Alba Pizza & Restaurant
137-65 Queens Boulevard, Briarwood

Phone: 291-1620

Cuisine: Italian

Hours: Open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; closes at midnight on Friday and Saturday

Parking: Street

Credit cards: All major cards accepted.

Dine like kings and queen7 at the Alba Pizza & Restaurant, where portions are big and prices are affordable. 

A family-run restaurant, the establishment is segmented to include an informal pizza shop in front and a cozy restaurant in the back of the 5,000 square foot space.  

Owner, Giacomo Virdone, who said he “loves people,” formerly owned a pizza parlor next door, and after 22 years in the business, decided to expand into a full restaurant.  Virdone greets, chats with, and knows his customers very well. 

According to Virdone, many of the restaurant’s customers include  prosecutors and other staff from the District Attorney’s Office, since the Queens courthouses are just a few blocks away.   

My warm and professional server, Virdone’s daughter Mary Grace (who offers a helping hand from time to time) brought out for starters the fresh garden salad ($3.50) with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and green olives.  It is highly recommended with a zesty, homemade salad dressing, and the fresh garlic bread — made on the premises — is out of this world.     

Try favorite dishes like the healthy Chicken Alba ($13.95), grilled chicken with artichoke, mushrooms, proscuitto, garlic, and white wine sauce.  The proscuitto adds just the right amount of saltiness to balance out the dish. The Angel Hair Sinatra ($10.95), pasta with clams and shrimp with a garlic cream and a touch of tomato sauce, is heavenly.  End the meal with a delightful cannoli ($2.50) that has an extra crispy outer shell and rich filling.     

Alba’s does hold private parties and Virdone said he has larger visions for the young business, including having regular entertainment and dance nights each week.  Be on the lookout for an additional eating  haven right next door, where Virdone’s old pizza shop once stood.  Virdone’s son, Sebastian, is opening up an Italian bakery and café — a place that, if anything like his dad’s, should not be missed.      

— Susan Lee