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\n Bar Ferdinando will be a true all-day caf\u00e9, with pastries, coffee, drinks, sandwiches, and, of course, panelle.
\n Photo: Noah Fecks\/Courtesy of Bar Ferdinando\n <\/p>\n
When Francesco \u201cFrank\u201d Buffa, the owner and operator of the 121-year-old Ferdinando\u2019s Focacceria, suddenly closed up shop<\/a> for good last winter, the collective reaction from fans, locals, and anyone concerned with vanishing New York was grief, quickly followed by questions around what would happen to the space. There was plenty of interest: Buffa, who owns the building, was getting offers slipped under the restaurant\u2019s strangely narrow doors. Sal Lamboglia, who owns Caf\u00e9 Spaghetti<\/a> across the street and two other restaurants close by, got a call from a neighborhood friend and sat down with Buffa for a two-hour afternoon chat with the lights off at Ferdinando\u2019s, \u201ctalking about family, life experience, upbringings, kids,\u201d Lamboglia says. Soon after, in the middle of dinner service, his phone rang. \u201cFrank said, \u2018Sal, are you ready?\u2019 That was it.\u201d He had the keys the following weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not resurrecting Ferdinando\u2019s,\u201d Lamboglia is quick to clarify. \u201cI\u2019m not doing that.\u201d After a year of sifting through the photos, relics, dishware, and bottles of antique amari that were left behind, undertaking some necessary upgrades and renovations, installing a proper bar, and giving the space several coats of paint, Lamboglia will instead open Bar Ferdinando<\/a> on April 15. There\u2019s a not-negligible amount of outside pressure that comes with opening in a spot with over a century of history associated with core memories of crispy chickpea panelle sandwiches and Manhattan Special on draft. Lamboglia has heard the concerns: yellow walls and maroon beadboard remain, much of the artwork remains, and the mismatched tiles remain. But rather than Buffa\u2019s old family photos, there now hang Lamboglia\u2019s old family photos. Still, the place carries a similar spirit as before. \u201cBeing in here makes you realize this guy, Frank, spent 53 years in here, in one place, right?\u201d says Lamboglia. \u201cYou don\u2019t find that.\u201d<\/p>\n Jackie De La Barrera is in charge of pastries and baked goods. <\/p>\n The space has gotten a refresh, but all in the service of honoring its previous tenant. <\/p>\n Coffee and pastries will give way to drinks and snacks as the day goes on.<\/p>\n The mismatched tile floor remains.<\/p>\n Panelle were a must-have on the menu.<\/p>\n \n Photographs Noah Fecks\/Courtesy of Bar Ferdinando\n <\/p>\n Buffa\u2019s family is Sicilian, Lamboglia\u2019s background \u2014 he grew up in an immigrant family in Bensonhurst \u2014 is from Naples, and the food at Bar Ferdinando will be regionally agnostic. To start, it will be a true all-day bar, opening at 11 a.m. with baked goods from pastry chef Jackie De La Barrera (who has led pastry programs at Agi\u2019s Counter<\/a> and Radio Bakery<\/a>) like bomboloni filled with banana or pistachio cream, semolina cake, and prosciutto-and-Parm scones. De La Barrera\u2019s focaccia will be served during the day, along with Lamboglia\u2019s neighborhood-famous seafood salad with octopus, calamari, lobster, potatoes, parsley, lemon, and olive oil. And expect panelle and rice balls that can be sliced, grilled, and served with marinara. (The dinner menu, which is still under construction, will be a continuation of the same.)<\/p>\n The marble caf\u00e9 tables will be available for a quick shot of espresso or for lingering. But instead of Manhattan Special on tap, a handmade version with fresh espresso and seltzer will come from Ricardo Echeverri\u2019s bar program. Echeverri, currently the general manager at Lamboglia\u2019s Swoony\u2019s around the corner, has been making drinks around the city for years \u2014 at spots including Hearth<\/a>, Minetta Tavern<\/a>, and Frenchette<\/a>. He\u2019s developed a list of lighter aperitivi, a limoncello spritz, a Milan-esque Campari and soda, and a fennel-forward highball, as well as classics like the Little Italy (a Cynar-inflected Manhattan), a house martini served on the rocks, and an Italian espresso martini.<\/p>\n As the weather warms, guests will be able to enjoy those drinks in the backyard under two fig trees, the sounds of the BQE rushing past in the distance, for as long as they\u2019d like. \u201cWant to pop in for a cocktail or for a coffee? Go ahead, all day,\u201d Lamboglia says. \u201cWe don\u2019t close.\u201d<\/p>\n Thank you for subscribing and supporting our journalism.
\n If you prefer to read in print, you can also find this article in the March 23, 2026, issue of
\n New York\u00a0Magazine.<\/p>\n