an almost woodsy taste and grainy texture, from particles of high-gluten flour. Migliucci’s family keeps the toppings simple: crushed Italian plum tomatoes, salt, basil leaves and square slices of a house-made “loaf” mozzarella that blisters handsomely when cooked. (“It’s not that shredded plastic-y stuff,” said Migliucci, 55, casting shade on the New York-style slice.)”

Pugsley Pizza
590 E 191st Street

We made it out of Little Italy…finally! Pugsley’s is just Pugsley. There’s not much I can add here beyond that they’re just a Bronx staple.

Kingsbridge Social Club
3625 Kingsbridge Avenue

So this one just opened up this year and I haven’t been there yet so I can’t rate it and I’ll leave it up to y’all. I have never even heard anyone talk about this spot enough to be even listed on best pizza list of our borough so please do tell me if I’m missing something.

Sam’s Pizza
232 W 231st Street

This Albanian run pizza shop (which is quite common here in The Bronx) has been around since 1946. The husband and wife team serve up the goods here.

Read the entire article over at amNY.

This video pretty much made my day watching a Bronx kid battle his school teacher in such a Bronx way: Via dance.

But what makes the video epic is how the teacher pretty much schooled the kid, pun intended, like a true Bx b-boy would on the streets.

I don’t think 13 year Amir Wilson was ready for what Mr Cohen was about to dish out!

We wanna hear what you think! Who do you think won this battle? Check it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQkcVeXO9Pk

The Melrose Building at 260 E 161st Street and Morris Avenue in the heart of The Bronx’s Civic Center was purchased last week for $115 million by Jamestown, the owner of Chelsea Market and Industry City in Brooklyn, and breaks the record as the most expensive building sold in our borough’s history surpassing the sale of Hunts Point’s landmark Banknote building in 2014 for $114 million.

A quick search of public sales records using PropertyShark revealed that no other single building in The Bronx has ever sold for that much going back as 1990. 

Over the past years, the building has gone through a multi-million dollar upgrade and renovation including the conversion of the ground floor into retail space which has been since occupied by major national chains like Chipotle, Starbucks, Checkers, Dunkin Donuts, and Walgreens.

The story over at Crain’s calls Jamestown, “…a commercial landlord that has reaped big returns from pushing into emerging neighborhoods for offices…” and that is something that while true, Melrose and the South Bronx is anything but an ’emerging’ market for such properties.

From The Third Avenue Business Improvement District and along its future expansion corridor of 149th Street to 161st Street at the Civic Center, the general area has been the de facto “downtown” area of The Bronx and is no stranger to office buildings.

Any native Bronxite can easily tell you that.

This is not the only Melrose building to sell for such a large sum. Back in March, Michaelangelo Plaza, the 498 unit Mitchell Lama development on Morris and 149th Street sold for $78 million and is currently undergoing major capital improvements as well as a renewal of its affordable Mitchell Lama program for another 40 years.

But a buyer such as Jamestown for the Melrose Building only raises the specter of gentrification in the South Bronx and our borough as developers and landlords continue to barrel into our borough with increased confidence.

Only time will tell if it will pay off for developers and landlords or if it will bust.

Bronx property owners within 300 foot radius of foreclosed properties are worth on average $4,963 less than properties not as adjacent to such distressed properties according to a report issued by Independent Democratic Conference.

The report, which was launched by Senator Jeffrey D. Klein and the IDC, indicates that just 47 foreclosed properties are negatively impacting property values of 2,193 1-4 family homes in our borough are causing a whopping $10,615,211 in depreciation in value.



These so-called ‘Nightmare Neighbors’ are generally distressed and lacking general maintenance and upkeep and are oftentimes vacant with banks as the culprits for the condition of these properties.

According to the report:

A bank-owned or real estate-owned (REO) property is a property that has reverted to the mortgage lender after the home fails to sell in a foreclosure auction following a judgement of foreclosure. During the subprime crisis of the late 2000’s the housing market saw a significant slump and many homeowners found themselves incapable of maintaining their mortgages. This period saw a massive increase in the number of bank-owned homes as the number of foreclosures climbed and the number of buyers available dropped, leaving banks holding properties. Unfortunately, many banks failed to maintain their newly owned properties, spreading blight through many
neighborhoods.

These 47 foreclosed properties in The Bronx also have over 1,000 open violations with New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development and with Department of Buildings as well which accounts for 41% of such violations of similar properties across New York City.

The report also goes on to indicate that minority communities are impacted at a higher rate as 89% of these properties across the city were located in minority or communities of color.

Read the entire report here (warning: PDF)

The New York City Council has given the green light for the creation of the Morris Park Business Improvement District which would cover just over a mile of Morris Park Avenue and 188 businesses.

With the creation of this new BID, the entity will be able to provide ancillary services such as holiday lighting, street cleaning, advertising and promoting the corridor as well.

According to The Bronx Times,

John Bonizio, chairman of the Westchester Square BID, said he thinks “it’s great for Morris Park. I’m glad to see the business community and commercial property owners banding together to help provide a business plan for the business district.”

Bonizio said the BID is long overdue and he’s proud to have his neighbors in Morris Park join in the process of creating solutions to the struggles of small businesses in New York.

But the process isn’t official yet as Mayor Bill de Blasio will have to sign the BID into law after which the NYS Comptroller has 30 days to review it and then will a steering committee convene to act as the first board of directors.

The initial budget for the newly created BID will be $390,000.

Read the rest of the story over at The Bronx Times.

Much like synagogues that once dotted the South Bronx and began shutting down as the Jewish population moved to Co-op City, Riverdale, and the suburbs, Catholic Churches have been shutting down steadily as demographics have shifted as well as shrinking parishes with fewer worshippers.

The demolition of St Augustine Roman Catholic Church in Morrisania back in 2013 after being shut down by the Archdiocese of New York in 2011 was felt throughout the community.

Another church gone in The Bronx.

The other day we reported that the Archdiocese announced yet another four churches to be deconsecrated which will pave way for their eventual sale.

Now on its site sits a new development nearing completion aptly named…wait for it…St Augustine.

The 112 unit, 12 story building will have 35 units of supportive housing for formerly homeless families or families with special needs with the balance set aside for low and moderate income households.

Applications are being accepted as of today with a deadline of 2/15/2018 with a preference for 50% of units for Community Board 3 residents, 5% with mobility issues, 2% for hearing/visually impaired, and 5% for municipal employees. Note: These are simply their “preferences” but if one doesn’t meet the strict income guidelines, you will not qualify despite the “preference”.

Unit breakdown and income requirements are as follows:

To apply, go to New York City’s Housing Connect website and click apply. You must have an account set up with them in order to do so and as always, may the odds be ever in your favor!

New permits have been filed for 1755 Watson Avenue in the Soundview neighborhood of The Bronx revealing a 280,000+ square foot building with 326 residential apartments to be constructed on the site.

Located at the corner of Rosedale Avenue and across from where US Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor grew up as well as just a couple of blocks away from the 6 train at St Lawrence, the development is scheduled to break down some time next year.



Not much more details on the 9 story building but this is the second planned development for affordable housing announced in the past several weeks for the general area.

A couple of weeks ago, we reported on another big development planned for the Soundview at Park Lane Apartments on Lafayette and White Plains Road which will have a mix of senior housing along with affordable housing in two separate buildings totalling 425 units. 

Combined, these two developments will bring almost 800 units of housing to the area. 

Development fever is creeping into community board 9 and we’re curious as to how residents feel about this so do let us know below or on Facebook. 

Another “affordable” housing development in The Bronx began accepting applications 93 units at 2605 Grand Concourse in the Fordham area of our borough right across from Poe Park (and the newly christened Bill Finger Way after the co-creator of Batman).

But the units are anything but affordable as they are set aside for median incomes significantly higher than the immediate surrounding area.

24 units are set aside for households making 60% of the bogus Area Median Income (AMI) ranging anywhere from $30,515 for a single family household on the lower end of the spectrum for a studio apartment to $66,420 for a family of 6 for a three bedroom unit.



For households making 100% of the AMI, 28 units have been set aside for individuals making $36,480 a year for studio units to 6 person household making $110,700 for three-bedroom units.

Finally, there’s a third and even more absurd tier for families making 130% of the AMI with studio units for single family households making $45,189 to $143,910 for a family of 6 for a three-bedroom unit.

Why do we say the AMI is bogus? Because the median income between 2012-2016 according to the US Census was $35,302.

This immediately disqualifies native Bronxites who need a breather in their rents but can’t get a break due to the way the AMI is calculated.

Anywho, if you want to apply for this apartment, you can head over to NYC Housing Connect and apply.

May the odds be ever in your favor.

The Bronx, known as ‘El Condado de la Salsa’ (the borough of Salsa) is no stranger to the Puerto Rican community as they have been an integral part of the borough for more than half a century.

Now, as hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans continue to flee the island as a result of the devastation left behind by Hurrican Maria, many are settling in The Bronx as well as Florida and other parts of New York.



David Gonzalez of The New York Times writes about one particular family who’s dreams and lives have been shattered as their dreams of retiring in Puerto Rico have come to an end.

Rosa Iris Vega and her husband Nestor Lopez are currently have taken refuge in the Northeast Bronx in her daughter Yadhira Gonzalez-Taylor’s home.

Her dream was to retire in Puerto Rico and stay there until the day she died but that’s all gone now.

Gonzalez writes:

Millions of Puerto Ricans have gone north over the decades in search of better lives for themselves and their children, working as seamstresses, janitors, doormen or — if they were lucky — owning a bodega. The plan for many of them was always to save enough money here so they could retire to the verdant island of dim childhood memory. The old songs sustained them in what they hoped would be a temporary detour.

Now those tunes can be a painful reminder of Maria’s cruelty. But they can also be a gift, reminding them of the intense love that beats in the hearts of sons and daughters in exile. Ms. Vega’s daughter, Yadhira Gonzalez-Taylor, knew that, which is why a few weeks ago she reached out to Elena Marrero, a retired teacher and photographer known as Mamarazzi, for help in finding a trio of musicians to mark her mother’s birthday.

Read the full story over at The New York Times: Gone With the Wind, a Puerto Rican Dream

Last week on November 30th, the Archdiocese of New York deconsecrated four churches–St Roch’s and St Pius V (both in Mott Haven), Our Lady of Pity in Melrose, and St Joseph’s in Tremont—setting the stage for their eventual sale.

They join Visitation in Kingsbridge and St Ann’s Church in Norwood which were both deconsecrated this past summer by the Archdiocese as well.

With the ongoing development boom in The Bronx, particularly the South Bronx which is fueling gentrification, by relegating these churches from sacred to profane use (aka deconsecration), the Roman Catholic Church will play a role as developers snatch up these properties which are located in prime locations.



The Archdiocese has yet to put them up for sale but this is generally the last process before putting them on the market.

Many within the church argue that these sacred places of worship are not museums and that the church is made up of its parishioners and not a brick and mortar building but that’s a bit far from the truth in the public’s eye.

Particularly in the South Bronx, these places have played an important role in the preservation of our communities when they were abandoned by the powers that be.

These churches created the very communities that built them.

Bronx resident Felix Cepeda thinks these churches should be used as sanctuaries for undocumented immigrants facing deportation.

“As a Catholic, I feel these churches should be used to offer sanctuary
to immigrants facing deportation, serve the homeless and as a
community spaces, not to be sold to the rich.” Cepeda told Welcome2TheBronx.
We couldn’t agree more.

Parishioners have until December 10th to appeal to the Archdiocese for reconsideration of their decision.

Call the Archdiocese of New York at 212-371-1000 to find out how to appeal.

Regional Plan Association is calling for major fixes of the subway and transit situation across the New York City region and is proposing to extend the 2nd Avenue subway into The Bronx as well the much needed Triboro line that would stretch from Co-op City to Sunset Park in Brooklyn.

The plan even calls for the creation of a “pedestrian district” on 149th Street from the 145th Street Bridge to the Bruckner making it an automobile free zone and decking over parts of America’s Parking Lot aka the Cross Bronx Expressway.

Oh, and they’re also recommending that our subway system no longer offer 24 hour service and instead shutting it down from 12:30AM to 5AM so that during that time critical repairs and work can be conducted.

Overnight services would be replaced with buses mimicking the subway routes.Pipe dream? Perhaps, but we need to dream big to fix this mess we’re in thanks to the dysfunctional MTA although we’re not in agreement whatsoever to shutdown the system.

NYC is a 24 hour city and to shut out the services late night would disproportionately impact low-income New Yorkers who are the ones often traveling the belly of the beast going to from work.

RPA recommends that the 2nd Avenue subway connect with 149th Street and Grand Concourse at the 2/4/5 subway line and then run up the Concourse connecting along with the B and D line which is heavily underutilized. This would provide direct connection to the East Side for Bronxites who currently have to make the switch at 161st Street to the 4 line.

The plan also mentions extending the D line into the East Bronx as well.a

As for the Triboro Line, it would stretch from Co-op City along the same rail lines planned for the four Metro North East Bronx expansion line going over Randall’s Island and the Hell’s Gate Bridge into Queens and running down straight through the middle of that borough and Brooklyn before veering west and ending in Sunset Park.

The 22 stations have been identified throughout The Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn of which half would intersect existing subway lines connecting the Triboro Line to 17 other subway lines.

It would be constructed along existing abandoned rail lines that are full intact requiring minimal improvements to make this a reality and the estimated price tag ranges from $1 billion to $2 billion which is considerably less than the nearly $4.5 billion it cost to build the 2nd Avenue subway which, in our opinion, was a waste of money because its impact is minimal compared to the 100,000 residents the Triboro line would benefit not to mention the majority of job creation is occurring in the outer boroughs.

In fact, the cost of the Triboro Line is siginificantly less than the second phase for the 2nd Avenue subway line which would extend it from 96th Street to 125th Street and Lexington at a cost of $6 billion.

The savings in commute times alone would be worth the price tag not to mention the open access to jobs Bronxites may not take due to the current layout of our Manhattan-centric subway system which can add well over 30 minutes to a trip from The Bronx parts of Queens and Brooklyn.

According to the data, a Bronxite traveling from the proposed Hunts Point station would save over 30 minutes commuting to Middle Village and adjacent areas in Queens and the same for those traveling to Flatbush. At the very minimum, commuters would potentially save over 5 hours commuting a week.

This isn’t just about commuting but one’s quality of life when you have time to free up to do other things than be crushed like sardines in a subway car.

Creating a more robust transit system would help serve the 59% of Bronx residents who do not own a car.

(Scroll through the map to see the entire proposed route from The Bronx to Sunset Park)

At the Hunts Point Station there would be a transfer to the 6 line seamlessly moving passengers from one line to the other.

The plan also calls for a short connection from the Hub at 3rd Avenue and 149th Street on the 2 and 5 line utilizing the abandoned Port Morris line that runs under St Mary’s Park providing not only residents in the Melrose and Mott Haven neighborhoods with a direct connection to Queens and Brooklyn but also to the hundreds of thousands of passengers who utilize the White Plains Road and Dyre Avenue lines.

The Hub’s importance as The Bronx’s transportation nexus would also increase with the revival (of sorts) of the Third Avenue El.

Since service ended on the Third Avenue El on April 29, 1973, it left a gaping hole in the heart of the South Bronx creating a transit desert which sped up the devastation and abandonment of the area which by 1980 saw the loss of almost 400,000 residents in The Bronx. 44 years later we have climbed back to our peak population of 1970 and projections show that it will only continue to increase as residents flee escalating real estate prices in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

But we don’t have the transportation network to support our current population how are we going to accommodate even more residents?

RPA proposes reactivating Third Avenue via a new tunnel underneath for a Metro North express track to relieve congestion on the rails running up and down Park Avenue and of course, 3rd Avenue and 149th Street at The Hub would also have a direct connection to this regional network.

With the creation of this tunnel, RPA then suggests that the Metro North line running along Park Avenue be utilized to provide access as a sort of high speed subway rail line to alleviate the lack of reliable transit service along Third Avenue.

Speaking of 149th Street, RPA also proposes the creation of a pedestrian district along the busy street from the 145th Street bridge to Bruckner Boulevard where only essential vehicles would be allowed. Private vehicles would be prohibited from utilizing this now overly congested thoroughfare.

Another part of the plan calls for the decking over major stretches of the Cross Bronx Expressway which would create dozens of new acres for development and open spaces (preferably truly affordable housing) and to remove part of Mosholu Parkway and Gun Hill Road that runs through Van Cortlandt Park which would create safer east/west connections in the park.

Sadly what’s missing is one of the most important things Bronxites want and that’s a cross Bronx subway line or light rail to make crossing our borough easy in a borough where all subway lines run North/South.

The recommendations set forth by RPA are quite ambitions and maybe none of them will ever get done because no one in government dares to dream big and long term but at least it’s starting, or rather continuing, a conversation we all need to have if we truly care about the future of our city and region.

What are your thoughts?

This past Wednesday, November 29th at The Bronx Museum of The Arts, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr, along with The Bronx Jewish Historical Initiative, celebrated the induction of this year’s honorees to the Bronx Jewish Hall of Fame.

“The Bronx Jewish Hall of Fame showcases people who have made extraordinary contributions not just within the community but also throughout our great borough,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.



Diaz further added, “I want to thank this year’s class, folks from all walks of life from sports to finance to public service, for all that they have done for The Bronx and beyond.”

This year’s honors went to WPIX-TV anchor Marvin Scott, former New York Yankee Ron Blomberg, famed architect Daniel Liebeskind, former New York City Councilwoman June Eisland, playwright Miriam Hoffman, illustrator and designer Joel Iskowitz, Executive Vice President & CEO for the Jewish Community Relations Council Michael S. Miller, and Bernstein Global Wealth Management’s Jeffrey Wiesenfeld.

Many don’t associate the Jewish community with The Bronx but our borough was once home to the largest Jewish population in NYC. To this day there isn’t a borough that comes anywhere close to the historic high of when our borough was called “the Jewish Borough” with 49% of the population of Jewish decent in 1930.

READ:The Miracle of Intervale Avenue: The Story of a Jewish Congregation in the South Bronx (Morningside Books)

In the South Bronx, the number was closer to 60% and it’s not uncommon today to see many former synagogues throughout our borough now converted to Christian churches of various denominations.

Mazel tov to all the honorees!