New Astoria Italian Restaurant Has Wood-Fired Pizza With A Local Touch

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Astoria's bounty of pizza options got even more plentiful this week with the opening of Figlia, a new Italian restaurant serving up "neo-Neapolitan" pies and other hearty dishes.

The restaurant opened its doors Wednesday at 23-02 31st St., facing 23rd Avenue on a busy block also home to The Bonnie. Owner Riccardo Dardha is an Astorian himself, and is known for his Manhattan restaurant Bread & Tulips.

On the menu at Figlia are more than a half-dozen different pizzas baked in a custom-built, wood-fired oven, including Burrata and Pomodoro featuring heirloom cherry tomatoes and garlic confit; Mortadella, with pickled fresno peppers and pistachio; and Maitake Mushrooms, topped with mozzarella, pickled shallots and caciocavallo cheese.

Dardha describes his pizzas as a marriage between Neapolitan and New York City styles, mixing two types of King Arthur flour to make the dough and fermenting it for more than 48 hours, resulting in a flavorful, chewy product, according to the restaurant.

Another section of the menu focuses on house-made pasta, including pappardelle with leg of lamb and rigatoni bolognese with veal and pork ragu. Appetizers and salads include a salumi plate, meatballs and a little gem caesar.

To mark his first Astoria restaurant, Dardha has partnered with a number of local businesses to shape the menu and the interior: a grilled octopus appetizer is sourced from Astoria Seafood, and bathroom products including hand soaps, candles and diffusers were purchased at Earth & Me.

Goods from International Meat Market and Long Island City-based Murray's Cheese and Pain D'Avignon also make appearances.

Desserts include tiramisu and chocolate-hazelnut mousse cake, while drinks include classic cocktails and an extensive wine list.

The space itself, once home to a furniture store, seats 25 people, plus an eight-seat marble bar and 10 outdoor seats. The simple interior has white-tiled floors, wooden chairs and benches, and a large front window facing the street.

Figlia is now open at 23-01 31st St., serving dinner from Wednesday-Sunday. Learn more on its website or Instagram.