121-year-old Ferdinando’s Focacceria in Brooklyn seeks new owners after sudden closing

Ferdinando’s Focacceria, a Sicilian mainstay in Carroll Gardens near Red Hook, closed suddenly over the weekend after 121 years in business – though owner Francesco “Frank” Buffa said he’s open to selling the business to the right person.

Ferdinando’s, which is considered New York City's oldest Sicilian restaurant and one of the state's oldest Italian restaurants, announced its closure via Instagram on Sunday. In the post, the owners apologized for the short notice, thanked generations of customers for their support, and wrote that they would permanently cease operations “due to unforeseen circumstances.”

Buffa, 75, said in a phone call on Monday that he’s been dealing with some back issues recently and assumed he’d return to Ferdinando’s, but decided over the weekend that the prospect was too daunting.

“I can’t do a 12-, 14-hour day every day, it’s too much at my age,” Buffa said. “I was the guy to open the restaurant every morning and close the restaurant every night.”

Buffa, who was born in Sicily, said he came to Brooklyn in 1971 and took over the business from his wife’s father Ferdinando in 1975. The shop is located several blocks from the waterfront, and originally served lunch to longshoremen in the burgeoning Italian American enclave before expanding into full service.

It has remained deliciously old-school, serving up favorite dishes like a giant arancina (a fried rice ball), a chickpea-and-ricotta sandwich known as a panelle, and a “vastedda,” or baked veal spleen and grated cheese sandwich.

Fans of Ferdinando’s shared their reactions to the news on social media.

“I’m so sad Ferdinando’s Focacceria is closing,” wrote Sicilian food influencer @eatwithme_mke. “My favorite place for panelle.”

“Such a shame my longtime favorite is closing…so sorry to see you go,” wrote celebrity chef Scott Conant, founding chef of Scarpetta and a longtime television cooking show judge.

Buffa said that while his sons had been involved in the business, he’s happy that they went to college and have better, “eight hour a day” jobs.

Buffa said he’d love to see Ferdinando’s reopen under “somebody who knows how to run it, not just some 1-2-3 off the street.” He said he’s heard from two interested parties so far but is vetting them carefully. Buffa owns the three-story building and has no plans to sell, he said.

“This is my pension, this is how I survive,” Buffa said of the real estate. “With Social Security today? Nobody can even buy eggs.”

“Ferdinando’s was my life, every day for 52 years,” Buffa said. “I’m 75 now. The engine is still good but you can’t push it too much. You gotta slow it down a little.”