Upper East Siders, rejoice! After four long years, one of New York’s most beloved (and funky) slice shops made its grand return to the neighborhood right before Thanksgiving.
While previously located on East 84th Street and Second Avenue, the new outpost is housed slightly south — posting up at 1243 Second Avenue (on the corner of East 65th Street). As many uptown residents prepared to flee the Big Apple ahead of the holiday weekend, ecstatic revelers packed the space for Tuesday’s grand opening event, as seen on Two Boots’ Instagram account. With promises of free grub and live music, who could blame them?
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There’s certainly no shortage of pizzerias scattered across the UES (ranging from the popular Roman-style pies at Farinella Bakery to the gargantuan gobbles at Koronet), but Two Boots is surely a stand-out. Originally launched in the East Village by indie filmmakers back in 1987, it first made a splash thanks to unique, Cajun-influenced toppings — still present at all locations. Now-iconic offerings include The Big Maybelle, a white pizza decked out with creole chicken, and The Dude, a bacon cheeseburger pie that packs a punch thanks to spicy andouille sausage. Other nods to Louisiana include crawfish and spiced shrimp add-ons, further proving Two Boots is anything but typical.
Despite a meat-heavy menu, the Two Boots team knows the drill for 2022. There are plenty of vegan options (don’t sleep on the calzones), and all pizzas are available on gluten-free crust. This inclusive nature is yet another reason the mini-chain has doled out upwards of 50 million slices over the past few decades.
To pay homage to their new home on the ground floor of residential high-rise Manhattan House, Patch reports they plan to release a pie known as The Klaatu. The wild mushroom-covered treat is named for 1951’s The Day The Earth Stood Still, a sci-fi classic released the same year the building was erected.
Two Boots’ latest location is open daily, from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., with delivery services starting Monday. Welcome back, legend! twoboots.com.
