Colony Grille in Portchester, NY

A shoutout to our military at The Colony Grille in Port Chester

Located at 35 Abendroth Ave, this establishment has a rich backstory dating back to 1935, when its first location opened its doors in Stamford, Connecticut. The Stamford location is more of an Irish Pub and probably about 1/3 of the size of the Port Chester location. The Port Chester Colony Grill carries forward the legacy with a classical charm that’s a breath of fresh air in today’s fast-paced dining scene.

Just like its predecessor, Port Chester is adorned with photos of military veterans from all U.S. armed forces but as it has 30 foot ceilings, Old Glory and flags from the different military branches hang from its rafters. 

if you are a veteran or know someone, you can have a photo placed on the “Wall of Heroes” of Colony Grille as well! What a great way to honor our vets!

OK, so the food and drink.  Colony Grill sports a full bar though not a large food menu though you come here for one reason only, the pizza. 

The pizza is special.  First off, the price is very reasonable.  It doesn’t get expensive until you add a whole bunch of toppings.  The plain pie is $10.50 and is enough to satisfy.  The pies are delicious.  The crust is thin and crunchy.  The toppings taste fresh. If you like thin crust, you have to get to a Colony Grille. There are a bunch of locations now, so just make it happen!  The “Hot Oil” pie is also a favorite and probably the most-sold version of their pies and it is famously known for it.

On tap, there are most of the regulars, plus Captain Lawrence, Juice Bomb, Kona, etc., with a good selection of microbrews in bottles and cans.  On my visit, I went with good ole PBR.  I planned on eating the whole pizza and didn’t want a Sam’s Octoberfest slowing me down.

I was at a table on this visit, but the bar is a nice size and keeps the feel of the prohibition-era Colony Grille of Stamford with its dark woods and photos and first-responder remnants on the walls. There are a few screens to watch the games, but I wouldn’t call this a sports bar. Though it does lean that way for Sunday football.  It is of note though, that EX NY Rangers player and current Rangers General Manager Chris Drury is a 1/3 owner of Colony, so I’m guessing it’s a Rangers-friendly crowd.  I’ll have to get there for a game.

Almost forgot to mention, the restaurant sits on the marina and has some nice views.  It was dark on my visit but I’m sure it looks pretty during the day.

Borrowed the “About” from their website:

In 1935, a post-Prohibition tavern named Colony Grill opened in an Irish immigrant neighborhood in Stamford, Connecticut. Since then, Colony has become famous for what is now its only menu offering: a one-of-a-kind, thin-crust pizza that is best served with the signature “hot oil” topping.

We know what you are thinking…Irish pizza? Grill? The local Irish crowd – and anyone else who visited Colony – seemingly could not get enough of this unique pizza, which was made even more appealing when drizzled with a spicy, full-of-flavor, pepper-infused creation simply called: hot oil.

The original owners of Colony were indeed Irish-Americans, but they employed some Italian and Eastern European chefs during the Great Depression. These men proudly wanted bar patrons to try the pizza recipes from their homelands, in addition to other menu items, but needed to figure out how to fit a pizza tray on the narrow Colony bar top.

The solution: the “bar pie”…extremely thin crust, smaller in diameter than a traditional pizza, and not too much cheese or sauce so that slices can be easily managed with one hand, fittingly leaving the other hand free to hold a glass. Eventually, across the decades, the hot oil bar pie became so popular that all the other Colony menu items faded away, as did the need for a grill. But the name Colony Grill remains as a link to our heritage. Today, Colony Grill has multiple “grill-less” locations across Connecticut, New York, Virginia, and Florida.
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For more on Colony, check out their website.

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