Brooklyn Stalwarts the Franks Are Opening Their Pizza Restaurant in a Bigger Space

Brooklyn’s eagerly anticipated new grandma pie spot will soon get a bigger stage. The Franks — the restaurateurs behind Cobble Hill stalwart Frankies 457 Spuntino — plan to open their pizza collaboration with Long Island legend Umberto Corteo in a larger space than originally planned. Franks Umberto, as the new restaurant has been called, will no longer be in the former Cafe Pedlar space, which now has a for rent sign up on it.

Frank Castronovo is keeping details under wraps on where this new outpost is and what has changed, but he writes to Eater in an email saying that it’s bigger and will open as early as August. Parts of the concept may be changing, too.

Previously, Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli planned to open a slice shop that brought Corteo’s grandma and Sicilian pizza expertise to Brooklyn. Corteo has been in the pizza business on Long Island since 1965 and is credited with creating the first-ever grandma pie, developing a cult following for the pizza. He’s never had a restaurant within the five boroughs.

The Franks, of course, created a Cobble Hill institution with Frankies, known for cultivating a neighborhood vibe and offering simple yet satisfying Italian cooking. Plans for the slice joint were part of a switch-up in their empire; they shuttered Prime Meats and Cafe Pedlar last year and expanded Frankies 457.

Stay tuned for more.