Historic Italian Eatery Bids Farewell After 120 Years: A Culinary Legacy Ends

After almost 120 years of delighting Broadway stars, politicians, and generations of romantics with its handmade pasta and white truffles, Barbetta is set to close its doors permanently this week.

The iconic Italian establishment, located on Manhattan’s renowned Restaurant Row on West 46th Street, will serve its last meals on Friday, February 27, marking the end of one of the longest family-run dining institutions in the United States.

This closure comes in the wake of the passing of longtime owner Laura Maioglio, who died in January at the age of 93.

Loyal patrons have taken to social media to express their condolences to the family and their disappointment at the restaurant’s closure.

‘I took my young nieces to Barbetta for one of our annual holiday get togethers,’ one Instagram user wrote. ‘Three young ladies dressed for a night in NYC with their Aunt. It is a wonderful memory. You will be missed.’

“Devastated to hear this,” read one Instagram comment. “Your restaurant before the theater was our one non-negotiable whenever we were in New York. The experience you provided was perfection. We will miss it and the experience you provided for many, many years to come.”

Founded in 1906 by her father, Sebastiano Maioglio, the restaurant moved to its current Theater District home in the 1920s after the family purchased four adjoining brownstones from the Astor estate.

It quickly became a magnet for opera singers, Broadway performers and well-heeled New Yorkers seeking a taste of Northern Italy.

Gunther Blobel and his wife, Laura Maioglio stroll around New York

When Maioglio took over in 1962, she transformed the restaurant from a traditional Italian spot into one of the city’s first refined Italian dining rooms, long before regional Italian cuisine became fashionable in America.

In 1963, Barbetta’s garden patio became one of the first open-air dining locations in Manhattan outside Central Park. With century-old trees and fresh flowers, it became one of New York’s most sought after summer reservations.

Maioglio graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a degree in Art History before taking the reins at Barbetta. She took frequent trips to Italy, earning first-hand knowledge about Italian food and wine. 

Her knowledge seeped into the restaurant, where chefs served up agnolotti pasta, risotto, and seafood inspired by Maioglio’s native region, Piemonte, at a time when many Italian restaurants were associated exclusively with red-sauce dishes.

This location also became one of the first Italian restaurants to serve imported wine to its guests. 

In recent years, Barbetta was honored with the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.

‘It’s hard to believe now, with Italian wines having gained so much in prestige and popularity, that in 1962 only one Barolo was imported into America and that Barbaresco and Gattinara were not imported at all,’ Laura Maioglio said. 

‘For many years, we imported the only Barbaresco and Gattinara to be found in this country,’ she added.

Garden patio at Barbetta Restaurant in New York’s Theater District

Inside the glamorous dining room at Barbetta in New York

Customers eating inside Barbetta Restaurant in New York

The family posted a final farewell message on their website, inviting diners to visit before closing their doors for good. 

‘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 statement reads. 

In honor of their wine-selling roots, the restaurant will also be ‘sharing’ their wine cellar – bottles listed at $200 and above offered at half their listed price. 

Barbetta will officially close on February 27.  Daily Mail has reached out to Barbetta for a comment.