By: Mario Mancini

One of New York City’s most infamous Mafia-linked eateries is turning over a new leaf. Aldo’s Pizzeria and Restaurant in Ozone Park, Queens — long associated with wise guys and backroom dealings — has reopened as a halal Italian restaurant, the NY Post first reported.

The restaurant was purchased in December by 29-year-old Sheik Ahsan Ali, a former employee who had worked behind the counter for years. Ali celebrated a grand reopening last week, unveiling a revamped menu that eliminates pork and alcohol — staples that once defined both the cuisine and the culture of the establishment.

“There’s a need for change because the demographic is changing,” Ali told The Post, as first reported. He said the surrounding community now includes many immigrant families, some of whom avoid alcohol and pork for religious reasons. “We have to change with the times,” he said.

Aldo’s had built a reputation over six decades as a Mafia haunt. Gambino crime family captain Ronald Trucchio, known as “Ronny One Arm,” was a regular and once admitted to prosecutors he drew a salary from the restaurant before his 2003 racketeering arrest. Vincent Asaro, who was linked to the 1978 Lufthansa heist that inspired the film Goodfellas, also frequented the pizzeria.

In more recent years, the eatery drew scrutiny from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg over possible illegal gambling activity. The restaurant also became an unofficial campaign hub for former Mayor Eric Adams during his 2020 run, according to sources cited when the NY Post first reported the story.

Ali insists that chapter is closed. He began working at Aldo’s in 2016 and said he never personally witnessed criminal activity. “There is no attachment of those people anymore,” he told The Post. “I believe the time has changed.”

After the prior operators were evicted in December for failing to pay rent, Ali seized the opportunity to buy the business. The building is owned by his uncle, Arshad Hussain, who supported the plan to transform the restaurant into what Ali believes may be the city’s first fully halal Italian establishment.

The restaurant retains the Aldo’s name — which Ali estimates is worth $1 million in brand recognition — as well as the original recipes developed by founder Aldo Calore in 1962. The key difference is ingredient substitution. Traditional pork products such as pepperoni and prosciutto have been replaced with beef or chicken alternatives, and alcohol-based cooking wines have been swapped for alcohol-free versions.

Ali said many Muslim diners previously felt limited to plain slices at Italian restaurants because of non-halal ingredients. His goal, he explained to The Post, is to create a place that welcomes everyone — not just Muslims — while preserving the flavors longtime customers expect.

To ensure authenticity, Ali had friends taste-test the beef substitutes to confirm they matched the flavor profiles of the original pork dishes.