Changes Proposed To the Old Home of Rizzo’s Italian Village on 21st Street

We’ve learned that the building at 31-01 21st Street may undergo some changes—paperwork has been filed with the city, proposing to extend it into a new 4-story mixed use building. For several years this space has been home to a couple of Filipino restaurants—first Philippu and then Pinoy Eats—but originally it was Rizzo’s Italian Village.

First, the changes to the building—as we said, 4 stories with 6 dwelling units; currently it has none. It’s 18 feet high right now; the proposal is to bump it up to 44 feet. 3,945 square feet would be residential and 1,639 would be commercial, so it’s possible that another restaurant could move in there (or maybe retail or an office).

As for Rizzo’s Italian Village—not to be confused with Rizzo’s Fine Pizza on Steinway Street—it was a real institution in Astoria for a long time. On Astorians, user barrister said about it, “Back when Astoria didn’t have tons of restaurants like it does now, Gables (RIP) and Rizzo’s were the places to go.” Users also mentioned the Ranch Steak House in the conversation. Astoria really has grown in its food offerings.

One of the signature elements of Rizzo’s—whose food was more in the “Italian red sauce joint” category—was the gondola on the roof. Some say there was a pirate up there, too. Inside it was decked out with a little mini village right inside the entrance, ski gondolas, a fountain, and year round holiday decorations. You can see a photo of its exterior here.

According to old timer Astorians, the food had gone downhill over the years, which no doubt contributed to the closing of this place. It always did have a kind of magical quality to it (Time Out called it “campy”), but I must admit that I never ventured in myself when it was open. I did wonder what it was like, though.

The changes never stop. It will be interesting to see what the new building is like, if it gets approved. No way will it have the character of Rizzo’s Italian Village, though.

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Plans for a Mixed-Use Development at Old Restaurant Space on 21st Street | Brownstoner Queens September 22nd, 2014

[…] We Heart Astoria spotted DOB paperwork that indicates changes for the building at 31-01 21st Street, formerly Rizzo’s Italian Village on the corner of 31st Avenue. The developer is proposing to extend the existing one-story building into a four-story mixed-use build, with 1,639-square-feet of commercial space and 3,945-square-feet of residential space. (As We Heart Astoria points out, the renovated building could still be home to a ground-floor restaurant.) An interior demolition permit is currently in process. […]

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Stephanie September 17th, 2014

When the gondola was moving, the action between the people in the boat was a bit, um, suggestive. ;-)

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