For more than a century, Ferdinando’s Focacceria was part of the fabric of Union Street. Opened in 1904 to serve the longshoremen working Brooklyn’s waterfront, the Sicilian restaurant became a Carroll Gardens institution, known for its panelle, rice balls, and generations of loyal regulars.

When longtime owner Francesco “Frank” Buffa closed the restaurant in 2025, he chose Sal Lamboglia, the Brooklyn-born chef behind neighboring Cafe Spaghetti, to carry it forward. Reopened as Bar Ferdinando, the space keeps its Sicilian roots and familiar recipes while welcoming a new chapter of coffee, cocktails, and neighborhood life. Lamboglia’s investment gave a beloved address a future, keeping more than a century of Brooklyn history in the hands of someone who understood what it meant to lose it.