When you’re a kid growing up in Staten Island, you eat a lot of pizza. Whether you’re by school, the train station, the YMCA, or even at a pizzeria already, there is always a pizzeria nearby. And since I was a kid who grew up in Staten Island, I can name over 20 pizzerias I’ve been to at least once, including a few I still frequent—Denino’s, Lee’s, Justino’s, and Nonna’s. What a life, right? Most of my friends worked at pizzerias back in the day. I often visited them for a slice or rode shotgun while they delivered. But let’s crunch some numbers. I lived in Staten Island for 20 years, multiply that by 365 days, factor in three (or four [or five]) meals a day…I learned what else is good to eat around here. I dined out with my family often and sampled many cuisines—German, Peruvian, Sri Lankan, Indian, Vietnamese, and Spanish, the list goes on. Old favorites like Golden’s Deli and the Corner House are long gone, but there is a never-ending stream of new ones still to try. It’s important to understand how special pizza is to me and to all of us from here, but it’s equally important to try everything else the Island has to offer. What I love about dining in Staten Island is that no place feels too pretentious or exclusive. You don’t have to log into Resy every month to try securing a spot at the new “it” restaurant. Locals don their finest sweatpants for a night on the town and that is perfectly acceptable. Restaurateurs here focus on the food instead of the flash. For the record, I’m not above or below any establishment here; I’ve dined fine at Enoteca Maria, and I’ve eaten halal food at 2am in a parking lot on Richmond Avenue.
One of my local delis in Great Kills
Currently, about 500,000 people live on Staten Island, also known as Staten Italy. Roughly 35% of the Island’s population has Italian ancestry—myself included. Staten Island exists geographically and culturally somewhere in between Brooklyn and New Jersey. It is home to ethnic enclaves, small businesses, traffic jams, social justice movements, and museums like the rest of New York City. It is also home to suburban ubiquity like strip malls, private sprawls, inadequate public transportation, big parks, chain restaurants, and way too many wild turkeys. That combination sets Staten Island apart from any other place. It’s also given me an identity as a Staten Islander. I say “galamad” instead of calamari, I have Sunday dinner with my family, I complain about tolls, and I’ve gotten speed camera tickets on Hylan Boulevard. So as a dude from Staten Island, I’d like to echo the old Gino’s Restaurant commercial and say “Come on ova fuh dinna!”
On a windy Saturday in January, Digest contributor Brandon Woo (Volume 1, Issue 2) joined me for a ride over the Verrazzano Bridge. We turned down Bay Street heading to Lakruwana, a Sri Lankan restaurant in Stapleton famous for its buffet. The best way to describe Lakruwana is vibrant. You are greeted by ornate artwork and a gold door outside, then step into an eclectic dining room with floor to ceiling decor. Ochre curries, green kale, gooseberry mousse, purple rice, and fiery chilis expand all palates and palettes as you make your picks at the buffet. If you aren’t feeling the buffet, you can order à la carte where you’ll find familiar dishes like biryani and roti, plus unique offerings like hoppers (crispy pancakes in the shape of a bowl, filled with your choice) and lamprais (basmati rice with curry, fish, eggplant, and more wrapped in a banana leaf). Pineapple curry with devilled chicken over rice created my favorite flavor pairing, satisfying all cravings of sweet and savory.
Brandon and I did not eat all we could at Lakruwana, unprecedented for me at a buffet. After a stroll through the Staten Island Mall, we made our way to Denino’s in Port Richmond. Denino’s started as a tavern in the post-prohibition 1930’s before first serving pizza in 1951. Not much has changed since. The menu is only two pages, no funny business here. When we arrived at 5pm, the restaurant was bumping with families seated in the dining room, and patrons watching football at the bar. Brandon and I split one pie: Half plain, half topped with meatball and cherry peppers. Toppings need not apply at Denino’s, but I’ve been enough times that I can afford to experiment. Before he even lifted a slice, Brandon exclaimed, “Wow, the crust!” The crust is crunchy, flavorful, and, yet, still malleable–this is important because the only way to eat a slice of pizza is to fold it in half. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio was never revered in Staten Island, probably because he was spotted at Goodfellas eating a slice with a fork and knife. We don’t normally do reviews here at Digest, but Brandon asked me how I rated the pie. Denino’s earns a perfect score because it set the standard of pizza for me. The underside is perfectly well done, but not burnt. After my first slice, the spice of the cherry peppers hit, but the cheese and a bottle of Hank’s root beer put out the fire. The energy of the restaurant matched the heat of the pizza; servers were in and out of the kitchen nonstop, bussing pie after pie with nothing but a folded up napkin to hold the blazing hot pans. App workers cycled through for delivery orders. By the time Brandon and I finished up at 6pm, there was already a line of families waiting to be seated.
After Denino’s, dessert at Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices across the street is the ultimate one-two punch. Unfortunately, they were closed for the season, so Brandon and I drove to New Dorp Lane for another one of my Island favorites, Something Sweet. I’ve been going to Something Sweet since they opened in 2011; they were the first storefront around where I could get bubble tea and black sesame ice cream. I had friends working at Something Sweet during the establishment’s early years, so I tried everything on the menu. This time, Brandon kept it classic and ordered green tea ice cream while I tried a scoop of a new flavor, lychee passion fruit. It was more lychee than passion fruit, so the sweet took over the tartness for a very refreshing post-pizza dessert. I’d also recommend the papaya milk tea, oolong tea with fruit jelly, the avocado smoothie, and taro ice cream.
Something Sweet replaced Sedutto’s, an ice cream parlor I used to frequent with my father when we went to Lane Music for music lessons. New Dorp Lane is now home to many Chinese businesses. The population of Asians and Pacific Islanders in Staten Island increased from about 34,000 in 2010 to about 59,000 in 2020. I never dared to dream of the day I’d see shumai or har gow in Staten Island; my family and I used to travel to Sunset Park in Brooklyn for dim sum, then New Jersey (because of the parking), but now Precious Island Tea Shop on New Dorp Lane has become our go-to. There was no time or room after ice cream to sit down at Precious Island with Brandon, but I couldn’t leave New Dorp without stopping at Fresh Tortillas up the street. Fresh Tortillas is owned and operated by the same Chinese-American family behind Something Sweet, and they serve Tex-Mex cuisine. Tex-Mex restaurants operated by Chinese-Americans is a topic worthy of its own article; the abridged version is that owners realized it was cheaper and faster to prepare Tex-Mex food instead of Chinese food, therefore higher profit margins. Fresh Tortillas has had a place in my heart (metaphorically and literally, I used to love those chimichangas) for over half of my life so I couldn’t leave empty handed. I was beaming as I entered the storefront and was greeted by money trees, lucky cats, and other signs of a Chinese restaurant; I left even happier with my enchiladas.
A week later, I crossed the bridge again with Managing-Editor-and-Digest-Bully Dante Pilkington. Dante already knew how good Denino’s was, so I had the pleasure of bringing him to Lee’s Tavern, a Dongan Hills staple since 1940. We arrived shortly after opening and the place was deserted, a stark contrast to my usual 8pm outings there when I’m lucky to be seated within 20 minutes. This gave us time to appreciate the displays of past championships won by Lee’s local teams, restaurant merch, and stained glass lights at the bar. Knowing leftovers would survive in the car on a 25º day, Dante and I went full steam ahead and started with fried “galamad”, then a regular cheese pie and two bar pies (personal pizzas). At Lee’s, you’ll get a thinner and crunchier crust with a little less cheese and a lot more sauce compared to Denino’s. We couldn’t decide between a clam pie with red sauce (unique to Lee’s) or white sauce, so the only solution was both. This is the best way to order at Lee’s. Even their regular size pizzas are small, so be sure to get a hero or another pie to supplement any order. It was my first time trying the red clam pie and my skepticism was wiped clean after one bite. With some red pepper sprinkled on, I was reminded of fra diavolo sauce. I missed the commotion of the dinner rush, but the quality of the food reminded me we were still having some of the best pizza in the country and I savored every second. One other table arrived shortly after us. We eavesdropped on tales of recording at the Wu-Tang Clan’s studio and yelling at some guy named Anthony. A true Staten Island moment.
Next up was SI Fish & More in Tompkinsville, a joint serving seafood, soul, and Caribbean favorites. My friend AJ put me onto SI Fish years ago when he worked near their old storefront. We used to spend all week planning out every square inch of our plate before going at midnight on a Friday. After a relocation and a renovation, the new SI Fish & More is bright and welcoming with fitting nautical decor and a retro Ms. Pac-Man game machine. I usually get jerk chicken, but fresh off the galamad and clam pie, I stuck with seafood. I ordered fried fish and shrimp with mac and cheese and collard greens on the side. The mac and cheese was better than ever, with jumbo shrimp and crispy fish providing a contrasting crunch. But the collard greens were a surprising favorite from the plate. I think if every kid had SI Fish collard greens, they would never complain about eating their veggies. Dante graciously traded me an oxtail for a shrimp, telling me I need to come back ASAP for that and some candied yams. We sat at the window and watched the world go by on Victory Boulevard. I felt full of equal parts food and love as I packed up my leftovers headed back to Brooklyn.
My next visits to Staten Island were booked with errands, so I could only grab and go. I called La Iguana Azul, a Mexican restaurant near the Great Kills train station. I ordered the signature “iguana” torta with spicy pork, papalo leaves, Oaxaca cheese, and chipotle sauce. It was one of the prettiest sandwiches I’ve ever seen - the avocado, cheese, and sauce bore an uncanny resemblance to the Mexican flag. I used all my strength to squeeze the whole sandwich in for one perfect bite of each ingredient. The smoky chipotle flavor harmonized alongside the tender, spicy pork and was mellowed out by ripe avocado. I could have eaten two of them on the spot, but I saved the other half for later. On my way to La Iguana Azul, I passed by a new Turkish restaurant in Eltingville called Riva. I made a mental note and the following week, I placed a takeout order for the lamb adana wrap. Juicy, seasoned lamb was met with roasted peppers and wrapped in lavash bread. Red and white sauces on the side added an extra dose of tang and decadence, respectively. As I waited for my order, the host seated me at a table and served me a cup of Turkish tea which was a perfect road bev on a cold night. Next time I go, I have to try the mixed grill plate and whole branzino.
Every time I’m in Staten Island, I wonder if it’s a place I’ll ever live again. I used to dream of moving back to San Francisco. But my family waxed poetic about life in Brooklyn, especially my grandparents who lived there for over 60 years. I started working in Brooklyn full time when I was 22 and set my sights on moving there, which I finally did when I was 25. I’ve savored every day of living in a truly walkable city with friends, small businesses, amazing architecture, and parks in abundance. One of my greatest joys is ambling with my camera in search of new food or stores to try, and that isn’t as doable in Staten Island. I can foresee a time, though, when my knees can’t handle a walkup apartment anymore or I need more room for my sneaker collection. Maybe I’ll tire of street parking and settle down for a driveway. But I needed to leave Staten Island to understand it. Taking Brandon and Dante to my favorite places there reminded me how lucky I was to grow up with the friends and family I shared Staten Island with. Staten Island is the city’s most unique borough and I encourage you all to head over with an empty stomach and see it for yourself. Or call me and we’ll split the toll.
Author’s note: I did not include bagels in this round up because I was focusing on restaurants. Staten Island and bagels are synonymous, though, and I want to acknowledge that. I’m a fan of Heartland Bagels on Richmond Avenue, but if you’ve got more to share, you should write about it!