Pizzeria closings: Biga and Bufad face their final slices
Three celebrated local pizzerias have closed this month alone.
December has been a cruel month for fans of Neapolitan pizza in the Philadelphia region.
First, Capofitto in Old City closed two weeks ago with the collapse of the celebrated Capogiro gelato company.
Then came word that Bufad, among the earlier players in the Philly Neapolitan game at 13th and Spring Garden Streets, would close after business Saturday. It’s been around for six years, part of the restaurant collection that includes two Cafe Lifts, Prohibition Taproom, Kensington Quarters, and KQ Burger.
Owner Mike Pasquarello said the corner storefront ultimately was too small and the lease was coming up. “Rather than renew for five more years, I have decided to focus on the projects we have coming up in 2019.”
That includes the addition of dinner next month at Cafe Lift in Narberth and his planned Chinese-Mexican (Chinesca) hybrid bar-restaurant at 11th and Spring Garden Streets.
Also, the plug will be pulled after service next Saturday, Dec. 29, on Biga in Bryn Mawr, a bottle shop/pizzeria that picked up two Craig LaBan bells shortly after its 2016 opening.
“My partners and I have a different vision on where we were going,” operating partner Sean Weinberg said, acknowledging that this friction also led to the recent closing of Imbibe in West Conshohocken. “I also want to be back at Alba full time.” A sale is pending to another local restaurateur, who will keep the oven but not the pizza concept.