Bar Ferdinando

For more than a century this storefront on Union Street, between Columbia and Hicks, was Ferdinando's Focacceria, a Sicilian lunch room. When owner Frank Buffa retired, he asked Sal Lamboglia — the Bensonhurst-born chef behind Cafe Spaghetti around the corner — to take it over, and Bar Ferdinando opened in April 2026. The old tile floor, tin ceiling, light fixtures and most of the picture frames stayed; the walls are repainted in the same mustard and maroon.

Order the pane e panelle, chickpea fritters and whipped ricotta on a soft roll, the dish the old focacceria was known for, and a Sicilian arancino. Then follow the new menu: clams over fries with lemony aioli, a prosciutto sandwich on house focaccia, and a bombolone or pignoli cake with a house espresso soda.