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City Living: Ozone Park, Queens

By Kristen V. Brown | Special to amNewYork

October 11, 2007

In 1880, when Benjamin W. Hitchcock and Charles C. Denton first began slicing up Ozone Park, they chose the community's name to remind potential buyers of the salty breezes blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean.

Ozone Park today enjoys a rich history --it's been home to Cindy Lauper and Jack Kerouac. In the past, Ozone Park was seen as a center for mafia activity the Gambino, and Lucchese crime families both ran operations out of Ozone Park. Longtime resident John Gotti even used to throw huge block parties for the residents of 101st Avenue every Fourth of July.

Today, Italians remain the largest ethnic group in the area, but that population has drastically shrunk to make way for immigrants from Trinidad, Guyana, and South Asia. These immigrants have diversified the area greatly --Liberty Avenue is now also lined with Guyanese, Chinese, Middle Eastern and Italian shops.

While some locals say Ozone Park is gentrifying --houses are being torn down frequently to make way for bigger buildings --many residents also think the neighborhood has been in decline in recent years. "I don't really hang out here, I go to Forest Hills. The neighborhood has changed in a lot of bad ways," says Trudy Demuth, an employee at the Oxford Park Bake Shop. And her co-worker agrees. "They're getting rid of everything," said Pamela Hopan. "The movie theaters, shopping. There's really not much to do."

But Jerry Salerno, restaurateur and long-time Ozone Park resident, thinks Ozone Park is improving all the time. "Everybody knows everybody, it's a tight-knit community," he says.

Find It: Ozone Park is bounded by Atlantic Avenue to the north, South Conduit Avenue to the south, the Brooklyn border to the west and 108th Street to the east.

To Eat

Ozone Park is known for its authentic Italian cuisine, but recent waves of immigrants have diversified the fare. Liberty Avenue is lined with restaurants representing every corner of the globe --there is cheap Chinese, Guyanese, Trinidadian roti shops, BBQ, and Indian in addition to the neighborhood's Italian staples.

Romeo's Pizza and Pasta
The colorful flower boxes outside are owner Jerry Salerno's gift to the neighborhood. "People walk by and smell the flowers and compliment me," he says, "I like to brighten people's days." Serving up pizza, heroes, pasta and seafood dishes, Romeo's is one of the more popular Italian joints in Ozone Park. Diners can grab a quick slice at the cafe tables in front or dine in the elaborately decorated dining room in back.
103-20 Liberty Ave. 718-835-9626

Don Peppe
A truly old-school Italian restaurant, Don Peppe has been famous for serving fine Italian food since 1961. The decor is simple, though --they're known for the food, not the ambience. The baked clams, stuffed artichoke and Veal Don Peppe are all popular classic menu items.
35-58 Lefferts Blvd. 718-845-7587

Esquire Diner
Every neighborhood has its staple diner, and this is Ozone Park's. Locals snack on diner classics like burgers or malt-waffles and milk shakes on the cheap into the wee hours of the morning at this 24-hour restaurant.
10545 Cross Bay Blvd. 718-845-7600

El Viejo Yayo
This bustling restaurant serves up mainly Dominican cuisine in addition to a few other international specialties. The restaurant is named after its specialty --Yayo -- a large beefsteak with onions and peppers. But they're well-known for the Dominican specialty Camarofungo - plantains mashed and topped with shrimp in a tomato sauce.
9712 101st Ave 718-322-3920