How the Lusardi Brothers Built an Italian Restaurant Empire in NYC

Mauro Lusardi jokes about writing a book titled “Fifty Years Behind Bars” - a witty nod to his decades in the restaurant business alongside his brother Luigi.

The two co-founders of the Lusardi restaurant empire have spent nearly half a century crafting a culinary legacy that spans generations. It all started with a leap of faith from Parma, Italy to Manhattan.

When they arrived in New York in 1971, Mauro and Luigi began as busboys and dishwashers, gradually working their way up to waiters before taking the plunge into ownership. Today, the brothers preside over an astonishing culinary empire: five family-owned restaurants on one side of Second Avenue between 77th and 78th streets. 

The Lusardis’ culinary lineup includes Lusardi's, Uva, Uva Next Door, Key and Heels, and the recently opened Nightly’s. Together, these establishments form a tight-knit network of venues that cater to a variety of moods and occasions. Their story reads both like a fairytale and a masterclass in how to thrive in the unforgiving world of New York City dining.

When the Lusardi brothers opened their flagship restaurant, Lusardi’s, in 1982, the Upper East Side was a far cry from the foodie destination it is today. Describing the pendulum of change, Mauro recalls, “The neighborhood evolved from a German-Hungarian enclave to what felt closer to Harlem and then to Midtown.”

The Second Avenue subway has since brought fresh energy and development to the neighborhood. Bloomberg recently crowned the Upper East Side as New York City’s hottest restaurant neighborhood and even included the neighborhood in its “Best Places To Travel to in 2025” list. 

Once considered remote and quiet, the Upper East Side now exudes a vibe so trendy it’s earned the nickname “the downtown of uptown.”

The Lusardi family’s ability to sustain five distinct restaurants on one single block is remarkable in an industry notorious for its challenges - 80% of restaurants in the city fail within five years. How do they avoid cannibalizing (perhaps a verboten verb in the food industry) their own success? Mauro’s son, Massimo, explains, “Our restaurants compliment each other like outfits in a wardrobe.”

Each venue caters to a different experience. “Sometimes you want different experiences on the same night, like a pre-dinner drink, dinner, or a post-dinner nightcap. Sometimes people simply behave differently on different nights,” Massimo says. Whether it’s date night, a significant anniversary, a girls’ night, or just an I-don’t-want-to-cook-but-am-hungry night, the Lusardis have you covered.

Building a multi-generational restaurant empire did not come without sacrifice. Early mornings at the food market and late nights closing were the norm. “We collected our tired family from relatives at 2 or 3 am and carried our sleeping babies into bed,” Mauro recalls.

Today, those same kids - Massimo and Luigi’s daughter Patricia - continue the family tradition. The next generation, along with Massimo’s wife Jayne Moore, are driving innovation with fresh concepts like their speakeasy, Key and Heels, and wine bar, Uva, which caters to the neighborhood's evolving demographics. 

When Mauro and Luigi opened Lusardi’s, they sought to break away from the stereotypical Italian-American fare of the 1960s and ‘70s, with its red-checkered tablecloths, straw-covered wine bottles, and dishes with ample red sauce (oh so Billy Joel). “There were exciting new products, like truffles and bufala mozzarella, just arriving in the States,” Luigi explained. 

The spirit of innovation endures. “It’s happening all over again,” Luigi notes proudly. “I’ve seen it, done it, and now my son is doing it with Uva and Uva Next Door.”

The Lusardis’ success story is a quintessential New York saga - an immigrant dream realized through grit, determination, and a love for food. As Massimo puts it, their journey was “a slow roast, aged like fine wine.” And, after 50 years in business, Luigi still says, “I can’t wait to get to my restaurant every morning.”

With their continued passion and creativity, the Lusardis have proven that success is not just about surviving the city’s cutthroat restaurant scene - it’s about thriving together as a family.