Italian Oven, a new Italian restaurant, opens in Yonkers NY
Pizza and pasta among the dishes at Italian Oven, a new upscale casual restaurant in Yonkers.
It’s a family affair at The Italian Oven in Yonkers where two pairs of sisters — all first cousins — are opening their first restaurant.
The new spot, in what had been Fortina, opens March 19 for lunch and dinner. It’s the first eatery Amanda and Angelina Oppedisano, along with Nicoletta and Cristina Sakellaridis, have run on their own, although the four have, for the past five years, worked at the restaurants siblings Peter and Anna Maria Oppedisano own in Long Island, Queens and the Catskills. (Peter is Amanda and Angelina’s father, while Nicolette and Cristina are the daughters of Anna Maria.)
Their family-owned spots include Mangia Bene and Churchill’s in Rockville Centre as well as KX Burger in Astoria and Slopes at Hunter Mountain in Tannersville.
As for why they chose Westchester, Cristina Sakellaridis said they saw the vacant restaurant as an opportunity to expand their footprint. “We’re a big Italian family who loves cooking and eating,” she said (both Peter and Anna Maria Oppedisano and their four siblings were born in Calabria), “My uncle saw this space and knew he could transform it into a project for the four of us.
“We’re all super close — we grew up living next door and are basically like sisters — so we’re excited to bring our love of classic Italian food to Yonkers.
“With all of us in one place, we can’t really go wrong,”
A love for Italy
“Simplified” casual Italian is how the women describe the pastas and pizza that make up the bulk of the menu where paninis also rule. Other items include wood-fired wings, baked clams, meatballs, chicken parm, eggplant Rollatini, salads, soups and more.
They consider the new spot a little cousin to Mangia Bene. “Everyone just calls it Mangia Bene but it’s full name is really Mangia Bene Italian Oven so we took the Italian Oven part and figured we’d go with that,” explained Nicoletta.
In staying true to their Italian roots, they’re relying on chef Fernando Calle, who grew up in Verona, and pizzaiolo Pasquale D’Ambrosio, who grew up in Pompeii.
Their goal is to appeal to families, singles, girls’ nights, date nights and more with affordable price points — dishes are in the $13 to $20 range — with a sense of fun.
“We want this to be a place where everyone’s comfortable,” said Cristina.
Instagrammable Decor
What had been a vast industrial-looking space with a sunken bar in the middle has been remodeled and leveled off with the bar now set against the back of the restaurant, and the dining room filled with greenery and a black, white and red color scheme.
The pièce de résistance is the large dining room mural featuring the four cousins eating pasta and pizza. A neon sign in front with the wording “More pizza, More pasta” adds to the sense of whimsy with colors that change from blue to green to white.
Unchanged from the days of Fortina: an open kitchen where you can see the gas and wood-fired pizza oven — and the chefs — in action.
If you go
Address: 1086 North Broadway, Yonkers, (in the Boyce Thompson Center), 914-400-0200, italianovenofny.com.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday; to 10 p.m. Thursday to Saturday.
Good to know: The 200-seat space has plenty of room for parties; their back area, curtained off for privacy, can seat up to 50. Also good to know: cauliflower crust is available as a pizza option for those who are gluten-free.
To come: Brunch will be added down the road.
Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @jeannemuchnick or via the lohudfood newsletter.