43-02 47th Ave., the former site of Mario’s.
Sept. 21, 2017 By Nathaly Pesantez
A new Italian restaurant is making its way to Sunnyside this fall and settling into the former site of Mario’s restaurant.
Senso Unico, the name of the new restaurant to be located at 43-04 47th Avenue, will serve southern Italian dishes in a modern, rustic, and family-friendly interior when it opens toward the end of October, according to Laura Garofalo, the owner and manager of the restaurant.
Vincenzo Garofalo, a chef who has worked in city restaurants like Le Cirque since 2013, will be creating dishes, like freshly made pastas, lasagnas, and other southern Italian staples for the restaurant. Entree prices will range from $12.00 to $18.00.
Laura and Vincenzo, who have been married for five years, are opening their first restaurant after learning that Mario’s, the restaurant with a 30-year-run that closed in August, was up for sale earlier this year.
“It’s been our dream to open a restaurant,” Laura said. “I grew up in this industry, and it’s always been in the back of Vincenzo’s mind to open one.”
Laura, an Astoria native, manages her family-owned Gian Piero Bakery, a shop on 44-17 30th Ave. that opened in 1995. She also grew up watching her father run an Italian restaurant in Manhattan.
“Senso Unico in Italian means ‘one way’,” Laura said. “As an Italian family, we believe the ‘one way’ to happiness is family, eating good food, and drinking good wine—Senso Unico will be the place where people can find this.”
The restaurant, seating about 45 people, will open every day from 12pm to midnight.
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19 Comments
This restaurant must be open every day for lunch or it will never be a success
Suncoast—No it’s only going to open 1/2 day on wed, closed Thursday to go to a movie, open fri at 7, open sat at noon, sat, and half sun. that’s it. What the f is wrong with you? Please don’t comment for the sake of commenting
Donations restaurant have the best pizza in Sunnyside.
A good Jamaican restaurant would be nice.
Seriously…wtf is up w/ all the Italian spots?
SoleLuna Restaurant, Dazie’s, Zio Luigi, Prima Sarabella (I have yet to see this place get over 10 patrons on any given day) Sotto Le Stelle. Add this to the list
DAZIES is here 45 yrs you act like it just popped up. The rest are fairly new. Also more Italian business the better. Makes ss great again. Viva Italian!!!
Also the pizza from subway sandwich shop is good
La Bella is good.
Will the menu have a pizza?
What is the best pizza in the neighborhood?
That would be in Astoria, there really isn’t good Pizza in Sunnyside. The good one on Greenpoint Ave. at 44th Street had to close because of high rent.
Hopefully the new place can change that.
Can’t wait to go . So happy for Laura and Vincenzo.
My parents were born in Italy. Came here and helped build ny. Anything Italian is good!
Italian masons built most of Sunnyside. They really built to last. Grazie mille!
Cool bring more iitalians make sunnyside great for once
This will be good. The bakery on 30ave is an incredible bakery/cafe. It’s really really good . So I can imagine how good this restaurant is going to be.
Remembr the good old fashioned days when you’d get a soda pop at the fountin?
Someone is posing as “Roxy” again. I did not write this about soda pop at the fountain.
This is becoming the Italian restaurant neighborhood!
Best of luck 🙂
Very HAPPY …..