UPPER EAST SIDE — A local Italian restaurant is moving to a new space closer to Central Park and slashing its prices to attract a younger crowd, its owner said.
Sistina is moving from its home of three decades at 1555 Second Ave. to a ground-floor space of a 116-year-old mansion at 24 E. 81st St., near Madison Avenue, according to Denise Psyhogios, a spokeswoman for the eatery.
The restaurant, which serves pastas and main courses including branzino and veal, will be cutting its prices by roughly 20 percent once it moves in hopes it will draw younger customers, Psyhogios said.
"Chef Giuseppe Bruno is hoping to make Sistina more approachable to a younger crowd by lowering the prices and adding a late night menu," she said.
Appetizers will range from $18 to $25, rather than $18 to $36, pastas will be anywhere from $22 to $28 instead of $22 to $38, and its main courses will range from $28 to $48 rather than $32 to $55, she said.
Bruno, who owns the restaurant, is introducing new lunch and late night menus as well. Lunch includes mozzarella and radicchio, penne arrabiata and chicken breast paillard.
The new late night menu will have raw bar items, cheese and meats, and Italian bar bites like arancini — deep fried rice balls — and bruschetta.
Dinner features burrata and blood orange with radicchio, a warm seafood salad and veal tortelloni, Psychogios said.
As for the new space itself, Bruno described it as "very comfortable, it's very elegant and chic. A classic Upper East Side restaurant."
"Plus, there is more space than the original. It’s an exciting time for Sistina after three decades,” he added.
The mansion, including the restaurant space on the ground floor, hit the market for $50 million earlier this year. The listing has since been taken down, and a representative for the broker handling it, Douglass Elliman, would not provide more information.
The former Crown restaurant operated there from 2011 to March 2015.
Sistina is planning to transform its new home's outdoor space into a "winter garden" with new ivory plaster, Italian-designed lamps, fabrics, wall coverings and work by East Village artist Donald Baechler.
Bruno decided to move to the new location this year after a friend showed him the building and convinced him to move there. He fell in love with the enclosed outdoor space, where neighboring gardens and greenery can be seen, Psychogios said.
Bruno also owns Caravaggio at 23 E. 74th St. with his brother.
The restaurant will have a soft opening on Sept. 6 and will have its grand opening on Sept. 15, according to Psyhogios.
It will be open Monday through Sunday, from noon to 3 p.m. for lunch, 5 to 11 p.m. for dinner, and will serve its late night menu at its bar from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., she added.
— Sistina Restaurant (@SistinaNY) November 27, 2015
