Monday, April 1, 2024

A new pizzeria for the former pizzeria at 36 St. Mark's Place

As the pizzerias turn at 36 St. Mark's Place.

Cellos has been added to the existing Pizzeria signage here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. This development comes as an applicant is on this month's CB3-SLA docket for a beer-wine license for the address. (The applicants have already received administrative approval.) 

The questionnaire isn't online, so we don't know more about the new owners.

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Updated: The questionnaire lists the operator as Larry Kramer, who owns Whitman's on Ninth Street (and Hudson Yards).

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A little pizzeria history here... Funzi's opened late last June and aspired to be an East Village throwback with a 1970s-80s decor modeled after owner Kevin Cox's grandmother's house. 

Cox left the business in November ... taking the Funzi's name with him for a new version of the pizzeria in another EV location. (Funzi's was named after the youngest of Cox's three sons.) We never heard anything more about a new spot for Cox.

After Cox departed, the business pivoted to St. Marks Pizzeria... with a message on its website noting, "Same Pizza. Same Chef's. Same Location. New Name." This post-Funzi's concept went dark in December, and paper went up on the front windows several weeks ago.

You can see where the new operators simply put Cellos over where Funzi's was on the sign... and the post-Funzi's version below (both pics last year by Stacie Joy)...
Cellos marks the ninth food establishment at No. 36 — St. Marks Pizzeria, Funzi's, Oh K-Dog & Egg Toast, Joe's Steam Rice Roll, Cheers Cut, Friterie Belgian Fries, Fasta and the $1.50 branch of 2 Bros. Pizza — since 2015

1 comment:

Mike said...

Sometimes it's just the location. I am dumbfounded by keeping on trying new restaurants at the same location when one by one they fail.