Staten Island Day Trip
What this foodstroll is
Our favorite pizza and things to do in Staten Island.
Why this foodstroll works
This is pretty much the perfect way to spend an afternoon. The Snug Harbor Cultural Center is interesting for everyone, the Staten Island Zoo is small but high quality, and Clove Lakes Park is beautiful and close by. The park has ice skating in the Winter and boat rentals in the Summer, so you can make the day as active or relaxed as you please. Once the day is over, you’ll find yourself smack in the middle of Italian American food heaven - Staten Island. After so much fun, food, and pizza, your family will be thanking you for this one!
Strolling
It’s a two mile walk from Snug Harbor to the zoo, and an additional two miles from the zoo to Alfonso’s via the ice rink and Joe and Pat’s. Decide how much walking you’re up for and plan accordingly (or take a car).
The Snug Harbor Cultural Center is an 83 acre campus that dates back to the 1830s when it was a collection of hospitals and dormitories for “aged, decrepit, and worn out sailors”. Today it is home to several cultural institutions, many of which reside in meticulously maintained Greek Revival structures, like the Noble Maritime Collection’s building which dates back to 1844.
Other points of interest include The Staten Island Museum, The Staten Island Children’s Museum, and the Botanical Garden. The Botanical Garden surrounds several “international” gardens, like the Chinese Scholar’s Garden, modeled after gardens from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and made famous in a more recent Katy Perry Harper’s Bazaar fashion shoot (2014).
The Staten Island Zoo is the best bang for your buck zoo in NYC. It’s small and walkable in under an hour, and the variety of reptiles and animals is impressive, including their Amur Leopard. Other species include Lemurs, Bald Eagles, Ostriches, and Alligators.
Opened in 1936 on the estate grounds of several Staten Island War heroes, technically the zoo is still called Barret Park, named for Civil War Major Clarence Barrett. These days it houses one of the largest Rattlesnake collections in the world.
A walk across Clove Lakes Park connects the zoo and ice rink. It’s not too far, and we recommend it as a good way to work up an appetite. There are creeks, bridges, and the wooded paths are home to Staten Island’s tallest tree.
Despite it’s small size, you’ll find many of the amenities of other larger, better known NYC green spaces. In addition to the zoo and ice rink, there is a boathouse where you can rent paddleboats in warmer months. It’s currently under renovations and will be back operational for the 2022 Summer season.
St. Peter’s Cemetery is across the street from the zoo, right before the entrance to Clove Lakes Park. It’s the oldest Roman Catholic cemetery in Staten Island (1848), with a heavy Irish and Italian presence, and lots of WWII era gravestones. Several famous Staten Islanders are buried here, and if you’re one of those people (like us) who enjoy walking through cemeteries, it’s a good one.
The WWII Veterans War Memorial Ice Skating Rink inside Clove Lakes Park is a great open outdoor rink. It’s a far cry from the famous ice rinks of Manhattan, where patrons resemble bumper cars more than they do ice skaters. This picture is not photoshopped. It really can be that empty late in the afternoon.
Food Spots
1. Joe and Pat’s
Joe and Pat’s is an old school pizza joint in Staten Island. We never state clichés like "best pizza in NYC"… but our kids do, and they consider Joe and Pat’s the best restaurant in the world. Food hesitant children stand no chance of holding out amidst all the carbs, cheese, and sauce.
Buffalo Calamari is quintessential Italian American food. It’s made at most Italian restaurants in NYC, but most certainly does not exist in Italy. Joe and Pat’s version nails it.
If they’re known for one thing other than thin crust pizza, it would be vodka sauce. Order the Vodka Pizza and you can say you tried both.
The Tri-Pie is our favorite. It has enough vodka sauce on it to give us our fix, but also comes covered in pesto, tomato sauce, and mozzarella.
The Royal Pizza has a lot going on. It’s basically an everything pie, and we usually order half of it with the optional anchovies.
The non-pizza section of the menu is long and distinguished, with many more distinctly Italian American incarnations like Veal and Chicken Parmigiana.
Alfonso’s is a 50+ year old Italian Bakery in Staten Island just a few blocks from Joe and Pat’s. When you visit the area, don’t forget to “take the cannoli”.
We don’t tend to leave Joe and Pat’s hungry, but always stop by Alfonso’s to bring home dessert. The Rainbow Cookie Donuts, which naturally contain the colors of an Italian flag, are a family favorite.
3. Denino’s
Denino’s Pizzeria and Tavern is the eighth oldest pizzeria in NYC. It has been in the same location since 1937, and the walls are adorned with Staten Island memorabilia they’ve accumulated over the years. A visit feels almost like a trip to the museum.
Zucchini Sticks are our favorite starter, and unlike Buffalo Calamari (also really good here), you do actually find fried zucchini in Italy, and it’s very popular there.
The pizza is regularly included in many Best Of Lists in NYC. Again, we avoid cliches, but it is really, really good. You can divide toppings half and half if you want to try different combinations.
It is impossible to go wrong in the pizza section of the menu, but we’re giving a special shout out to Denino’s M.O.R Pie, or Meatball, Onion, and Ricotta.
Ralph’s Italian Ice dates back to 1928, and its Port Richmond location has been in it’s current building since 1949. More recently, scenes from Wu-Tang: An American Saga, and The King of Staten Island, featuring Marisa Tomei were filmed here.
Today there are 84 locations across three states, and you can barely drive a mile on Staten Island without passing one. They all serve the same reliable ices in a bunch of interesting flavors, like Cherry Cola, Honeydew, and Passion Fruit.
Transportation
We’re not going to lie, this Foodstroll is easiest with a car. Parking on Staten Island is easy and traffic is light in comparison to the other four boroughs.
Our favorite means of transportation to Staten Island is the Staten Island Ferry. It’s free, you get great views of the Statue of Liberty, and the trip takes about 25 minutes. From the ferry terminal on Staten Island, the S48 bus takes you to within four blocks of the zoo.
A final alternative would be taking the S53 bus from South Brooklyn all the way to the zoo, but we’ve never actually done that.