A longtime corner pizza shop in Ozone Park has reopened as a halal Italian restaurant, replacing pork and alcohol with halal beef and alcohol-free cooking wine. The new owner, 29-year-old Sheik Ahsan Ali, began working at Aldo's in 2016 and purchased the restaurant from its previous operators last winter. The reopening continues the legacy of a neighborhood establishment that has served local families and late-night diners for decades.
Ali and his uncle, building owner Arshad Hussain, stepped in after brothers Anthony and Joe Livreri were evicted in December for unpaid rent, then rolled out a soft reopening last week, as reported by The New York Post. Ali told the Post he has kept founder Aldo Calore’s recipes in place, swapping pork for beef or chicken and using alcohol-free cooking wine so Muslim diners can order freely.
From mob haunt to halal counter
While the menu now leans halal, Aldo's history is still tangled up with Queens organized-crime lore. Over the years, the shop has been name-checked in coverage of reputed wiseguys and neighborhood crews. Federal press releases and court filings outline prosecutions tied to Queens operations, and local outlets have tracked the trials, acquittals and sentences that grabbed headlines, as per CBS New York.
What's on the menu now
Ali says the greatest hits are still there - pizza, lasagna, meatballs - but anything that once relied on pork now comes in halal-certified beef or chicken form, and sauces are cooked without alcohol. Delivery apps list Aldo's through Postmates at 137-01 Crossbay Blvd in Ozone Park, where the refreshed lineup appears to be drawing a steady lunch crowd.
Ali told the Post he believes Aldo's is the city's first fully halal Italian restaurant, and that early regulars say the new versions taste true to the originals. He estimates the Aldo’s name itself carries serious neighborhood clout, a brand he pegs at roughly $1 million.
Legal background
The new owners state that the restaurant’s past connections are over, though it remains located in a part of Queens long noted by investigators. The U.S. Attorney's Office has reported on racketeering and illegal gambling cases involving local crews, and local media, including QNS, have covered these cases and provided context on the wider background.
For longtime patrons, the corner retains the appearance and atmosphere of Aldo’s, including the same location, red-sauce dishes, and the neighborhood routine of grabbing a slice. Sheik Ahsan Ali has stated that the restaurant is intended to serve all customers, including the nearby Muslim and immigrant communities, with a menu that differs from the previous offerings familiar to longtime Ozone Park residents.
