B.J. Ryan’s East Takes Over Norwalk's Legendary Partner’s Cafe & Pizzeria

Don’t freak out. They kept Partner’s pizza.

When you hear that a legendary hometown restaurant is ending its run after almost 40 years, a flood of memories tend to hit you. Suddenly, I was a kid again, sitting on a barstool next to my father. He’d chug away at a Heineken while I sipped on bubbly cola straight from the soda gun. Thin-ish, crispy crust bar pizzas—likely extra cheese, pepperoni, or both—were involved, too.

Even as an adult, I’d occasionally grab a couple pies from Partner’s Cafe & Pizzeria to-go. Every time I drove by, I’d think about pizza, soda, my dad, and feeling pretty damn cool sitting at the bar.

Lawless (left) and Torpey changed up the décor, but if you look at the black & white photography on the walls, you’ll notice lots of Norwalk businesses represented, and plenty that pay tribute to Partner’s.

Thankfully, for me, and I’m sure for a hell of a lot of Norwalkers, Partner’s gets to live on thanks to B.J. Lawless and Keith Torpey, under a new name, but with intentions to preserve the bar’s neighborhood “where everybody knows your name” charm.

Lawless, who locals should know from his longstanding pub B.J. Ryan’s and his BBQ and seafood concept B·AN·C House, teamed up with Torpey to swoop in to save the East Norwalk mainstay when the Spinola Family put it up for sale.

“We’ve always been about the neighborhood bar,” Lawless says. “As far as Partner’s making sense (to take over), I worked here. My wife worked here, and this is where we met! I’ve known the Spinola Family my entire life—since childhood. This is a place where we all grew up. Even when I bartended at Clyburn’s, we’d come here after a shift. For Keith, he’s been at Knot Norms for a couple years, so he’s connected to this neighborhood as well.”

The sale of Partner’s made sense for the Spinola Family, as they didn’t only sell the business to someone they knew, they wanted another family operation to carry the torch. Lawless and Torpey fit the bill. Now with a new name, B.J. Ryan’s East, they kept some of what Partner’s was and mixed it with what has worked across town at B.J. Ryan’s.

Pub burger. Top it how you desire, or have it straight up with cheese and a slice of raw onion.

I always go mid rare.

“We knew there were things that we absolutely had to keep on the menu for the regulars,” Lawless explains. “We knew it would be an easy transition for us here, but we knew we had to pay homage. We gave it a facelift (inside), but still kept the old feel, and we brought over B.J. Ryan’s greatest hits.”

French onion soup

Bam Bam Shrimp

The spicy fried bam bam shrimp, wings, an array of sandwiches, and their popular no frills, beefy, juicy pub burger (that should be ordered medium rare) are just some of those “greatest hits” that made the trip from B.J. Ryan’s to the east side.  

And executing the menu at B.J. Ryan’s East? You’ll recognize them, as the whole staff from Partner’s.

Hot oil pizza

But that begs the question Partner’s regulars are likely thinking of asking…

“WHAT ABOUT THE PIZZA?! IS IT THE SAME?!”

Don’t worry! It’s the same!

“I never thought about changing the pizza,” Lawless says. “Never. Not even for a second.”

Lawless and Torpey did add to the pizza menu, if you consider a massive chicken cutlet that’s sauced, cheesed and baked until gooey. There’s no dough as the vehicle for this “pizza,” but it is cut like one. The duo knew they wanted to toss something on the menu that is strictly of this location.

Chicken parm “pizza”

“It’s something that’s eye-catching and most people aren’t doing this,” Torpey says. “We had to add something new here. We got a little guidance from Jared Falco (chef/owner at Rosina’s) and Paul Failla (culinary director at Fortina) came in and worked his magic helping us create the chicken parm pizza. We’re thinking of offering another version of it with vodka sauce and a different cheese.”

Soon, B.J. Ryan’s East will expand their cocktail menu and wine list to go with a reputable beer list from the who’s who of Connecticut brewing. Some of the stellar brews offered after only a few weeks open came from the likes of Tox, Twelve Percent, Fat Orange Cat, Beer’d, Norwalk’s own Spacecat, and NEBCO.

New England Brewing Company’s Mexican Chocolate Cake Imperial Stout Trooper and a jarred cake dessert made by Baked and Sauced. This one was maple bacon bourbon with bourbon spiked whipped cream. They have some virgin desserts if you’re saying “no” to spiked sweets.

“We’re big fans of NEBCO, who we think make some of the best beer; they’re pioneers, and we’ve become close with them over the years, and they’ve supported us on charitable ventures,” Torpey says. “We want to keep the beer list as Connecticut as possible. Different styles from different Connecticut breweries.”

And to remain true to Partner’s hours, B.J. Ryan’s East will open daily at 11:30 and they’ll stay open until 1 a.m. from Monday – Thursday (and Sunday) and until 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. But in true B.J. Ryan’s fashion, they’ll have the full menu available each night until 10 p.m. and they’ll crank out pizzas until 11.

Call it a reincarnation, or a marriage of the past and the present, maybe even a 2.0, but it’s evident that the legacy of this local watering hole remains in good hands.

1 Cove Avenue; Norwalk
203.853.7827; bjryans.com