Rosario’s Pizza, the quintessential Lower East Side spot for a late night slice, has closed. The longtime Orchard Street pizzeria posted the following message on Facebook:
Rosario’s Pizza has called the LES home since 1965 when its owner, Rosario Dispenza, first opened its doors and has stood strong in the LES for nearly six decades, withstanding the many phases of this eclectic neighborhood. Rosario passed in 2018 and Rosario’s manager/nephew, Salvatore Bartolomeo, retired last year but the neighborhood establishment remained family owned as Rosario’s daughter and son-in-law continued operating. Unfortunately with the striking of COVID-19 and the burdensome rent and expenses that were accruing without the possibility of running the daily operations, Rosario’s was left with no choice but to close its doors, a decision that did not come easy. With a glimmer of hope, Rosario’s Pizza will find its way back to the LES in the very near future. Please follow their Instagram @RosarioPizzaLES to keep updated.
In 2013, Sal Bartolomeo told The Lo-Down, “I live the life of the old-fashioned immigrant… I’m a storyteller. A lot of people come ’cause they want to hear the story of New York.” He called the Lower East Side, “the most beautiful neighborhood in the world.”
