Day 12, 2022: Famous Ben's of Soho (Soho, NYC)

 

Exterior

Interior

DAY 12: OCTOBER 12th, 2022

LOCATION: Famous Ben's of Soho (177 Spring St, New York, NY 10012)

GUEST(S): Aaron Gold

ORDER: 1/2 slice of Cheese, 1/2 slice of Palermo (sautéed onion, bread crumb, olive oil), 1/2 slice of Grandma (thin crust tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil), 1/2 slice of Sicilian (thick crust tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil), 1/2 slice of Sicilian with Pepperoni, 1/2 slice of Upside-down

REVIEW: 

A New York classic. Located smack-dab in the middle of the city, pizzerias don't get more quintessentially New York than Famous Ben's of Soho. If Ben's seems eerily familiar to a stereotypical New York pizza parlors you may have seen in movies like Men in Black II or television shows like Sex and the City, it's because it is!  Ben's lives up to its "Famous" name for many reasons. They're known for their Sicilian slices and for good reason. These thick rectangular shaped slices find a crisp balance between being filling yet surprisingly light. I recommend the upside-down slice where the sauce is generously layered on top of the cheese ensuring savory tomato goodness all the way to the edge. While it is one of the few slice shops with a sizable dining area - if you are expecting table service or service with a smile, fuhgeddaboudit. When it opened in 1977, Ben's was a place to grab a seat and a slice and, thankfully, not much has changed. 

PHOTOS:

Menu board and counter

Underside

Palermo slice side view

Upside down slice thickness

slice of cheese (cut in half)

Palermo slice (cut in half)

Upside Down slice (cut in half)

Sicilian slice (cut in half)

Grandma slice (cut in half)

Sicilian slice with pepperoni (cut in half)

Day 12

VIDEO:

click to play

MISCELLANEOUS:

Aaron Gold and Sean Taylor

1. Aaron Gold is an improviser, show producer at the Magnet Theater and also produces a podcast called Bad Guys & B-Sides on top of being a working actor. 

The two that got away

2. Both Aaron and I were sad we lost a pepperoni during the eating of our slices. Although we weren't able to eat them, I hope they found some comfort with each other. 

RATING:

 3.88/5

• VALUE:
   3.5/5


• AMBIENCE:
   3/3


• TASTE:
   7.5/10


• SERVICE: N/A

14/18 = .778 x 5 = 3.88