After more than a decade on Bleecker Street, Kesté Pizza & Vino, a beloved Neapolitan pizzeria, has closed its doors in Greenwich Village.
In a bittersweet letter, Pizzaiolo Roberto Caporuscio shared his sorrow over losing the original Manhattan location but promised to pour energy into Kesté Fulton, a larger pizzeria in the Financial District.
Over the years, Kesté won numerous accolades, including “#1 Pizza in New York” by New York Magazine.
“So many people embraced us that not only was the location able to succeed for 11 years, but it led to the better-known and larger Kesté Fulton Street location where we look forward to continuing to serve you there now and into the future,” he wrote.
Kesté means “This is it!” in Neapolitan dialect. Few could have predicted how those words would resonate now in the pandemic.
In the letter released this week, Roberto shared his reasons for closing. Like many restaurants, the past few months brought unforeseen challenges and economic uncertainty. Even with a resilient and optimistic outlook, an inflexible landlord, imperfect Payroll Protection Program, and murky local policies left Roberto with just 11 tables indoors and a tough situation.
Roberto Caporuscio and her daughter Giorgia
Still, Roberto remains proud of the Bleecker Street legacy, where he employed 366 people over the years, including his daughter, Giorgia, who went on to become a partner and became the “Youngest Woman Pizza Maker World Champion” in 2013. He pledged his solidarity with other restaurants going through hard times and vowed to not only make incredible pizza but to teach others.
On Fridays, Roberto hosts pizza-making classes at the Fulton Street location, where he has built a robust community of Neapolitan pizza-lovers. This Spring, he was featured on The Food Network with Guy Fieri and on Fox News, while firing up pizzas for healthcare workers.
Swing by Kesté Fulton Street for lunch and dinner. Seating is available indoors or outside in the courtyard. And don’t miss the Pizza Academy sessions, upcoming classes are posted on Eventbrite.