Staten Island pizzeria of the past is being resurrected by new owner

New York’s Staten Island. Restaurant owner Richie Holmes revealed his intentions for a new business, Fat Sal’s, full of new hope for 2025. In Grant City, the pizzeria will shortly open at 130 Lincoln Avenue.

Holmes is also the sole proprietor of Metropolis Steak and Seafood, which is situated at 100 Lincoln Ave., a little distance up the street.DiFara Pizza/Juicy Lucia, another Holmes endeavor, shuttered at the same premises in late 2022.

The address of Grant City’s Metropolis Steakhouse is 100-102 Lincoln Ave. It used to be The Corner House, then Chef Jan Kitchen, then The Corner House BBQ, and finally a Japanese restaurant. After Holmes took over, it became DiFara Pizza/Juicy Lucia, a one-year-long combination of renowned pizza and award-winning barbecue. (Silvestri, Pamela; Staten Island Advance)

Holmes stated that he would bring the surf n prime turf concept to Northern New Jersey because Metropolis was thriving with online evaluations. In the interim, he searches hyper-locally for a new culinary opportunity that also serves as a useful location for the cutting-edge pizza oven he had from his days at DiFara and Juicy Lucia.

Given that it was only a hundred feet from Metropolis, the storefront at 130 Lincoln was the ideal location. Due to their close vicinity, I was able to manage and work at both sites, giving each job my best effort. “So, I seized the chance,” Holmes added.

Grant City’s Fat Sal’s has returned to the future. When it was located on Burgher Avenue, it once offered a rooftop dining deck. (Photo from the Staten Island Advance File)Silvestri

Remember Fat Sal s?

One of the greatest pizza places when I was a kid was Fat Sal’s. Holmes said that it was on Hylan, directly across from the Burger King on Burgher Avenue.

With its walk-up window and life-sized Flintstone’s characters on its whitewashed front, Fat Sal’s may be familiar to other longtime Staten Island residents.The modest company, which was once Tranchina’s building supply business’s neighbor, came to be known as The Flintstones Deli. It’s a bank now.

“I’m using the oven from the DiFara venture,” Holmes said as he described his idea for Fat Sal’s. Our pizza makers are fantastic. In a more relaxed setting, it will serve some of Metropolis’ favorites along with a traditional Italian menu.

Holmes purchased this cutting-edge pizza oven when he had DiFara join with Juicy Lucia in Grant City. It now occupies 130 Lincoln Avenue, the location of the soon-to-open Fat Sal’s. (Thanks to Richie Holmes.)

He expects it to be more of a fast-casual setting, similar to a classic Brooklyn pizzeria. Guests can belly up to the counter for a slice or an overstuffed hero. At one of the few tables, a customer can also delve into the Fat Sal’s menu. Along with a selection of sandwiches, the menu will feature Italian favorites like calzones, zeppoli, and sausage and peppers.

The restaurant will also have outside dining for warmer seasons as part of the renovations and future plans for the location.

Greetings from Mac’s Public House in Grant City’s Autonomous Zone. (Danny Presti provided this.)

A Legend on Lincoln Avenue

You may recognize the address at 130 Lincoln Avenue. Since 2005, it was known as Misty’s Lounge. Charlie’s Sandwich Shop was its final iteration as a food business. However, with the fifth anniversary of the COVID-19 era approaching, the century-old structure has a significant position in the history of the coronavirus pandemic.

The watering hole became widely publicized as Mac’s Public House. When the tavern’s previous proprietors designated the establishment an autonomous zone in the fall of 2020, the establishment disregarded all shutdown orders issued by then-Governor Andrew Cuomo.The Staten Island Advance/Silive.com broke the news, showing how its owners continued to operate despite all COVID-19 rules from the government.

In summary, a judge dismissed 13 summonses against the two former proprietors, pointing out a clear political overtone in the city sheriff’s office’s citations.More to the point, the owners have been cleared of all charges pertaining to their act of resistance.

“All I know is that we’re going to be raving about some serious New York slices at 130 Lincoln,” Holmes remarked, acknowledging its legacy. And that’s what will permanently put us on the map.

Pamela Silvestri is the cuisine editor for Advance/SILive.com. Her email address is [email protected].