Lombardi’s Pizzeria, located in the Little Italy section of Manhattan, has long held the claim that they were the first pizzeria in America. But new research suggests that not only were they not the first pizzeria in the city, but that it is more than likely that Gennaro Lombardi purchased his pizzeria from a previous pizza maker. If true, this new information completely upends the idea that Lombardi was a pioneer for the industry. Instead, he more than likely was following in someone else’s footsteps. Besides Lombardi’s pizza not being the first, there is also evidence to suggest that Lombardi only became owner of the pizzeria in 1908, not 1905 as they like to claim.

Historical records show that another pizzeria, Pizzeria E Forno, was documented by a surveyor in the 1894 issue of the Trow Business Directory. This directory was used to maintain records of businesses’ locations and their owners, but not the name. However, it is believed that the surveyor misidentified the “Forno E Pizzeria” name on the business as the name of the actual owner itself. Due to this, we now have evidence today that suggests that Lombardi’s claim is incorrect.

Even without this information, the discovery of advertisements for the Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba in an Italian newspaper in 1903 shows that not only was there a pizzeria in New York City before 1905, it was actively advertising itself to the Italian immigrant community. This pizzeria was owned by Filippo Milone, the same owner who owned 53 Spring Street before Lombardi even arrived in the country. While listed as a baker, it is safe to infer that Filippo Milone was the pioneer of pizza within New York City, not Lombardi.