You can hardly walk a block in New York without finding good Italian food. But some restaurants have a more impressive pedigree than others, and Patsy’s on West 56th Street might have the most impressive of all. The restaurant has been around for an amazing 81 years, opening in the building next door to its current location in 1944, and moving to its permanent home a decade later. Since day one, this Theatre District staple has served locals, tourists, and celebrities. But Patsy’s most notable cheerleader was ‘Ol Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra.
Sinatra had plenty of favorite restaurants, spanning from Las Vegas to LA to Chicago, but Patsy’s was at the top of his list. This family-owned restaurant was a retreat for Sinatra, who first visited in the 1940s and loved the place so much he kept coming back. According to The New York Times, he even spent a lonely Thanksgiving there in the 1950s, with the restaurant opening just for the down-on-his-luck crooner (he didn’t find out they’d unlocked their doors especially for him until much later). Sinatra also begged the restaurant’s founder, Patsy Scognamillo, to open a Florida location so he could enjoy his favorite meals when he was in the Sunshine State. Although Sinatra was almost part of the family, Scognamillo refused.
This didn’t dampen Sinatra’s enthusiasm for the Midtown haunt. He remained such a fan that he instructed other celebrities, including Bono, to visit the classic Neopolitan eatery. Sinatra probably recommended the all-time favorite arugula salad and the veal Milanese, extra crispy.
What Happened To Patsy’s After Sinatra?
Sinatra didn’t live to see the expansion of Patsy’s. He probably wouldn’t have approved, anyway, as Patsy Scognamillo’s grandson, Sal, opened a second restaurant in Atlantic City rather than Florida. Sal, who runs the kitchen in New York to this day, also began selling jarred tomato sauces and even wrote a cookbook. The book, named simply “Patsy’s,” features a foreword from Nancy Sinatra, Frank’s daughter. She’s been visiting since she was 11, calling the eatery “a touchstone.” It’s hard to imagine the singer whipping up Scognamillos’ recipes at home or doing a grocery run for essential Italian ingredients, but as a tireless cheerleader for Patsy’s, he’d no doubt appreciate Sal’s business mindset and the restaurant’s growth…