Choose from 10 types of potatoes. Pick a protein (or not). Wait for the potato to glide out of the kitchen on a conveyor belt. Resume the assembly. Pick any of the 14 toppings, five cheeses and 15 sauces.
Welcome to Potatopia, where the eyes are bigger than the stomach. Getting carried away is easy and affordable. The price of the meal depends on the type of potato and protein chosen. Toppings are unlimited. Meals include one cheese and one sauce, and extra costs only 74 cents and 29 cents respectively. Customers also have the option of choosing from 10 preset combinations. Prices typically range from $7 to $10.
Potatopia (located at 378 6th Ave.) is genius because each customer can create a unique potato. Even if this means keeping it old-school with a baked potato. These are basted with either olive oil or butter and seasoned with salt and pepper. The potatoes can be cooked a little too long, and the skin slightly burnt, but they are still decent. The soft flesh of the potato serves as a nice juxtaposition to the crunch of fresh, chopped broccoli and bell peppers. Melted cheddar is offset by the coolness of sour cream and sharpness of scallions. This potato costs only $7.57.
Potatopia also offers chili cheese fries, for as little as $8.15. The vegetarian chili is a runny mix of beans and corn and tastes quite good. When paired with cheddar and sour cream, almost every fry will slide off the fork and turn eating a simple meal into an arduous task. Beware that ordering caramelized onion will result in a mountain of onion that rivals every other topping combined.
While the baked potatoes and fries leave the stomach happy, avoid the smashed potatoes. The Smashed Hit ($9.24) is a menu preset and is $5 more than it is worth. The base is a smashed potato (squished triangles of fried potato and skin). Toppings include chunks of chicken, salt and pepper, scallions, fresh red onion, fresh garlic, cilantro and red pepper aioli. A blend of parmesan, asiago and cheddar tops the potato and melts into gooey perfection when popped back into an oven. This might be the meal’s only redeemable quality. The potato was oily and salty. The chicken was more rubbery than moist. The garlic overpowered every other flavor and the aioli added to its grease and spice.
Potatopia was created by Allen Dikker. He owned an advertising company before creating the potato eatery. He lives in New Jersey and opened the first location in 2011 at the Menlo Park Mall in Edison, N.J. The chain has opened four more locations – one in Jersey City and three in New York (West Village, Garden City and Staten Island) – even though the original has closed due to mall renovations.
Customers craving comfort food may not be fans of Potatopia’s chilly atmosphere. The white tile, grey floor and wooden-looking chairs and table give it the feel of an Urban Outfitters – cold and incomplete. The back wall and ceiling are papered to look like wood and covered in white zigzags, somewhat resembling Charlie Brown’s shirt.
The line is always relatively short, but limited seating is offered. Counters along the window and part of one wall seat approximately seven, and a table seats eight.
Groups looking for an intimate gathering should dine elsewhere, but Potatopia is the perfect spot to satisfy some serious potato cravings.
Where: 378 6th Ave.
Cost: $7 to $10
Recommendation: Baked potato with veggies, cheese and sour cream.
