Iconic NYC Italian restaurant abruptly closes after 121 years but aging owner hopes this isnt arrivederci

The sauce has dried up at this iconic red-sauce spot.Ferdinando’s Focacceria in Carroll Gardens abruptly closed its doors last weekend after 121 years of serving up Sicilian classics like rice balls and panelle sandwiches — with little notice it’d be mangia mangia no more.Owner Frank Buffa said his age and physical woes were behind the decision to call it a day — even as he holds out hope the iconic eatery will have a second life after his own arrivederci.“I can’t stand for 12 hours a day like I used to,” said Buffa, 75, adding he didn’t have a direct family heir to take the reins.The Italian kitchen also never fully recovered from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, which permanently shifted customers’ dining habits to eating out less and hurt Ferdinando’s bottom line, he said.After a recent month-long break from overseeing the restaurant due to back problems, Buffa said he finally made up his mind to retire over the weekend.“I’m the type of guy … who’s gotta be [here] all the time,” said Buffa, who also owns the building.“I don’t really want to give it to nobody else [because] this is my life.”Sicily-born Buffa emigrated to the Big Apple in 1971 and took over Ferdinando’s after the death of his wife’s father in 1975 – and he “never took a sick day” in the 52 years since, he told The Post.Locals paid their respects to the century-old outpost Monday afternoon, hugging and kissing Buffa and reflecting on decades of memories held within the four walls of the old-world restaurant.

The spot has served high-profile clientele from Martin Scorsese — who used Ferdinando’s for a scene in “The Departed” — to Leonardo Di Caprio to multiple New York City mayors and officials.“It’s like a big hole in my life,” said Brooklyn Heights resident Robert Iannucci, who has been a regular at Ferdinando’s for over 40 years.“This is the best restaurant in New York City to me … my life plan was that the last meal tha...