Photos by Stacie Joy
The Marshal has seized Luzzo's La Pizza Napoletana on the SE corner of Avenue B and Second Street.
A notice on the front door states that the landlord is now in legal possession of the premises...
In addition, there's a yellow closed notice — mostly peeled off — from the Department of Health.
The DOH closed the pizzeria late last week following an inspection.
According to public records, the most recent violations are:
1) No approved written standard operating procedure for avoiding contamination by refillable returnable containers.
2) Food Protection Certificate (FPC) not held by manager or supervisor of food operations.
The restaurant's interior is also in different stages of being packed up...
The pizzeria from the Luzzo's brand opened here in May 2022, coinciding with the closing of their 18-year-old coal-oven space on First Avenue.
There's no word of a closure on the Luzzo's website or social media platforms.
Meanwhile, two new pizzerias are in the works for nearby on Avenue B — Potenza Centrale and Lollo.
First casualty in the Avenue B/Clinton Pizza wars. Too bad because the pizza was good but they never seemed to properly invest in the space (ie the cardboard signs)
ReplyDeleteNot having a Food Handlers License from the NYC DOH is a big no no. I spent years in the restaurant industry here in Manhattan. When I finally received mine in 2014, it opened a lot of doors. Many places won't hire staff unless they are able to access one. You have to either take courses online or in person for a week, pay a fee, then you must take an exam in person, which can be stressful. But the most important take away, once you have it, one never has to renew it again. And when an inspector randomly arrives, you can show it to them, and proceed with the inspection. I am surprised none of the staff had one. Big mistake.
ReplyDeletethat location seems a bit cursed. you'd think it would have enough foot traffic but both luzzo's and waffles & dinges seem to have struggled. perhaps the rent is too high?
ReplyDeleteI really wanted to like them, but the pizza was just not very good. a whole pizza was okay but nothing special, every time I got a slice there it was soggy and just not worth the fancy pizza price
ReplyDeleteLuzzo’s had been around for a long time so it’s sad to see them go. I wasn’t a regular at the old place but I did enjoy it and the atmosphere. The new place wasn’t a corner I passed by too often, though I also wasn’t sure what it was anymore. A fancy slice place or a pizza pie restaurant like it had been.
ReplyDeleteThe crust always reminded me of cardboard.
ReplyDelete