Rocco Restaurant

Rocco Restaurant
Map
Restaurant information
Established1922; 102 years ago (1922)
Closed2012; 12 years ago (2012)
Previous owner(s)Rocco Stanziano, Antonio DaSilva, Gianni Respinto
Street address181 Thompson Street
CityNew York City
CountyManhattan
StateNew York
Postal/ZIP Code10012
CountryUSA
Coordinates40°43′40.8″N 74°0′0.8″W / 40.728000°N 74.000222°W / 40.728000; -74.000222

Rocco Restaurant was an Italian restaurant on Thompson Street (Manhattan) in Greenwich Village.[1]

Ralph Redillo, the superintendent of the building, has said it was a “big mob joint” and in the 1950s, attracted Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio. Later celebrity guests included Johnny Depp, Robert De Niro and Screw Magazine editor Al Goldstein.[1]

Mario Batali worked there as a chef.[2]

It is said that in 1952, Anthony "Tony Bender" Strollo ordered a hit there.[2] In September 1952, he met with Joseph Valachi for dinner. He was given a hit on Eugenio Giannini, a Bureau of Narcotics informer from the Lucchese crime family.[3]

History

Rocco Stanziano opened the restaurant in 1922.[1]

According to owner Antonio DaSilva, (Rocco Stanziano's great-nephew) Rocco's closed in 2012 because of “greedy landlords.” The lease was up at the end of the year and the landlord wanted to raise the monthly rent from $8,000 a month to $18,000 a month. Mario Carbone and Rich Torris took over the lease and opened the original location of Carbone.[1][4]

Stanziano ran the restaurant until 1966 until his nephew Gianni Respinto took over. Respinto's nephew DaSilva took over in 1992.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Classic red sauce restaurant is closed after huge rent hike". amNewYork. January 19, 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b Simonson, Robert (June 26, 2008). "Who Goes There?: Rocco Restaurant". Eater NY. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  3. ^ Maas, Peter (January 13, 1969). "Anatomy of a Cosa Nostra Contract". New York Magazine. p. 27. Retrieved 22 May 2023 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ "New York Italian Mafia Restaurants". Greenwich Village Italian. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  5. ^ Mastropolo, Frank (March 22, 2023). "10 GHOST SIGNS OF DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN". Untapped New York. Retrieved 21 May 2023.