NYC News

Lucky Charlie Opens in Bushwick With America’s Oldest Coal Oven
June 25, 2025, 12:23.48 am ET

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Photos: J Rodriguez

Bushwick is now home to a piece of pizza history. Lucky Charlie, the newest restaurant from award-winning chef Nino Coniglio (Williamsburg Pizza, Coniglio’s in Morristown, NJ), has opened at 254 Irving Avenue, featuring the oldest known coal oven in America, originally built in 1890. Inspired by New York’s 1920s-era pizzerias and Coniglio’s Sicilian heritage, Lucky Charlie serves coal-fired pizzas, seasonal baked pastas, seafood-forward antipasti, and classic Italian-American fare—all in a nostalgic, vintage-styled space.

Coniglio, a former apprentice to Di Fara legend Dom DeMarco and recipient of titles from the World Pizza Championship and International Pizza Expo, brings deep pizza lineage and innovation. His sourdough-based pies are 80% hydration with a 24-hour fermentation and biga starter, yielding a crust that’s thin, light, and flavorful. Signature pies include the Classic with DOP San Marzano tomatoes and pecorino; a White Pie with stracciatella, caciocavallo, and whipped ricotta; and a Red Pie topped with breadcrumbs, EVOO, and Sicilian oregano. Housemade toppings include sausage, meatballs, olives, and artichokes.

Beyond pizza, the menu includes oven-baked classics like Baked Anelletti with beef ragu and eggplant; a towering 20-Layer Lasagna Verde with housemade pasta and greens; and seafood standouts such as Shrimp Al Forno with pistachio gremolata and a Sicilian Seafood Salad. Large-format dishes range from Eggplant Parm to Steak Pizzaiola and Stigghiola—veal sweetbreads wrapped in scallions and charred, a nod to Sicilian street food.

Cocktails from Rob Hoffman (Pastis, Verboten, The Standard) spotlight Italian and Sicilian ingredients, with creations like the Calabrian Martini (olive oil–washed vodka and chili brine), Lupo di Mare (vodka, amara d’Arancia, Sicilian red grapefruit), and Spaghett Americano (Contratto Rosso, red bitter, and Miller High Life). The bar also features housemade sodas—including Fig (using figs from a tree in Lucky Charlie's backyard to make the syrup), Blood Orange, and Cherry—plus an all-Sicilian wine list with 8 by-the-glass options and 30 bottles.

Designed in-house, Lucky Charlie evokes vintage NYC charm with original exposed brick, red leather stools, and checkered stained glass lights. A 15-seat oak bar anchors the space, while a cozy 26-seat dining room offers deep green banquettes and family photos that connect to the restaurant’s namesake, Charlie Verde, who discovered the historic oven in 2002.

Lucky Charlie is open Wednesday through Sunday from 5 PM to 4 AM, with a limited menu offered after midnight. Walk-ins only for now; reservations coming soon.
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