Pizza Travels – The Other Manhattan (Kansas)

Everyone knows about the Manhattan in New York City, but did you know there is also a Manhattan in Kansas?

There may be two Manhattans out there, but they are very different. One is known as being the pizza capital of the world, the other is home to Kansas State University. So similar, yet so different.

When I hit the road for Manhattan, Kansas, my original thought was just to sample the pizza in a town out in the plains of north central Kansas. But then I had another amazing revelation: I considered doing a new series of Pizza Travels posts for college towns. This seemed like a good place to start.

Manhattan, Kansas is not a big town. The population is only around 53,000 people. What I’ve found in smaller towns is pizza options are pretty limited, but with this being a college town, I figured they had to have some options at least. I was sort of right, but not in a way I like. I always do some research before I hit the road. I found there were plenty of choices such as Domino’s, Papa John’s, Pizza Hut, and assorted other chains, but that’s not what I was looking for. I need the local “mom and pop” shops that offer something unique.

As I scrolled through the Google list of pizza places in the area, a place called AJ’s New York Pizzeria caught my eye. While there may not be as many pizza options in Manhattan, Kansas as there are in New York City, AJ’s had some unique flair that made it appear worthy of a visit. A taxi embedded into a wall, a menu that looked that looked New York City subway signs, and a lovely outdoor patio, which was perfect for the warm September day I decided I was going to visit were enough to check it out.

For a little college town out in rural Kansas, they’re lucky to have a decent option such as this. While college kids generally don’t care what they eat, Marty the Pizza Guy does care. Additionally, the parents of these college students, their family, and other people like me, need somewhere civilized to sit down and eat some non chain pizza when visiting such a fine city as this. AJ’s isn’t a fancy place by any means, but it is classy and unique, which is an important part of a restaurant’s charm.

The place was crowded, which is always a good sign. It has old school walk up counter service to place your order and self service fountain drinks with free refills (as it should be). Additionally, I should note my approval that they serve Pepsi products. This is ALWAYS a bonus at any pizza place. Not too shabby.

The prices for the pizza were decent, and the decor was pretty neat to look at, but the most important factor is always the pizza. It’s disappointing when a place throws the title of NY style pizza onto something that clearly is not, but AJ’s claims to use an “authentic New York Italian recipe provided by the Mastandos of Brooklyn, who have used this in their pizzeria for 50 years.” That’s pretty good supporting evidence for the claim of bringing a NY style pizzeria to the plains.

AJ’s NY Pizzeria may not be exactly like you’d find in NYC, but if you happen to be driving down Interstate 70 in the middle of Kansas and crave a pizza, stop in to check it out for yourself. Or, if you’d rather, keep driving 1,300 miles or so east to get some lunch in New York City.

It’s your choice.

~ Marty ~

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