Il Sorrento

The new Italian restaurant, on Central Avenue, plans to wow customers with its pedigree and attentive service.

Central Avenue’s newest eatery So far, says co-owner Nick Hoti, the community has welcomed his restaurant.

Mariachi Loco fans mourned when it shuttered its location on Central Avenue. Located just to the south of 24 Hour Fitness, it was a popular destination for undoing one’s good work at the gym. But a new eatery has now taken its place: Il Sorrento, offering Italian fare.

“We got the idea to open here because we like Westchester,” said co-owner Nick Hoti, who has a long relationship with his partner, Frank DiCola. “Frank is the previous owner of Patsy’s on west fifty-sixth street,” Hoti said. “That’s not the Patsy’s Pizza you may be thinking of, but the famous restaurant that was Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin’s favorite. Frank’s family still operates it.”

After 50 years of operating Patsy’s, DiCola retired. But it wasn’t long before he decided to get into the business again, this time in our area. He immediately teamed up with Hoti, who had worked as a waiter at Patsy’s. “We’ve had lots of community support since we opened Il Sorrento,” Hoti said. (The restaurant’s soft opening was November 29th.)

So far, he shares, the most popular dishes have been their spaghetti and meatballs, stewed trip Napolitana, and the ever-popular standard, linguine with white clam sauce. “One is better than the other,” Hoti proudly said. As for the sleek interior, “My sister’s construction company, Tetro Design, did all the construction. Basically, my sister designed the restaurant from the first nail to the knives and forks.”

Hoti’s hope is for Il Sorrento to have a long and bright future. “ It’s very simple. Make the customer happy,” he said. “Give him what he wants to eat and drink, and make him happy. That’s our goal.”