By Gus Saltonstall
Lucia, a popular New York City pizza shop, will be opening its first Upper West Side location this summer, according to a press release and as first reported by Crain’s New York.
The Brooklyn-born pizzeria will take over 159 Columbus Avenue, between West 67th and 68th streets, which most recently served as home to a Starbucks.
The storefront is a little under 900 square feet and Lucia signed the lease for 10 years at $325 per square foot, according to a press release related to the real estate deal.
“Lucia Pizza has built a strong following, and the Upper West Side felt like a natural next step for the brand,” Noah Rose, who represented Lucia in the deal, told Crain’s. “Securing a location in this neighborhood has been a long-term goal for them.”
Along with Lucia’s original Brooklyn location, it has outposts in SoHo, Gramercy, and on the Upper East Side. The pizzeria serves up pies, slices, calzones, sandwiches, garlic knots, salads, desserts, and more. Some of their pizzas include the Salsiccia with Italian sausage, thin red onions, Calabrian peppers, and a whipped ricotta base, or the Poblano Funghi, with roasted Poblano pepper creme, dry-aged provolone, and mushrooms.
Since opening in 2020, Lucia has routinely earned high reviews, including a glowing review from New York Times food critic Pete Wells, the title of best overall pizza on the Upper East Side, and a spot among the top pizzerias in New York City by Eater New York.
WSR will keep an eye out for an official opening date for the new Upper West Side pizza shop.
You can find out more about Lucia on its website — HERE.
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Might end up being a Tony Danza hangout.
900 square feet times $325 is $292,500. It’s not clear if this is monthly or yearly. Can you clarify?
If that were a monthly number, the rent would be $3.5 million. That would be not a sustainable rent for a small Pizza shop. Monthly rent of $24.375 is still fairly high but not crazy…..
Commercial real estate is generally quoted on an annual basis.
I remember when that used to be McGlade’s. Big Juilliard hangout and often you’d see Met Opera musicians in there too. Couldn’t beat those $5 pitchers!
Vinnys!
Preach!
Lucia is a really, really good pizzeria. Great spot to open, excited!!
Whoever owns that block of retail/small building across from the old ABC studio is super fortunate. Cash cow of retail rents on that prime block is a generational annuity.
Those studios brought a decent number of highly paid people to the area and likely added more to the income of local residents than the replacement condo will.
In the 1980s, we had the best pizzeri at the corner of West 55 and Ninth: Luigi’s, which made the most incredible salad, along with everything else. I am really thrilled to hear this.
I’ve always liked the food at the other pizza places within a couple hundred feet of this one.
I wonder how many can comfortably fit in a two – three block radius.
Unrelated,… an update re: the soon-to-be closing of the Teddy’s Collection store. They carry hand-selected items that are sourced from artisans around the world tied with social missions. It’ll be open for only three more days: March 20,21,22. Hours are 10 am – 6 pm but it’s best to write or call for confirmation. email at stefaniedfischel@yahoo.com or call 917-327-7360.
I am wondering why Lucia would open at this particular location on Columbus Avenue. There’s another pizza shop in the neighborhood maybe one block away. Why wouldn’t Lucia try to find a spot where it wouldn’t present such competition for itself and the other Pizzeria?
We really need a bagel shop between 63 – 71 St on Amsterdam or Columbus.