A neighborhood pizzeria that spent more than a quarter-century slinging slices on the Upper West Side appears to have served its last pie. Thanks to Dr. Michael Mongno for the tip.
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Francesco’s Pizza, at 186 Columbus Avenue between West 68th and 69th streets, has gone dark. Workers in the doorway told ILTUWS on Thursday that the pizzeria was closed but said they didn’t know what might be coming to the space.
The pizzeria had been a neighborhood fixture for more than 25 years, having opened on Columbus Avenue in 1999, according to its Yelp page.
ILTUWS was unable to reach the restaurant for any further comment. Its phone line went unanswered, and it was not accepting orders on any of the delivery apps where it had been listed.
According to the restaurant’s own account, Francesco’s was a family operation rooted in four generations of Italian chefs. The bio traces the family’s culinary history to Sicily, where the owner’s great-grandfather, Benedetto, opened a taverna in the town of Borgetto, in the province of Palermo, in 1900. The first Francesco’s opened on Columbus Avenue in 1999, followed by a location in Burlington, New Jersey, in 2002.
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