Mezzaluna, the Upper East Side trattoria open since 1984, will close Nov. 1 after 42 years

Mezzaluna, the small Italian trattoria that has been a Lenox Hill fixture since 1984, will close for good on Sunday, Nov. 1. The restaurant confirmed the date to Patch, and the New York Post reported that the last service ends at 8 p.m.

Why it's closing

Founder Aldo Bozzi, 86, decided not to sign another 10-year lease at 1295 Third Avenue. Staying would also have meant an extensive, expensive renovation, including an overhaul of the famously tiny kitchen, work Bozzi told the Post could have shut the restaurant for months while costs piled up. He told ABC7 that rising business costs in New York had made running the place harder.

The end has been coming for months. A TikTok video in March claimed Mezzaluna was about to close, a petition to save it gathered more than 2,100 signatures, and the restaurant then said it would stay open. In May, Bozzi's daughter Gea wrote in an essay for Air Mail that the lease was nearing its end and that her father had extended it only for a couple more months, East Side Feed reported. Patch said a maître d' told it the petition bought regulars time, but that it was never going to last.

What made it a neighborhood institution

• The food: Bozzi imported pasta from Gragnano, near Naples, and olive oil from his family's estate in Tuscany when he opened, according to the Post. He told ABC7 that quality had always been the point.
• The room: terracotta floors, a wood-fired pizza oven and walls of framed Italian art, much of it unchanged since Bozzi opened, the Post reported. It serves wine but no hard liquor.
• The staff: general manager Roberto Manfe told the Post that some employees have worked there for more than 40 years.
• The regulars: Bozzi told ABC7 the restaurant now serves three generations of the same families.

Is there a next act?

Bozzi told the Post he and his daughter have talked about finding another space, ideally a corner spot with outdoor seating, but there are no imminent plans. No replacement tenant for 1295 Third Avenue has been announced.

The closing comes as the city's restaurant economy is under strain: the comptroller's office reported this week that accommodation and food services jobs in the city are down about 15,000 from a year ago. Read more on the jobs report.

Mezzaluna, 1295 Third Ave. (between 74th and 75th streets), Upper East Side, Manhattan. Last day: Sunday, Nov. 1.