Sept. 1, 2020 By Christian Murray
A family-owned banquet hall that has served Queens residents for nearly 70 years has announced that it has closed permanently due to COVID-19.
Riccardo’s by the Bridge, founded in 1951 at 21-01 24th Ave. in Astoria, announced today that it is closing for good. Anthony Corbisiero, whose family owns the venue, announced the closure on its website.
The banquet hall, which has been with the Corbisiero family for four generations, is a casualty of the city’s restrictions on indoor dining and the uncertainty of what will be permitted in coming months.
The establishment was a popular wedding venue and where reunions and dinner dances were often held.
“You have honored us with hosting the most meaningful events of your lives: when love was in the air at your weddings; when tears flowed at the funeral repast of loved ones; when you got the gang together for a Reunion, or Holiday, or Dinner Dance, or Murder Mystery, or Carnevale, or Valentine’s Day or anything else that required fine food,” Corbisiero wrote.
Corbisiero added that anyone with an event booked or has a deposit on file will be refunded over the next 90 days.
“This decision has been extremely difficult to make, and is solely due to the various impacts of the COVID pandemic,” Corbisiero wrote.
“If it were up to us we would cater your special events forever. But after reviewing all options and weighing all known factors, there is simply no realistic path forward given all of the unknowns: when we might reopen and, even then, the anticipated City, State and Federal restrictions that will most definitely be placed on such a reopening.”
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Heart breaking. The FOP Lodge 997 hosted our luncheons there twice a year since the late nineties. Service always great. We will miss Alberto the best MD ever.