Sy's New York Pizza — Restaurant in Eugene

As a former NY'er, I am constantly on the lookout for authentic NYC pizza away from the source. Having read that the originator of this particular establishment came directly from there 40 something years ago, my hopes were high.

The shop itself, with wall benches and stools and just a counter to order from definitely reminded me of the one's I frequented in my youth. I was briefly confused that their menu offered many topping choices, but the pies on display in the small window were just cheese. I realized that they would just add toppings as requested (which is unusual, but I can see why they would do it that way)

The two gentlemen taking/preparing my order were kind and friendly, including reading back my order to verify. Once purchased though, they seemed to either forget I was there or just didn't care because their conversation devolved into topics and dialogue that felt inappropriate to me. Not a huge deal, just surprising.

Upon receiving my order or two slices and a side of garlic knots, we stepped outside to enjoy our meal. Two fairly large cheese slices were piled on top of one another inside a bag. While I believe that the wax paper they were wrapped in was intended to keep them from sticking to one another, it also ensured that most of the cheese stayed stuck to the wax paper also.

Despite this unfortunate setback, we proceeded to eat them. The crust could have used some more crisp as the classic fold that is quitessential for this style just did not hold up at all. The sauce was slightly sweeter than I prefer, but, each shop always has their own level that they use to try and balance the acidity of the tomatoes. The cheese blend was just right despite the quantity being reduced as mentioned above. The garlic knots while smaller than what I am used to, were the flavor and consistency we were looking for.

All in all, an ok experience. Not sure how many other NY style shops are in the area, so maybe check it out only if you really want that...

It was 9 PM -- had just wrapped up my last work meeting and missed dinner. What I needed was a great slice of pizza. I checked in with a friend who pointed me in the direction of a couple of places… That were already closed. It's one of the things to get used to about being in Eugene…puzzlingly, despite it being a serious collegetown, an awful lot of things seem to close down by 9 PM….

This one popped up, thankfully, as being open. It was a 15 minute drive away but what's a girl with a hankering for pizza to do? I hopped in my car and drove. I walked in to see exactly one slice of pizza left on the pan. Tony behind the counter understood the significance and cheered for me saying it must've been meant for me. That was a fantastic welcome into a new venue, and then to add a dollop of joy, to an already happy situation, he called me the lucky one -- a title I decided to affirm with gratitude -- and slipped my slice inside the oven.

Fascinated I looked around: it was like a pizzaria back East: money taped to the walls, photos of customers, and a genuine pizza challenge. The three other customers who were also lucky, got their slices served piping hot, and headed out.

My slice was just about done when a fourth customer came in but he was not so lucky: there no more pie slices; there were Sicilian slices but he was looking for the original slice. I understood and felt for him as he thanked the staff but headed out.

That's when I noticed the Mexican Coca-Cola and Fanta drinks in the cooler, so decided to stock my fridge with half a dozen bottles, because you never know when you're going to want an old-school soda. They were $3.50 each, or the price of a cup of coffee. The slice of pizza was six dollars and change.

I thanked the pizza maker, Danny, and Tony who was all charm and service. Looking forward to the next time I need a late...

My sister and I decided to stop with our dad for lunch. (Our Dad had a couple medical appointments about an hour and a half apart.) It wasn't open on time and the guy working wasn't very friendly he wasn't ready so we had to wait to give our order, being the first customers in. He made it clear he was there by himself and clearly not happy about it. The open sign that was meant to be out front on the sidewalk was inside blocking most of the available seats so we took what seats where free and not being blocked by his sign .. about 45 minutes later the guy working asked if we could leave so other people could sit too. We did leave as he asked.. however if he would have moved his sign that was supposed to be outside there would of been more available seats .. so if you want friendly service...