A troubling sign over at Nonna's, the pizzeria at 201 Avenue A between East 12th Street and East 13th Street... a note on the door says that the shop is closed until further notice... and the inside looks pretty disheveled...
Nonna's just arrived this past June, as we first reported. As a reader told us, the pizzeria is/was run by a grandson and his grandmother … the family patriarch operated pizzerias in Long Island and Westchester dating to the 1980s.
EVG readers gave the pizza here high marks. Hopefully this is just some kind of short-term renovation or something.
The space has been pizza the past few years: Fat Sal's, which closed in May 2014, took over in May 2011 from APizzA.
Avenue A is now down two pizzerias... Nino's remains closed at St. Mark's Place, with no sign of life inside of late. So you still have Two Boots at East Third Street and Muzzarella Pizza between East 13th Street and East 14th Street. Not to mention the discount slices at the new 99¢ Pizza at East Sixth Street ... and Mamani Pizza between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street.
H/T dwg
Updated 10:17 a.m.
Looks like Nonna's is closed for good, via Gojira in the comments.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Nonna's Pizza arrives on Avenue A
Consensus on best pizza on avenue A?
ReplyDeleteEnjoy Muzzarella but they try to cheat you on the price if you get multiple specialty slices and aren't paying attention.
I think what did this place in was the lack of tables and appeal of the interior not the quality of the pizza. It had one or two places to sit only and it looked like if was not finished being furnished. I was always tempted to make a few suggested to get the "sidewalk appeal" improved, sorry they may be closing.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget that brand new mom n' pop joint: Domino's!
ReplyDeleteWhat the heck is the problem keeping Nino's closed?
ReplyDeleteSorry to say that Astro has thrown in the towel. I went by on the 31st for a slice of his amazing Grandmother pizza and as usual, the place was empty; we chatted a bit about how things had been very slow but that he hoped/thought they would pick up in January. (He mentioned that he'd lost three delivery boys, I assumed it was normal turnover but now I have to figure it's because there were no orders for them to deliver.) Wished him a happy new year, told him I'd see him in January, and headed out. Went back on Saturday the 2nd after seeing Hateful Eight with a friend to whom I'd raved about that Grandma pizza - the door was open, so we walked in to find a guy with dark hair standing there whom I'd never seen. He looked startled, so I asked, "Are you open? We want some Grandmother pizza", and he told me he'd bought the place from Astro starting Jan. 1, they were currently closed, but hoped to reopen in a week or so with a different menu. Bye, Astro, wish you had said something...
ReplyDeleteI really like Iggy's grandmother's pizza, I seldom eat pizza but theirs is worth the carbo calories.
ReplyDeleteWho says "grandmother pizza"? "Granma slice" please, as in "gimme one".
ReplyDeleteNoooooooo!
ReplyDelete*sad face*
I've been staying brave, but I'm getting worried for Nino's. Nino's, where you at! It's also my answer for best Avenue A pizza: <3 NINO'S, Always and Forever <3.
ReplyDeleteI remember when Pizza places would be in business for 50 years in the same location, not 6 months.
ReplyDeleteSuch a sad city now, it's like playing Sim City that you keep losing and starting over again.
This place has had at least 6 different names since 2002. Back then it was Poppa Doc's Pizza. Every few months it closes and then re-opens with a new sign and identical menu and subpar food. Smells fishy to me.
ReplyDeleteIt would have helped this place to have air conditioning. I finally gave up on this place because I couldn't take how hot it was. I never went back after the weather got cooler.
ReplyDeleteLoved the gma pizza, it was my go to since moving back to the LES 6 months ago! Blows. Fucking rents.
ReplyDeleteLOL @ 11:47, that's very proper. "Grandmother Pizza" hahaha. Oh man. "Lemme get a gramma slice" is the way.
ReplyDeleteBut why Grandma at all? Isn't it Sicilian?
ReplyDeleteHello Fellow EVG Readers,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Jordan Baker (the dark haired man Gojira mentioned) and I purchased the pizzeria from Astro (previous owner) on New Year’s Day. I’ve heard some gossip about the place (mostly untrue) so I wanted to introduce myself.
I’ve lived and worked in the neighborhood for 3 years, first on 10th street, now on Avenue A and 11th. I love Avenue A and the small businesses that comprise it (with the exception of two franchises that have recently opened that are eye-sores) and I want to keep it small-business friendly as long as possible! I had a good relationship with the previous owner, as a customer and a friend, and I’m taking the spot over, partially as a favor to him (for personal reasons), and partially because opening a pizzeria has been a dream of mine as long as I can remember.
I plan to have a soft-opening sometime next week, and I’ll be giving out free pizza and soliciting feedback from anyone who lives in the area. We’re renovating right now, but I’m usually there all day every day, so pop in and say hi! If you have any questions about the restaurant (I’ve heard a lot of gossip - mostly untrue) don’t hesitate to come by and introduce yourself, or just call me directly at 954 907 2202.
That’s all I’ve got for now.
Cheers!
Transients, tourists and newbies would prefer the familar pizzas, as in 7-11 pizzas, or Papa Johns...
ReplyDeleteAnon 6:00 PM,
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of tourists actually come looking for the local good spots...of course there are the "Dominoes" tourists who travel the world trying the different outlets, or tour other franchises/chains, but I personally think that number is very small, notwithstanding certain marketing consultants'opinion.
Suburban stereotypes aside, do people truly enjoy eating Domino's pizza? I made the mistake of trying a small pizza from the new 14th st Domino's and found it be completely inedible. The pepperoni tasted like dirty dish water, the cheese is cheap garbage (tasted like a mixture of munster and bland cheddar) and the sauce tastes like canned Prego with about a pound of added sugar. The crust was weird and almost pretzel-y. I don't get it. Is it me?
ReplyDelete