Bronx Little Italy sets up ‘Piazza di Belmont’ for outdoor dining on Arthur Avenue

With indoor dining on hold, the city has committed to expanding the already very successful outdoor dining program it launched in late June when phase two began. With more than 7,000 restaurants participating, the program grew this month to include several open streets across the five boroughs, and in the Bronx, the selected street is Arthur Avenue, the heart of Bronx Little Italy. Starting tonight, from Thursdays to Sundays, Arthur Avenue between East 188th Street and Crescent Avenue is transforming into a European-style al fresco dining setup called Piazza di Belmont, with more than 25 restaurants participating.

Plan courtesy of Sam Schwartz

Bronx Little Italy is located in the Belmont neighborhood and has been a Italian-American community since the early 20th century. And in the heart of it all, filled with red-sauce restaurants, bakeries, and butchers, is Arthur Avenue. The Belmont Business Improvement District (BID) worked with traffic engineer Sam Schwartz to create the design for Piazza di Belmont, which was approved by the Department of Transportation. It includes six-feet spacing between tables, signage for pedestrians, temporary street closures during the weekend evenings, and regular cleaning and disinfecting according to CDC guidelines.

Arthur Avenue is closed to vehicular traffic Thursdays to Saturdays from 6-10pm and Sunday from 1-9:30pm. Though street is open to traffic and parking during the day, outdoor dining on sidewalks is still available during the week. Some of the more than 25 participating restaurants include: Ann & Tony’s, Antonio’s Trattoria, Arthur Avenue Fiasco, Azgardz, Bronx Beer Hall, Café Nocciola, Cka Ka Qellu, Emilia’s Restaurant, Enzo’s of Arthur Avenue, Estrellita Poblana III, Gerbasi Ristorante, Gurra Café, Mario’s Restaurant, Mike’s Deli, Michaelangelo’s, Pasquale’s Rigoletto Restaurant, San Gennaro Restaurant, Tapas Italiano, Tino’s Deli, and Zero Otto Nove.

Peter Madonia, Chairman of the Belmont BID, said in a statement, “While Little Italy in the Bronx has been operating during COVID-19 due to our essential businesses including butchers, pharmacies, fish markets, delis, bakeries, pizzerias, and many other specialty stores and services, we have looked forward to reopening our restaurants which make up the other half of our historic, multi-generational neighborhood.”

RELATED:

• Starting this weekend, 22 open streets in NYC will be dedicated to outdoor dining
• Brooklyn’s most photographed block opens for outdoor dining
• 100 NYC restaurants with outdoor dining
• New York City postpones indoor dining

All photos courtesy of the Belmont Business Improvement District