Our NYC Christmas weekend began with a late dinner at Broadway Joe’s Pizza in the Bronx. My friend’s son is a student at Manhattan College so we met him there for some tasty, fast and cheap food.

The sign says they’ve been around since 1969. In addition to being an affordable hangout for nearby college students, there seemed to be a robust line of takeout and delivery orders moving through the door.

Like a lot of New York businesses, it’s a long narrow space packed with booths and not much else. It glows from the inside out and opening the front door releases a divine aroma into the street.

We opted for pastas and mine was delicious. It was manicotti and garlic bread for me and was well worth the gluten that I’m not supposed to be having. No regrets.

The fellow running the place was friendly. The bathroom was clean enough. In fact, the mere existence of a public restroom at all was a rarity given that most establishments seem to not have restrooms in the Big Apple.

I would absolutely go back but will sample the pizza next time!