Bleecker Street Pizza in West Village Opens Sit-Down Restaurant Next Door | Eater NY

"I learned that the 14-year-old, celebrity-photo-slicked West Village slice shop has just opened a larger, more formal sit-down restaurant at 71 7th Avenue South next door to its original, line-inducing location. The 35- to 40-seat space remains counter-service initially but diners can then sit and receive waiter service, and the menu is expanded beyond signatures like the Nonna Maria pie — a thin-crust specimen with mozzarella, marina, parm, and basil — to include appetizers, pastas (fettucini alfredo, penne with vodka sauce), salads (burrata with cherry tomatoes, caesar, kale), and desserts. Owners Greg Greenwood and chef Tony Saliha intend to keep the new restaurant affordable and neighborhood-focused: pastas will be under $13, every diner will receive a free appetizer and dessert with each meal (usually a rotating bruschetta and a surprise dessert), and once a month they plan to donate some proceeds to a local nonprofit. The spot continues the tradition of Greg’s brother Douglas, who opened the restaurant in 2004 after retiring from the New York Police Department post-9/11 and over time turned it into a packed neighborhood slice shop frequented by tourists and celebrities like Hugh Jackman, Brooke Shields, and Gisele Bündchen — the space is lined with photos of those celebs and more — and Douglas died in December 2017 of suicide. The new restaurant is open with limited hours from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., with lunch to be added in the coming weeks and wine and beer to follow once a liquor license is obtained. They promote themselves as the “Home of the famous & award winning Nonna Maria Pie,” emphasizing high quality, fresh ingredients and “our grandma’s Italian recipes.”" - Serena Dai