Beloved Coney pizzeria remains
Totonno’s Pizzeria not planning to close, despite rumors
BY ROSE ADAMS
Coney Island’s legendary
Totonno’s Pizzeria won’t stop
slinging slices anytime soon,
despite local speculation that
the beloved eatery had permanently
shuttered.
“In an effort to protect
our family members, staff,
and customers in slowing the
spread of the COVID-19 virus,
we have temporarily closed
our Coney Island restaurant,”
said the pizzeria’s owners in a
statement, which was posted
by the local business group
the Alliance for Coney Island.
“We remain committed to our
customers and the Coney Island
community and look forward
to seeing you all soon.”
Totonno’s Pizzeria Napolitano,
located on Neptune
Avenue near W. 16th Street,
opened in 1924. Its founder,
Anthony “Totonno” Pero, was
an immigrant from Naples
who got his start making pizza
at Lombardi’s grocery store in
Manhattan, which became the
country’s fi rst licensed pizzeria,
COURIER L 6 IFE, APRIL 9-15, 2021
according to Totonno’s
website.
Decades later, New Yorkers
still fl ock to the pizzeria for its
thin-crust slices made from
fresh ingredients imported
from Italy. The restaurant
has raked up its fair share of
awards, having been named
the number one pizza in America
by the Food Network, and
winning recognition from Zagat,
The New York Times, and
the James Beard Foundation.
The pizzeria is still operated
by Totonno’s family, making
it the oldest, continually
run, family-owned pizzeria in
the country, according to its
owners.
Totonno’s owners have
braved a series of obstacles,
including two fi res and Superstorm
Sandy, which forced
the eatery to close for several
months. When COVID-19
struck in March 2020, the family
decided to temporarily
shutter the restaurant again
and open whenever conditions
became safe.
But this week, locals began
to speculate that the restaurant
had closed for good after
seeing that on Google Maps,
the pizzeria was listed as “permanently
closed.”
The owners assuaged those
concerns on April 6, hinting
that while Totonno’s doesn’t
have immediate plans to open,
the restaurant may fi nd other
ways to distribute its mouthwatering
slices.
“Although we will continue
to be temporarily closed at our
physical location, we are exploring
other options during
this time to share our worldrenowned
pizza with our extended
community,” the family
said.
The legendary Totonno’s Pizzeria in Coney Island. File photo by Evan Gardner