Inside 'The Boroughs' at Pasquale's

For Chef Pasquale Presa, it was childhood memories of the Bronx Zoo that helped inspire his latest creation for Pasquale's Neigborhood Pizzeria: a mighty 30-inch pie appropriately named the "BRONXosaurus."

The hand-tossed pizza, like everything that comes out of the oven at Pasquale's, is made fresh with the finest ingredients available.

But a BRONXosaurus — could you imagine what that would look like?

Pasquale wants to know. He's now working with the school district to encourage local students to bring the BRONXosaurus to life. 

“You know with children, their imaginations are humongous," he says.

The plan is to have students dream up ideas and then put their creativity to paper. Thirty winning submissions will then be published for the whole community to see. “We’re going to create a coloring book, and they’re going to have their name inside the book.”

To celebrate their achievements, Pasquale plans to host a party for the students inside his pizzeria's event space, "The Boroughs."

Pasquale's opened The Boroughs in 2017 while the dough was still heating up next door in the main restaurant space. The added room, lined with images of New York City's five boroughs, more than doubled the seating capacity for the pizzeria — providing open space for families and groups to sit down and enjoy a meal together. “The opportunities of people coming in and not finding a table are now very slim," says Pasquale. 

In addition to overflow seating, The Boroughs provide a simple, comfortable space for company meeting, family parties, sports team celebrations, wedding receptions and other events. 

“We now have a lot more space for people to come in here with their families, with their friends and their co-workers," says Pasquale.

To satisfy your appetite, Pasquale has created a custom catering menu featuring cheese and meat antipastos, salads, pastas and ravioli — bringing the tastes of Little Italy into an increasingly vibrant neighborhood.

When you sit down at The Boroughs, Pasquale says, “We want you to feel like you're going home to grandma’s house for a meal."

Photography by William Forsman