Glocally Newark

There’s a new kid on the block across from East Side High on Pulaski Street. No one is getting swirlies or stuffed into lockers by the bigger kids, though. Not when you’re called Fat Pat’s, as the new Ironbound lunch shop is appropriately named.

Cheese burgers, cheese steak, hot dog, double dog, chicken cutlet, meat ball parm, sausage and peppers... all $5 or less.

A reader sent me a tip to head over to the recently-opened grease pit. Having just gone to Dickie Dee’s across town a few days prior, I thought it fitting to sample Fat Pat’s Italian hot dog for comparison’s sake. The bread couldn’t compare to Dickie’s, but the potatoes were definite fresher and I thought the onions carried more flavor, a sure sign they haven’t been overcooked and left to saute for too long. Aside from that, the dogs were similar in taste, but with one striking difference: The $7 dog at Dickie Dee’s is only $4 at Fat Pat’s.

And that’s how you get fat. The meaty aroma of cheese steaks and burgers sizzling on a flat grill is enough to make your mouth water, but when these greasy spoon staples are all five dollars or less, there’s plenty reason dip into the wallet and help yourself for seconds.

I won this stare-down. Handily.

The cheese steak, in particular, appeared like it meant business, and by the looks of it, Fat Pat’s is carving out its own niche, bullying its way into the lunch crowd’s stomach: the phone was ringing off the hook and a delivery boy was taking out a dozen orders at a time.

There’s no frills, and nothing that really stands out about Fat Pat’s, which is probably why it’s beginning to stand out in the first place. The new kid is just being himself, and it seems to be working. If they continue to serve fresh sandwiches, Fat Pat’s will be expanding its business – and your waistline – in no time.

Fat Pat’s
56 Pulaski Street
Newark, NJ 07105-2706
(973) 491-9100