by Michael Zullo

Cafe La Cerra, opened this January by Chef Rino La Cerra originally from Salerno, Italy, where the beautiful Amalfi coast along the southern edge of the Sorrentine Peninsula lies.

After Chef Rino worked in the restaurant business in Italy for 11 years he moved to the U.S. and has been in the business for another 20 years. He opened his first restaurant and cafe in Staten Island, and Midtown 3rd Avenue at East 33rd Street. Now opening his cafe on East 50th Street and 1st Avenue, Chef Rino said: “I want to relax and try to do what I do best with food, all my brick oven thin crust pizzas are baked with fresh vegetables, herbs and real olives.

Cafe La Cerra’s Dominican and Arabic coffee are wonderfully rich and full flavorful where you can enjoy outdoors in table set ups which are in compliance with NYS requirements for street and sidewalk service. Some of the menu specialties also offered: chicken, pepperoni and spinach rolls; calzones; garlic bread with fresh garlic and basil; meatball parmigiana; eggplant, chicken, and sausage & pepper hero sandwiches. There are four different salads (Caesar; caprese with fresh mozzarella & basil; house and mesclun with goat cheese).

There’s also an attractive catering menu with hot trays and 20 different pizzas including gluten free margherita to order, listed on Cafe La Cerra’s website.

Cafe La Cerra offers Turtle Bay Members a 10% discount.

Location: 401 East 50th Street – Midtown
Phone: 646 344 1812 for delivery
Order Online at https://www.brickovenpizza33.com/
email: cafelaccerra@aol.com

Hours: Open 7 days a week.
Monday – Wednesday 11:00 am to 11:00 pm
Thursday 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
Friday – Sunday 11:00 am – 11:00 pm