[Image via the Paul's website]
The restaurant here at 131 Second Ave. near St. Mark's Place first opened as Paul's Palace.
Anyway, 25 years later, the burgers here — starting at $5.40 for an 8-ounce belly bomber — remain a bargain. (Matt Wardrop, the cousin of original owner Paul Koval, is now running the show.)
For the anniversary tomorrow, Paul's will be rolling back the prices to 1989 levels. (1989?! Remind me to pull out my copy of "Disintegration.")
And as the flyer shows, they'll be some other things happening throughout the day, such as free samples and live music...
I lived at 129 Second Avenue in the 90s and lived off those burgers. They were never a burger I'd put on a list of NYC favorites, but they were pretty good, and never bad. They used to give me about 20 katsup packets with each burger. I would save them, and every six months, I would sit with the packs and a scissor, and cut them open and fill my empty katsup bottle back up. People. Thought I was nuts. Ah, youth.
ReplyDeleteI paid $900 a month for that studio. I was probably an early gentrifier, but it was definitely a rougher more fun hood back then.
I don't eat there as much as I used to, but Paul's turkey burger (add jack cheese and grilled onions) used to be a staple of my diet. And I always made sure I had time for a nap afterwards. Zzzzzz...
ReplyDeleteI started going there when it opened for the cheese steaks. Paul, his sister and later on his wife were always there and always friendly and funny. Still a plave for a decent burger gutbomb and fries. It sure as hell is better than that crappy "of the moment" cajun restaurant that was there before!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad a long time business is still going strong, but I ate there a couple times in 95 and 96, and was not impressed. It wasn't bad, but nothing to write home about. Not sure why everyone raves about it.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm still glad they've lasted this long, and wish them another 25 years.
Love their egg creams and that they are still here!
ReplyDeleteDon't care for the steamed burgers, but other stuff is great. What was in that spot before Paul's? Second Avenue never had a lot of more retail-y places: there was EKO up the street, and later a shoe store, and an antique store (remember those? The EV had lots!) between 9th and 10th, but it seems to always have been most food-oriented places.
ReplyDeleteI was such a regular, the waitress would put my order in when I walked in the door.
ReplyDeletecongrats and all, but no char? No thanks!
ReplyDeleteTheir burgers are a step above everything else I've had in the area, a good excuse to eat beef.
ReplyDeleteGreat place to go when you are really hungry. And they may not be freshly hand-cut or whatever, but I always appreciated their simple old-school steak fries--wish more burger places would get a clue, stop trying to outsmart themselves and serve these. Too many joints in 2014 still serving up pointless, afterthought french fries. Looking at you Shake Shack.
ReplyDelete