TOP 10: Como owners sell iconic Pine Avenue restaurant
Dec. 28—To say it was the end of an era felt like an understatement — after 96 years of being one of the most recognizable and beloved family-owned and operated Italian restaurants in Niagara Falls, the iconic Como Restaurant on Pine Avenue underwent a change in management and ownership this year.
The owners first listed the building for sale in 2020 with an asking price of $2.1 million. An auction attempt resulted in no bids meeting the minimum reserve threshold and sale terms. In April, the owners put the property back on the real estate market, this time with an asking price of $1.1 million.
By mid-October, news of the sale was made official.
Co-owner Dominic Colucci said at the time that specific terms of the tentative sales agreement could not be disclosed. The sale, though, did include the main restaurant and deli building at 2220 Pine Ave. in the Falls as well as all of the restaurant equipment, the family's recipes and even the Como name.
"The name goes with it. That's the plan," Colucci said.
The family-owned Pine Avenue restaurant opened as the Como eatery in 1927. As the restaurant's website says, it became a "go-to spot" in the Falls "where locals and travelers meet to share family dinners, have a drink and enjoy a hearty Italian meal."
Over the years, it also became a popular spot to visit for celebrities, with the list of well-known guests including the likes of famed Falls mafia boss Stefano Magaddino, New York Yankees great Yogi Berra and A-list movie stars and musical artists such as Liberace, Chuck Norris, John Travolta Bette Midler, Wayne Newton, Tony Bennett and even the "Chairman of the Board" himself, Frank Sinatra.
Colucci described the decision to sell as "difficult," saying it impacted not just his own family but all of the staff and their families and the many friends and families who visited the Como to eat dinner or rented space in the restaurant's banquet room for weddings, baptisms, parties and funeral services.
He said a combination of factors led to the decision, with the advancing age of the now-third-generation ownership. Without a next generation to keep the business operating in-house, Colucci said it was simply time to move on.
"Right now, there's nobody after us to take over so that was part of making that decision also," he said. "How far do we go?"
Former Niagara Falls City Councilman John Accardo, commenting on a Facebook post about the Como's closure, summed up what many others had to say in a few short words: "Sad day for NF."
