Manhattan’s oldest Italian restaurant is about to serve its final meal.
After 120 years on West 46th Street’s Restaurant Row, Barbetta will close its doors tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 27.
The decision to shutter the eatery, which is also the longest-running family-owned restaurant in the city, comes after the death of longtime owner Laura Maioglio. She ran the institution until she passed away last month at age 93.
“With heavy hearts, we share that following the passing of Ms. Laura Maioglio, the heart and soul of Barbetta, the restaurant will conclude its remarkable journey, with our last day of service on Friday, February 27,” the restaurant shared in a farewell message on its website.
Barbetta was founded in 1906 by Maioglio’s father, Sebastiano, and her uncle, Vincenzo.
Originally named The Maioglio Brothers, the restaurant was located on 39th Street, and quickly became known for serving good food at good prices to patrons of the old Metropolitan Opera, located down the street.
In the 1920s, after Vincenzo’s death, Sebastiano moved the eatery to its current location on 46th Street, where it was renamed Barbetta.
The restaurant is spread across four adjoining 19th-century brownstones, which were originally built by the Astor family and rented to wealthy ship merchants.
Sebastiano bought the houses from the Astor family in 1925 for $250,000 to take advantage of the burgeoning theater business in Times Square.
The sale came 13 years after Astor patriarch John Jacob IV died aboard the Titanic.
Laura Maioglio took over the restaurant from her father in 1962, turning its interior into an elegant Piedmontese palazzo, importing antique chandeliers, and furniture from grand villas near Turin, Italy.
Upstairs, she preserved most of the original Astor interiors, which were used as private dining areas. Patrons were charmed by the marble fireplaces, parquet floors and original doorknobs with peephole hinges from the 1880s.
At the time, regional Italian cuisine was not a trend in New York, and Americans associated Italian food with rustic joints full of red sauce — but Barbetta’s food garnered just as much buzz as its elevated interiors.
The restaurant built its reputation on consistency and tradition, specializing in Piemonte cuisine from the northwestern Italian region, where the Maioglio family originated.
Elegant pastas, risotti and seasonal white truffles were signature dishes — with the restaurant even sourcing truffles through its own hunters and truffle hounds in Italy for some years, extremely unusual at the time.
The wine cellar at Barbetta also introduced many American patrons to Piedmontese wines such as Barolo and Barbaresco long before they became wine list staples.
Barbetta also stood out for its flourishing garden patio, which was created in 1963 and was among the first open-air dining spaces in Manhattan outside of Central Park. The garden eventually became one of the city’s most highly coveted summer dining reservations.
The restaurant survived more than a century of New York’s ups and downs, weathering the wild times of the 1970s and 80s as nearby Times Square turned into the city’s center of sleaze.
The Guardian Angels patrolled Restaurant Row, with Maioglio saying pimps and prostitutes stayed on Eighth Avenue and never bothered her customers.
Her business continued to thrive, becoming an institution in the Theater District, drawing in Broadway stars, opera performers, artists and politicians.
The Post penned an ode to Barbetta back in 2015, and interviewed Maioglio herself
The owner dished on celebrity diners, including Elizabeth Taylor, who regularly ate there during her 1983 Broadway run in “Private Lives” at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
“She ate huge meals before the performance!” Maioglio told The Post.
Meanwhile, Madonna was a regular until a sommelier tried to take her picture and the pop star threw a cup of espresso at him.
More diva drama ensued when singer Toni Braxton hosted a family event in the private dining rooms upstairs. A fight broke out and one of the original Astor doors was damaged. Braxton paid for repairs, per Maioglio.
The eatery was also featured in films such as “Arthur,” with Dudley Moore, “Basquiat,” with Jeffrey Wright and “Alice” with Woody Allen.
Allen became a regular at the restaurant, as did Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Tina Brown, and Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Former New York Post gossip columnist Liz Smith hosted her 60th birthday party there, with guests including Barbara Walters and Calvin Klein.
And while Barbetta was an institution in New York, it made its mark far beyond the Big Apple.
The restaurant was recognized as a historic establishment by Locali Storici d’Italia — the first restaurant in the US to receive the distinction.
In Barbetta’s farewell message, the restaurant invited guests to visit until its closing, and they shared that many bottles from their wine cellar are being offered at half of their listed price.
“It was Laura’s wish that guests continue to gather here in the spirit she cherished, and we invite you to join us during this final month to celebrate the food, wine, and memories that have defined Barbetta for generations,” the restaurant said.
“In that spirit, we are sharing our extensive wine cellar, with bottles listed at $200 and above offered at half their listed price. Thank you for being part of our story.”
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