L&B Spumoni Gardens

EricS.

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This block-long Brooklyn institution has been serving up spumoni and iconic square slices for more than 70 years.

Ludivico Barbati learned from a local baker how to make spumoni and Italian ices in a garage in 1938. At first, Barbati, who had emigrated from Italy in 1917, sold his products in a horse-driven wagon up and down the streets of the neighborhood, but by 1939 he had purchased a building to house the growing operation, called L&B Spumoni Gardens (spumonigardens.com).

In the ’50s, Barbati commissioned a second building, which became the pizzeria, where Sicilian and round pies were peddled to great success—eventually requiring a third building—thanks to a unique recipe. “Now, our establishment is a block long,” says Toni Corey, granddaughter of Barbati and one of the current owners in the still-family-run business. “As far as Sicilian goes, our pizza is different than anything you’ve had before, with a crunchy bottom, a chewy, airy center, and sweet sauce. You can’t have just one slice!”

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Throughout the years, L&B has grown to epic proportions without advertisement—except the free kind. The pizzeria has been featured in countless articles and on the TV show Man v. Food, while the Internet spreads word of the delectable square slices worldwide (Corey frequently fields emails from customers as far away as London and Japan). Of course, the family had to struggle through 9/11, a rough economy in recent years and a changing neighborhood, but the company has persevered thanks to a rabid fan base. “A lot of places had a hard time, but we made it through,” Corey says. “Luckily, pizza is still affordable, and we held our own. If you grew up in this area, you always come back to L&B.”

Corey’s father, the second generation of the business, passed away several years ago, but she remembers that he was exceedingly proud of how far the business had come. For her part, Corey wants to continue the family’s success through long-established values: treating the customer right, charging fairly and remaining professional. “We stand out because we’re different, and people keep coming back. Our pizza hasn’t changed since the 1950s; we give customers what they want,” she explains. “It’s something to be very proud of. Just give us another 80 years!” —Tracy Morin

spumonigardens.com

3 Comments

  1. April 16, 2019 at 7:20 am

    […] L&B Spumoni Gardens is a member of PMQ’s Pizza Hall of Fame. Read about its history here. […]

  2. November 19, 2019 at 6:47 pm

    […] the grandson of Ludovico Barbati who founded L&B’s in 1939,  featured in the Pizza Hall of Fame, the late co-owner was a proud torchbearer to the pizza legacy as the co-owner of L&B Spumoni […]

  3. December 13, 2019 at 6:31 pm

    […] in their home to call 911. Gonzalez also mentioned footage of Fernandez in his white Acura going by L&B Spumoni Gardens, Barbati’s pizzeria, before his vehicle was seen on footage outside of Barbati’s home […]

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