Rocco Restaurant

Last updated
Rocco Restaurant
Rocco Restaurant
Restaurant information
Established1922 (1922)
Closed2012 (2012)
Previous owner(s)Rocco Stanziano, Antonio DaSilva, Gianni Respinto
Street address181 Thompson Street
CityNew York City
CountyManhattan
StateNew York
Postal/ZIP Code10012
CountryUSA
Coordinates 40°43′40.8″N74°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 a branch of Carbone. [1] [4]

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

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Classic red sauce restaurant is closed after huge rent hike". amNewYork. January 19, 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  2. 1 2 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.