Tuesday, March 18, 2014

47-year-old Stromboli Pizza closes ahead of new development on University Place



Stromboli Pizza has quietly closed on University Place between East 12th Street and East 13th Street.

Alex at Flaming Pablum first noted this closure on Sunday. As he wrote:

While never particularly gourmet, Stromboli's made and sold pefectly solid, dependable pizza, and the place exuded a great sense of place and neighborhood.

Meanwhile, other nearby businesses have closed or are moving…

The newsstand is headed across the street…



… and Bamboo Tori recently went DOA…




Japonica is still hanging on.

All this activity is to make way for a new residential complex at 110 University Place, which currently still houses the parking garage and Bowlmor Lanes. (In January, the Post reported that demolition for a new building will likely start this summer.) There hasn't been anything official from developer Billy Macklowe, CEO of William Macklowe Company, about the future of the building.


[EVG file photo]

However, this was in a news release (PDF!) from last week about the sale of 37 E. 12th St. from Massey Knakal:

Recent conversion sales in addition to 37 East 12th Street include, 110 University Place (currently home to Bowlmor Lanes), and 809 Broadway (the former Blatt Billiards Building). These sales will continue to transform the Central Village over the next few years.

Indeed.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Building that houses Bowlmor Lanes will convert to condos, like everywhere else around here

16 comments:

blue glass said...

this was my go to pizza place. seems like half of my pizza life was spent there. i will miss them. i never warmed to all the choices over here on "our side" - stromboli university place was my place.
nothing like waking up to another lost favorite.

Anonymous said...

...and then neighborhood small businesses disappear as the developers carve out "mega" sized retail spaces, allowing banks, realtors, chain stores, and corporate restaurants to move in.

Take a look on Broadway at 9th Street...every business on that block is gone, save the bank.

Village, Ha!

Anonymous said...

Same owners as Stromboli on St. Mark's and First Ave?

Anonymous said...

I hope we get more places to buy fro-yo and tampons! We don't have enough businesses like that.

Anonymous said...

Is Japonica in any danger of closing?

nygrump said...

Artisinal tampons! personalized too! Hopefully an app to tell me how to think and act.

Marty Wombacher said...

Wow, that's nearby where I used to live, probably won't recognize the neighborhood when I come back for a visit.

Arg said...

Terrible news about Stromboli! Like Blue Glass, this was my pizzeria of choice also. Cannot believe it! Didn't even get to have a final slice.

I don't think the two Strombolis are related. Once a house guest ordered from the wrong Stromboli by mistake and we were sorely disappointed!

What is the best local "classic" pizza now?? Personally I think Joe's crust is a little tough. Also like Blue Glass, I never found another place I liked that much in the EV.

Anonymous said...

THE three places to get slices in the Villages:

Ben's Pizza @ MacDougal & Bleecker Sts.

Famous Ben's Pizza @ Spring & Thompson Sts.

Ray's Pizza @ Third Avenue & St.Mark's Place

All three existed before 1990 so they're automatically good.


D





vzabuser said...

the two Strombolis were one of a brand long ago (1980's)- Until coal ovens came back into popularity, Stromboli was the best place in the entire city to get Pizza (UNIV PL)

Anonymous said...

More evidence that it is LANDLORDS that control this city, its landscape, past, present, future.....
Greedy, greedy landlords...

Anonymous said...

@vzabuser is correct, however IMHO, Stromboli (Univ. Pl) lost it's luster many, many years ago. I don't know what happened, change of ownership or whatever, but the taste of the sauce changed and the place was never the same. In it's heyday, Stromboli was awesome. I remember fresh pie after fresh pie being served up, nothing ever sat around, because they did that much volume. But the same fate befell the "Original Ray's" on 6th Ave and 11th St. Where once they made fresh pies, they became just like every other joint that lets the stuff sit around to be reheated. Oh, the glory days of NYC pizza.... how I miss you so.

muzz said...

I still stop in at Stromboli on 1st Avenue and still like their slice...since I first tried it in 1980. Iggy's on 1st also has good pizza. Try their grandma slice!

Too bad about Viva, loved those vegan pies.

Scuba Diva said...

Well, I'm the lone dissenter here; I favor Two Boots on 3rd and A. I particularly like the "V for Vegan" slice; most of you aren't aware, but it's pretty hard to get a vegan slice of pizza. Normally, if you want vegan pizza, you have to order the whole pie, or make your own.

Ever since Viva Herbal Pizza closed, my life hasn't been the same.

Anonymous said...

I used to go to Stromboli's in the 80s but the quality went down. Now I prefer Joe's on 14th St...fan of Two Boots as well.

Anonymous said...

Stromboli was always my favorite pizzeria. I prefer more sauce than cheese and theirs was a tomatoey pizza with a unique, delicious sauce. I started going there in the early 70's when I was a student at Parsons. Even when I moved uptown I would still go there for pizza whenever I was in the Village up until I left New York in the mid 90's. Then, I'd stop for a slice whenever I was in town. The last time I had a slice there was about two years ago. The owner had changed and the sauce was definitely not the same. I chatted with him. He was very pleasant--I didn't have the heart to tell him that the pizza wasn't nearly as good as it had been under the previous ownership. I stopped by last week when I was in town and discovered that it was closed. I'll miss it. It was a sentimental tie to my past in NYC. I feel sad seeing small eateries and businesses replaced by heavily branded chains and restaurants.