Restaurants in New York City come and go. For one to hold firm for years, much less for decades, seems almost an impossible feat. And yet in the Theater District, on 56th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue, Patsy’s Italian Restaurant has stood proud since 1944. The icon celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.

“I think a big part of our success is not trying to be someone we’re not,” said chef Sal Scognamillo. Since Sal’s late grandfather, Pasquale “Patsy” Scognamillo, opened his namesake restaurant so many decades ago, it has stayed true to its essence: a proudly family-owned, red-sauce Neapolitan restaurant, feeding stomachs and souls with home-cooked Italian classics. It’s simple, unpretentious comfort food—so good that Frank Sinatra dubbed Patsy’s his favorite restaurant.