Nick's Tomato Pie

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Nick's Tomato Pie is a throwback pizza joint quietly tucked away on Walton Street in the heart of Syracuse's Armory Square.  Perhaps more appropriately situated in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, don't let Nick's underwhelming interior fool you.  From its 50 cent wings to its widely popular buffalo chicken wing speciality slice, this modest-sized hole in the wall can fill almost any hole in your stomach in a hurry.     

 

When to go: Monday-Tuesday: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.  Wednesday-Saturday: 10:30 a.m.-3 a.m.  Sunday: Closed.  The atmosphere at Nick's is literally day and night.  On weekday afternoons, you don't need a GPS to find an empty bar stool.  But on weekends, crowds from the Empire Brewing Co., Clark's Ale House and the other various downtown watering holes tend to trickle into Nick's.  

On tap: Nick's isn't reinventing the wheel with its limited selection of low-priced, low-calorie beer.  Pitchers of Labatt Blue, Coors Light and Pabst Blue Ribbon are only $5.  So if you want to wash down all that grub with a couple cold ones, your wallet won't feel much of a hangover.  

The Scene: Nick's Tomato Pie is largely substance with little or no style. With the exception of a Big Buck Hunter arcade machine, M&M's/Reese's Pieces candy dispenser and a pair of golden-enframed portraits, Nick's doesn't offer much in the way of personality or pizzazz.  Don't get me wrong, the checkered tile floor, marble countertop and old-school Stainless Steel ovens and piping give the place a vintage city pizzeria feel, but I didn't walk away from Nick's remembering the decor.  

Blue Plate Special: 12 Buffalo wings for $6.20 (BBQ, mild, medium, hot, parmasean garlic) and $5.00 mozzarella and ricotta calzones are both hard to pass up.  The slightly-drunk college students who frequent Nick's on the weekends all agree that the $3.20 speciality slices are the way to go.  You can't go wrong with the buffalo chicken wing, chicken or tomato-bacon-ranch, or sausage-pepperoni ("meat lovers") combinations.  Very affordable and very good.  

The Crew: When I visited Nick's, only one employee was working behind the counter.  Full 18" pies are cooked from scratch and displayed prominently behind a glass counter. Individual slices are reheated in the oven upon request.  Simply put, a ten-man crew wouldn't make much sense.  However, if you're looking to chow down on non-pizza menu items when the place is packed, expect a little bit of a wait.    

The Crowd: The atmosphere on weekend nights can be rowdy.  With just six four-seat tables in its dining area, Nick's can, at times, resemble Chuck's or Lucy's more than Varsity or Acropolis.  During the daytime however, Nick's goes from a potential fire hazard to just another low-key, dimly lit lunch spot.  

The Deets: One of the better kept secrets in Syracuse.  Nick's provides an affordable New York  City comparable slice in an area that for, whatever reason, cheese, tomato sauce and dough don't frequently mix well.    

Location

109 Walton Street
Syracuse, NY 13244
(315) 472-7703

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