"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."
"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."
"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,"
Aldo's, a longtime corner pizza shop in Ozone Park, reopened as a halal Italian restaurant under new owner 29-year-old Sheik Ahsan Ali. Ali purchased the restaurant last winter after brothers Anthony and Joe Livreri were evicted for unpaid rent and conducted a soft reopening. Traditional recipes by founder Aldo Calore remain, but pork has been replaced with halal-certified beef or chicken and sauces use alcohol-free cooking wine. The menu still features pizza, lasagna and meatballs and is available on delivery apps. The restaurant has a history tied to Queens organized-crime coverage, and Ali estimates the name's neighborhood brand value near $1 million.
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