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Whatever you do, don't confuse this spot with Manganaro's Grosseria and Ristorante directly next door. A three-decade long family feud causes the Grosseria to point out that "Manganaro's Foods is not affiliated with Hero Boy," though they are owned by brothers and both businesses have been operated by the family for almost 100 years. The larger, more modern Hero Boy seems to thumb its nose at its old-fashioned sibling with its polished, renovated interior featuring black and white mosaic tiled floors, shiny cherry wood walls, and pine-colored wainscoting. It almost seems like a chain in the making with a sailor-capped staff firing up thick, personal pizzas, dishing out Italian comfort favorites like lasagna drenched in red sauce, and assembling the mouth-stretching sandwiches they are known for. Javits conventioneers, refugees from Times Square skyscrapers, and Hell's Kitchen locals line up especially for crusty, chewy loaves packing quality meats and cheese, from rare roast beef to thin-sliced prosciutto with moist, fresh mozzarella to saucy, sloppy meatballs. An Italian ice and gelato stand out front is especially popular in the summer. And despite all of the bad blood on the block, it's all pretty good. — Kathleen Squires

Prosciutto, mozzarella and tomato hero, $9; lasagna, $10; meatball hero, $8