*Authors note: The prices have gone up in the post-pandemic buy two or three dollars on most items. Still its much cheaper than most restaurants in the area.
San Marzano Restaurant at 117 Second Avenue in the East Village
There are some restaurants that develop over time and there are some restaurants that become popular immediately. When I had read a restaurant review on San Marzano a few years ago, it seemed that the restaurant opened and quickly became the ‘go-to’ neighborhood dining establishment for NYU students and residents of the East Village. This was due to the quality of the food and the extremely reasonable prices. Now you can rarely get a table any night of the week.
The restaurant has a nice vibe both during the day and at night.
The main selling point of the restaurant is that all of the pastas are homemade and made inhouse on a daily basis. The prices are very reasonable for a restaurant in NYC. The appetizers are priced at $9.00, the Salads are priced at $9.00, the Pasta Dishes with a choice of sauce priced at $14.00, the Panini sandwiches are priced at $12.00 and the Desserts are priced at $9.00 (these prices reflect the current menu in 2023 post-pandemic and not the original menu that was two to three dollars cheaper for most items).
Still, you will not find prices like this for the quality of the food and service in many other parts of the City.
I have been only able to eat here three times because every time I try to dine here it is always packed with NYU students taking up every table in groups of six and ten. When it got warmer (and during the Pandemic), the restaurant opened outdoor dining. On such a busy street, I noticed many people did not mind eating outside on a nice day.
This small restaurant is so nicely decorated and a nice view of the street.
An Iced Tea is the perfect way to enjoy the meal when you do not want to drink.
The freshly brewed Iced Tea is really refreshing on a hot day.
The food is excellent. The first time I ate here I followed the article mentions and had the Caesar Salad ($9.00), the Pappardelle with Bolognese Sauce ($14.00) and the Ricottella ($9.00) for dessert. Everything was freshly made and cooked to perfection.
The Caesar Salad was a nice sized portion of greens lightly dressed but topped with a sharp Parmesan cheese and had a sweetness due to the fresh greens and flavorful dressing that is made inhouse. There was a nice crunchiness to the croutons that are also made inhouse.
The Caesar Salad was nicely tossed and had a nice dressing.
The Pappardelle is made inhouse on a daily basis and was cooked to perfection and tossed with a rich Bolognese sauce made of wine-braised veal, pork and beef with peas, tomato sauce and pecorino. The sauce had such intense flavor from the blend of the meats and the complexity of flavors from the spices. The one thing I do credit San Marzano on is that the portion sizes are nicely sized and is the perfect portion for a meal without having the annoyance to bring leftovers home. It is the perfect lunch and dinner size to enjoy at one sitting.
The Pappardelle with Bolognese is amazing
The Ricottella is a fried dough filled with Nutella and Ricotta cheese and then topped with power sugar. A new spin on a Zeppole or a dessert Calzone. Each bite oozed with chocolate and the creamy sweet taste of the cheese blending in. You could cut it into pieces and dip it in the mixture. On a cool night, it is the perfect dessert.
The Ricottella is filled with Ricotta Cheese and Nutella Chocolate spread.
It was gooey and delicious.
On my second trip to the restaurant, I started with another salad. This time I wanted something simple and had the Mixed Greens Salad ($9.00). It was a combination of baby greens, walnuts, cranberries, grape tomatoes in a Balsamic vinaigrette. For being late in the season, the greens were so fresh and crunchy. There was a sweet tanginess to the dressing that was made inhouse. it lightly dressed the greens and did not overwhelm the flavor of the vegetables.
The delicious lightly dressed mixed green salad with cheese and beets.
I decided that I wanted to try the Pappardelle again. Since I was not that hungry and had wanted to try the Meatball appetizer, I ordered the pasta with the Meatball sauce which was a classic tomato sauce, grana Padano and studded with mini meatballs which are a combination of veal, pork, beef and bread crumbs. Like the Bolognese sauce, you could taste the richness of the combination of the tomatoes and the various meats.
The Pappardelle with Meatball Sauce.
The sauce is excellent and I highly recommend it.
Nothing was left at the end of the meal.
The sauce is rich and savory. The sauce makes a perfect accompaniment to the freshly made pasta.
At the end of this meal, I had one of the restaurant’s freshly made Cannoli. This was filled with a creamy fresh ricotta cheese and topped with powered sugar.
The start to my meal at the restaurant.
After the movies at the Anthology Theater down the road, I came for a late night summer and treated myself to a dinner of a lot of garlic. I had a much needed Coke to wake myself up after a long day of running around the City and ordered the Shrimp Scampi on top of the Pappardelle and a side of Garlic Bread, which I had seen on someone else’s table the last time I had eaten there.
Just relaxing with a Coke and water after a long day.
Dinner was wonderful. The waiter was so funny because when I asked him if he like the Shrimp Scampi or not, he had said it wasn’t one of his personal favorites. I have to say that the guy was missing out because it was out of this world.
The Garlic Bread was a great way to sop of the rest of the sauce.
Between the amount of garlic on the Garlic Bread and in the pasta dish, I could have killed off any vampire.
The one thing I really love about the restaurant is the portion sizes and the prices. The entrees here are so reasonable and they give you just enough that you are content and you do not have any leftovers to take home.
The Shrimp Scampi over pasta.
It was the perfect late night supper and it is such a lively atmosphere to dine in. The crowd is energetic and there is a nice vibe to the bar. Still it is the reasonable and delicious food that keeps me coming back for more. There are still many more sauces I want to try in the future.
The service here is very professional and friendly. They are using a new type of restaurant tablet so it makes ordering much easier. The staff could not be nicer or more patient in this busy dining establishment. If you can snag a table by the window, it is the best to watch the street traffic and watch the world go by.
Getting one of the window seats if fun to watch the street traffic while eating
I wish there were more restaurants like San Marzano in Manhattan. A wonderful meal with excellent service for a very reasonable price. They have the perfect combination of success at this restaurant.
The bar is a nice place to eat dinner or just have a drink.
I recently was visiting the neighborhood to go to see a movie at the Anthology down the street and stopped in for dinner. The place was packed so I ate at the bar, which is underrated. It was nice talking to people who were dining there as well.
The bar is a nice place to socialize
I was dying for a salad so I ordered the Mixed Green Salad which is tossed with a light dressing and candied walnuts, to start. The I had to try the Meatball Panini, which had the restaurant’s signature pork meatballs in their delicious red sauce and tucked into their freshly baked bread. God dinner was delicious.
My dinner at the bar
This is the perfect comfort food on a cool November meeting. The meatball to sandwich ratio is perfect and the sandwich is not overwhelming like at some pizzerias.
The Fresh mixed Green Salad
The salad was crisp and fresh and the perfect side dish to the sandwich.
The Meatball Panini, with succulent pork meatballs simmered in their red sauce
The sandwich was delicious
The simplicity of the food is excellent coupled with excellent service and a lively atmosphere. I love this place. It’s great when you can get a table but it is also fun to sit at the bar as well. When I go to the movies at the Anthology Theater down the road, I love coming here for dinner and relaxing at the bar.
Sitting at the bar at San Manzano just after the holiday
The selection of liquor and wines is pretty extensive
I still enjoy their freshly brewed ice tea with my meals
The Chicken Parm Panini is a really over stuffed sandwich
I ordered the Chicken Parmesan panini for dinner with an ice tea and it was just enough. The sandwich had two huge freshly fried chicken cutlets with a very rich red sauce. It was so big it could have been two meals.
The portion sizes here are rather large and the chicken was larger than the bun
The sandwich was larger than the plate
On a cold night after an evening at the Grey Gallery around the corner, I came in for a late dinner and wanted another sandwich. These are over-sized and make a nice late lunch or early dinner. This time I ordered the Grilled Chicken Caprese sandwich. It was perfect on a cool night.
The sandwich has two nice juicy breasts grilled to perfection with arugula, mozzarella and aioli sauce on top and the roll tasted like it was freshly baked.
The one thing about Sam Marzano is they are very generous with the size of their sandwiches
Yum!
I always enjoy my meals here. The food and the service here are excellent.
San Marzano Restaurant at 117 Second Avenue in the East Village
There are some restaurants that develop over time and there are some restaurants that become popular immediately. When I had read a restaurant review on San Marzano a few years ago, it seemed that the restaurant opened and quickly became the ‘go-to’ neighborhood dining establishment for NYU students and residents of the East Village. This was due to the quality of the food and the extremely reasonable prices. Now you can rarely get a table any night of the week.
The main selling point of the restaurant is that all of the pastas are homemade and made inhouse on a daily basis. The prices are very reasonable for a restaurant in NYC. The…
*Bloggers note that the prices have gone up since COVID one or two dollars since the blog was written.
Franconi’s Pizzeria is at the corner of Oak Avenue and the Boardwalk in Wildwood, NJ.
Sometimes there are just establishments that don’t fit into the traditional mold of this blog but when I find one that stands out it really makes it special. There is something about the boardwalk businesses at the Jersey shore that just different.
Their welcoming Chef greets you at the entrance.
Maybe it is just the sites and smells or just the combination with the sea air and the beautiful weather with the aroma of good food. This is how Franconi’s Pizzeria & Ristorante on the corner of Oak Avenue & the Boardwalk in Wildwood, NJ makes your mouth water.
Franconi’s Pizzeria & Ristorante at Oak Avenue and the Boardwalk going strong at night during the convention.
Franconi’s Pizzeria & Ristorante at Oak Avenue and the Boardwalk going strong at night during the convention.
The inside of Franconi’s at the beach early in the morning
The one thing I have to say about the staff at Franconi’s is that they are ambitious. They are always handing out menus and are outside on the Boardwalk encouraging you to come in and try their food. There are also large sandwich boards outside the restaurant with prices and menu items to lure you in.
Inside Franconi’s at the beach early in the morning before the other diners arrived that morning
The one thing I have to say about the staff at Franconi’s is that they are ambitious. They are always handing out menus and are outside on the Boardwalk encouraging you to come in and try their food. There are also large sandwich boards outside the restaurant with prices and menu items to lure you in.
The inside of Franconi’s Pizzeria in the summer of 2025
This is how I tried it the first time in 2019. I was looking for a place for breakfast and they had a wonderful “Firemen’s Special” that was some breakfast. The breakfast platter consisted of three scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, toast and potatoes. It was some breakfast to finish. It was big enough for two people and everything was delicious. The eggs had been cooked in clarified butter and you could taste the flavor in the eggs.
The Firemen’s Special at Franconi’s.
Later that afternoon, I went for a couple of slices of pizza for the “Firemen’s Lunch Special” . The pizza is good here but I found other places on the Wildwood Boardwalk that I liked better. Still the pizza is pretty good at Franconi’s.
The pizza here is delicious.
When I returned to Wildwood two years later (the Firemen’s Convention had been cancelled in 2020) for the Convention 2021, I started visit with dinner at Franconi’s with one of their cheese steak platters with fries and pickles.
Their cheesesteaks are excellent. Since the Wildwoods cater to a largely to a Philadelphia crowd, the cheesesteaks around here had better be up to “Philly standards”. Unusually cheesesteaks in New Jersey don’t come anywhere near going to the Reading Market in downtown Philly but Franconi’s does a great job.
You don’t always have to travel to Philly for a great cheesesteak
The steaks were those thin little steaks that I love so much not sliced steak for a steak sandwich which so many places pass off as cheesesteak. They grill them to a caramelized perfection and then topped it all with Cheese Wiz which I am convinced is the best cheese for it. It was served on a large chewy hoagie roll that was grilled slightly with clarified butter. Each bite was heaven and you could taste the complexity of flavors.
I was looking forward to breakfast the next morning after we voting for the NJ Firemen’s Association election. I made a b-line down the boardwalk to Franconi’s for breakfast again and I ordered the #8 Breakfast special . That was a nice feast that included two pieces of French Toast, two scrambled eggs, two slices of bacon and two pieces of sausage with a side of perfectly cooked home fries. It was so big that it took up two plates.
The breakfast specials at Franconi’s are always a feast.
The French Toast was cooked on the grill with a combination of a custard cinnamon mixture with clarified butter that made the dish crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. The meats were cooked crisp on the grill and the potatoes were cooked with clarified butter that were nicely spiced. The breakfast filled me up for both breakfast and lunch.
The French Toast is excellent here.
In 2022, I attended the NJ State Firemen’s Convention again and had dinner at Franconi’s, which is now becoming a tradition. I stopped in for dinner on Saturday night and walked the boardwalk. After a long stretch, it was time for a late lunch/early dinner, and I needed something to tide me over until my dinner reservation at 8:00pm. I decided to have a Meatball Hoagie Parmesan ($9.95) for a six-inch sandwich.
It was wonderful. Their red sauce has so much flavor to it and is so well spiced. The meatballs are freshly made and have the taste of beef, pork and garlic and are perfectly cooked. It was such a nice combination of flavors. The bread was fresh and chewy as I would expect a Jersey sub to be at the shore.
The meatball sandwiches are delicious.
I returned for the Convention in 2023 and ate both my breakfasts at Franconi’s and the food is consistent and wonderful everytime I eat there. The first morning I had the the Firemen’s Special which is two pancakes, two scrambled eggs, home fries and sausage. It was some breakfast.
The Firemen’s Special in Franconi’s in 2023.
The pancakes were light and fluffy and had that nice malt taste.
The second morning I ordered the #8 again with two pieces of French Toast, two scrambled eggs, two pieces of bacon and two sausage. This is enough food for two people but I always manage this breakfast on my own. It is so good!
The second time around is wonderful.
I came back in 2024 for Convention and basically ran to Franconi’s for breakfast again. I was looking forward to another feast at breakfast and was not disappointed. The first morning the breakfast at the hotel was not enough and I had to have another breakfast because of a long day of traveling ahead of me. So I had a Bacon and Cheese Omelet with a side of home fries. God that hit the spot.
My Bacon and Cheese Omelet breakfast with home fries and an English muffin
The Omelet must have had three eggs in it and was perfectly cooked
The second morning, I was in a rush to vote and sign in and then get to my next destination. So I checked out of the hotel early and I headed to the Boardwalk for my next delicious breakfast. I wanted to try something new on the menu, so I had the Bacon, Egg and Cheese Breakfast sandwich and on the side, a Belgian Waffle. Both were wonderful and served as my breakfast and lunch as it was going to be another long day.
My Belgian Waffle and Egg sandwich breakfast in 2024
The Belgian Waffle was crisp and sweet
Their Bacon, Egg and Cheese sandwich on a Brioche bun is a meal onto itself with three scrambled eggs
Yum!
When I returned again in 2025, I have to admit that the prices have gone up by two or three dollars for both the entrees and sandwiches but every place on the Wildwood Boardwalk has done the same. Still for the portion size and the quality of the food it is well worth it.
I decided on a Chicken Parmesan sandwich (don’t call it a hero in South Jersey)
The sandwich was filled with freshly fried breaded chicken cutlets and topped with a delicious red sauce and lots of mozzarella cheese. The sandwich was served with pickles, which no Italian would ever do. Still it worked and the sandwich was delicious.
The meal was so good
The sandwich was loaded with delicious chicken and gooey cheese
Yum!
I enjoyed my lunch so much that I came back for lunch the next morning. I was so tired of the scrambled eggs and pancakes choices I decided to try something different and ordered some Biscuits and Sausage Gravy and a Grilled Buttered Sticky Bun. I thought this would be different.
The Biscuits and Sausage with a Cinnamon Twist
The main meal
The Sausage Biscuits with gravy
The Sausage Biscuits and gravy was so decadent and rich, it was the perfect breakfast for a long day of running around the beach communities.
They were so rich and creamy
The hash browns here are well spiced and crisp
The deep fried Cinnamon Twist replaced the sticky buns that they ran out of and are not on the menu
It was so decadent and sweet and it is a real winner. It is also not on the menu so you have to ask for it. What an amazing breakfast it was!
When I returned for the next convention, I stopped in for lunch after the first set of meetings. I did not want to have a huge lunch because I had plans for dinner. So I thought I will just order sausage calzone. Big mistake, the thing was huge!
When the waitress brought it out, I thought she brought me the big one
I wondered how I would finish this thing
This calzone was the size of a small pizza
It was delicious and what a lunch
The lunch was so good that I stopped in for Breakfast the next morning. I had one of the Firemen’s Special breakfast’s that had three eggs, your choice of bacon or sausage, hashbrowns and two blueberry pancakes (I paid three dollars for these but well worth it).
The Firemen’s Special of Three Eggs with Sausage and Hashbrowns and two large Blueberry pancakes
They did not skip on the blueberries in the Blueberry Pancakes
The Scrambled eggs were excellent and everything on the plate was perfectly cooked and spiced
I don’t what it is about Franconi’s that makes it so special to eat here. Maybe it is the location on the boardwalk so close to the beach and the sea air or the sounds of the ocean and the boardwalk or just people enjoying themselves.
What a breakfast!
It is also the excellent food, friendly service and maybe that “Jersey Shore” attitude during the warmer months that creates a memory. Along with Ravioli House in Wildwood, NJ, these are my two ‘go to’ places when I visit Wildwood, NJ and I highly recommend them. Friendly service, generous portions, fair prices and excellent food.
This is what the Jersey shore such a great experience.
I took a long walk on the Boardwalk to work off the breakfast
Sometimes there are just establishments that don’t fit into the traditional mold of this blog but when I find one that stands out it really makes it special. There is something about the boardwalk businesses at the Jersey shore that just different. Maybe it is just the sites and smells or just the combination with the sea air and the beautiful weather with the aroma of good food. This is how Franconi’s Pizzeria & Ristorante on the corner of Oak Avenue & the Boardwalk in Wildwood, NJ makes your mouth water.
Franconi’s Pizzeria & Ristorante at Oak Avenue and the Boardwalk
The one thing I have to say about the staff at Franconi’s is…
