2 bad signs at Luzzo's on Avenue B

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.

Luzzo's debuts on Avenue B, closes on 1st Avenue

The new outpost of Luzzo's La Pizza Napoletana is now open on the SE corner of Avenue B and Second Street. (First reported here.) 

Here, the pizzeria from the Luzzo's brand offers a variety of slices, 10- and 16-inch pies, assorted salads ... and other entrees, including eggplant parmigiana, meatballs and lasagna. There are a handful of tables for in-restaurant dining. Google lists the hours as daily from noon to 9 p.m., with a 10 p.m. close Fridays and Saturdays.

Meanwhile, the original Luzzo's (circa 2004) at 211 First Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street is now closed (photos below by Steven) ...

There is a Marshal's Legal Possession notice on the gate...

The interior has been cleaned out...

The pizzeria's coal oven, which dates to 1936, remains in the space inside. The Scott's Pizza Tour site has the fascinating history behind this particular coal oven... and why landlords likely aren't big fans of them. You can find the article here.

Michele Iuliano, the restaurateur and pizzaiolo behind the Luzzo's brand, operates several NYC establishments, including Gnoccheria at 234 E. Fourth St.

The Avenue B address was previously home to the Wafels & Dinges cafe (and corporate office) for nearly eight years. W&D, which still operates from kiosks and food trucks around the city, moved out in March 2021.

Luzzo's bringing the Neapolitan pizza to this corner of Avenue B

A well-known name in pizza is taking over the space on the SE corner of Avenue B and Second Street. 

EVG contributor Stacie Joy ran into Michele Iuliano, the restauranteur and pizzaiolo behind the Luzzo's brand, who told us that he's opening a pizzeria in this spot at 15 Avenue B...

The Luzzo's Group includes the flagship restaurant at 211 First Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street and Gnoccheria at 234 E. Fourth St.

We'll have more about what to expect here closer to the spring grand opening.

This development comes after signs for "Pizza Girls" — based apparently on an Italian reality TV series — arrived on the storefront here in January. Those plans never materialized.

The address was previously home to the Wafels & Dinges cafe (and corporate office) for nearly eight years. W&D, which still operates from kiosks and food trucks around the city, moved out in March 2021.