One of best-known pizzerias in Naples, if not the world, is coming to New York City. L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, founded in 1870 and made famous in part by the book Eat Pray Love, and later the Julia Roberts movie adaptation, will open its second U.S. location this year at 2 Bank Street in New York City’s West Village.
L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele New York City will be the second location in the United States. The first opened in Los Angeles in 2019 when restaurateur and designer Francesco Zimone acquired area development rights for the concept in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Zimone came to the U.S. in 2001 to work in film production and finance, but later found himself moving into design and home renovation, as well as the promotion of Italian cuisine with Academia Barilla. Then, he took over the former Café des Artistes restaurant to bring L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele to Hollywood.
The New York L’Antica Pizzera Da Michele, like its predecessor in Los Angeles, will have a menu that goes beyond the famous margherita pizzas from Naples. “It will be a pizzeria and a restaurant,” Zimone says. “It was necessary to make the business work. So besides pizzas there will be pastas, veggies, mozzarella, burgers, and steaks. The Italian dishes will be prepared according to my mother’s recipe.”
Zimone says he’s thrilled about the new venture.
“Opening in New York is like crossing the finish line for us,” he says. “We hope that the city will embrace our vision and accept the simplicity and the quality of our products.”