BY CAROLYN ONOFREY

Esposito’s Pork Shop
354 West 38th Street
Garment District
212-868-4124/espositosausage.com

In the seemingly desolate area that the backside of The Port Authority Bus Terminal occupies, lie but a few hidden gems.  One of them, a long standing (since 1933 to be exact) butcher shop specializing in homemade pork sausages of all kinds.

Esposito's Pork Shop, courtesy of Smoothjazzy on Flickr

The exterior of the establishment, unchanged since it’s opening 77 years ago, is inviting with vintage robin’s egg blue lettering and a friendly caricature of a pig.  Look down a few feet and you are greeted by fresh meat hanging and displayed on trays and signs that could not be more utilitarian with block letters notifying passersby of the variety available for the day followed by the price.

Upon entering you are greeted by a surprisingly clean butcher shop.  The standard, sterile white and stainless steel decor, reminiscent of the morgue that it is.  The meat is separated by animal and is appetizing, even in the raw variety that it is.  It is clear that the Esposito tradition of the finest quality meats is still the benchmark for the company today.

The sausage, which can be bought retail as well as wholesale, comes in a variety of flavors ranging from breakfast sausage to traditional sweet and hot sausage to broccoli rabe and mozzarella sausage.  Each with natural casing which supplies the perfect snap with each bite.

Esposito’s is a great piece of New York City history and a can’t miss landmark that remains pretty much unchanged since its start almost 80 years ago when the Port Authority Bus Terminal, which now casts it’s looming shadow over the shop was perhaps a tiny thought in the mind of a young New York City official.

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