Levy's stood at the northeast corner of Delancey and Essex in Manhattan, where Roma Pizza now is, and sold frankfurters, hamburgers, custard and pizza. You could buy a (non-kosher) hot dog and a glass mug of root beer for ten cents. Though the pizza doesn't get the biggest play on the sign, apparently it was something else. A reader recently wrote in:
Levy's pizza was something special, ironic in that a purveyor of a very ordinary pie (Roma) now occupies that location. The Levy pizza was unique in its composition of very thin crust, slightly tangy sauce and relatively light quantity of mozarella. I'd classify it as highly addictive. I lived in the neighborhood but had a friend "hooked on the pizza" who would often travel from midtown to partake of several slices. From my recollection, they served that same recipe from as far back as the '60s into the early '80s at which point they switched over to a more conventional product. Apparently, the Levy slice is something that must remain but a fond memory.
I went to school around the corner from Levy's for one year. The "burgers" were tiny and, I think, two for a quarter, with or without onions, and very very greasy. Delicious to a 12 year old who soon developed a weight issue. But oh! The hours of indigestion from lunches of two burgers, french fries, and a slice of pizza, all for less than a dollar.
ReplyDeleteWhat were we thinking?