Astoria
Sep 04, 2014

Lorusso’s Pizza and Focaccia Has Closed

Earlier this week we heard from one of our readers, TJT, that Lorusso’s Pizza and Focaccia has closed. He was kind enough to take this photo and send it our way. (…)

Share this Scoop

total shares!

lorussos-closing-sign-astoria-queens

Photo credit: WHA reader TJT

Earlier this week we heard from one of our readers, TJT, that Lorusso’s Pizza and Focaccia has closed. He was kind enough to take this photo and send it our way. This news makes us sad, since they had some of the best focaccia in the neighborhood (the pizza was just ok). And there were all kinds! They were delicious.

lorusso-pizza-foccacia-traditional-foccacia-18-01-26th-rd-astoria-queens-ny1

Beautiful foccacia from Lorusso. Photo credit: Anne Noyes Saini

Heading to Lorusso always felt like stumbling upon a hidden neighborhood gem—it was tucked away in the Old Astoria Village area of town (18-01 26th Road), not far from Astoria Park. Whenever I stopped in there were always people sitting at the tables. I liked the simple interior and was intrigued by their homemade tomato and pesto sauces. They also made their own fresh mozzarella. Our friend Anne Noyes Saini loved their fennel taralli.

lorusso-outside-astoria-queens

Via the Lorusso’s Facebook page

We noticed a couple of listing indicating the building was for sale. City records don’t indicate a sale just yet, but perhaps that’s the reason why they closed. Or perhaps it was just time to retire. We’ve heard that the place has been open “for decades.”

Farewell, Lorusso’s. We’ll miss you!

About Meg Cotner

Meg Cotner was trained as a harpsichordist and now works as a freelance writer and editor. She is the author of "Food Lovers' Guide to Queens," and is a skilled and avid home cook, baker, and preserver.

3 Comments

Randi

The owner told us it was time to retire. He said they think another person will re-open and operate a pizza/Italian place at some point. Nothing was set in stone yet.

Reply
Nick

I used to live near there and would stop by all the time. The couple that owned the place were super nice and lived in the neighborhood. The pizza was better than ok! Good luck Lorusso family!

Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.