MANHATTAN — Tony's Di Napoli, a beloved family style Italian restaurant that was shuttered last year by the Second Avenue subway construction, is coming back to the Upper East Side this spring.
After spending two decades on Second Avenue and East 83rd Street, Tony's had to clear out in January 2011 to make way for an entrance for the future East 86th Street subway station.
Now, Tony's is aiming for an Apr. 15 opening at a new spot 20 blocks south, on Third Avenue and East 63rd Street, said Hillol Saha, the restaurant's delivery manager at its Times Square location.
"We still get hundreds of people from the Upper East Side calling us," Saha said. "We had a huge business there. People loved to come back to the place."
The subway construction had hardly dented Tony's popularity. Its old 5,000-square-foot corner spot had more than enough business to keep it humming, with parties for neighboring high schools as well as rehearsal dinners and engagement parties.
But the state used eminent domain to force it out of 1606 Second Ave. for the MTA's project.
"We made a lot of good friends over the years," the restaurant’s general manager, Bruce Dimpflmaier, said when Tony's shuttered last year. "We’re a big part of the community."
Even then, Dimpflmaier said the restaurant was looking for a new Upper East Side location.
Tony's Di Napoli will be moving into a space most recently occupied by the Accademia Di Vino, at 1031 Third Ave., near East 63rd Street, noted Eater.com.
Anthony Mazzola of 'Cesca opened the Accademia di Vino in 2007, building up an 800-bottle wine cellar before closing last month.
Upper East Siders will likely be eager to welcome back the neighborhood staple.
Longtime customer Debra De Lorenzo, who had numerous dinners and bridal showers at Tony's, called it a "mainstay."
"You didn’t even think about it. You’d just go to Tony’s," she said when the restaurant shuttered last year. "Was it exceptional? No. But it was always good and dependable."
Besides the Times Square branch of Tony’s, the company also runs Dallas BBQ, Sambuca on the Upper West Side and Bistro Le Steak on the Upper East Side.
