QUEENS — The deteriorating site of Pasta Lovers, a once popular Italian restaurant in Kew Gardens which closed several years ago, is getting a second life, its owners said.
The eatery, at 124-18 Queens Blvd., shuttered when its owners decided to build a controversial hotel in the restaurant’s parking lot in 2008.
The building which used to house the restaurant has been decaying for years, until several weeks ago when workers began gutting it.
Steve Papas, one of the owners of the building, said that a new restaurant will replace Pasta Lovers. The eatery "will be built from scratch" and should open in about six months, Papas said.
“It will be an upscale place,” he said, adding that the restaurant will serve a mix of Greek and Italian cuisines as well as seafood.
"Kew Gardens doesn't have too many restaurants," he noted.
The lodging next door — Queens Savoy Hotel and Residences — which has the same owners, should open in about four months, Papas said.
The 20-story project, which will have 83 hotel rooms and 43 apartments, drew intense opposition from local residents who feared it would bring more traffic and noise to the area.