Our Family

A Place Worth Protecting

Vinny and Melanie Russo have been coming to Paul & Jimmy's since 2003. They didn't discover it — they were drawn to it, the way people are drawn to places that feel like they were always meant to be part of their lives. Over the years they became regulars, then neighbors, then friends of the family that had run this dining room for generations.

So when the time came for that family to step back after more than six decades, the Russos didn't hesitate. Not because it was a business opportunity. Because this place meant something — to them, to the neighborhood, and to the thousands of people who had made it their own over 75 years. Someone had to make sure it survived. They decided that someone would be them.

What They Inherited — And What They Built

Paul & Jimmy's Ristorante first opened its doors in 1950, founded by a family who arrived from Molfetta, Italy with a dream and a commitment to feeding New York the way Italians feed each other — generously, proudly, and from the heart. What followed was more than six decades of tradition, loyalty, and the kind of quiet reputation that doesn't come from marketing. It comes from showing up, night after night, and getting it right.

That is the legacy Vinny and Melanie Russo stepped into — and the standard they hold themselves to every single day.

Their vision was never reinvention. It was restoration. A dining room lovingly redesigned by Melanie, honoring the warmth and character of the original space while bringing it fully and beautifully into a new era. A kitchen guided back to its Neapolitan roots — handmade pastas, timeless Italian-American classics, and the honest, soulful cooking that built this restaurant's reputation in the first place.

And at the helm of that kitchen, Executive Chef Greg Azzollini — whose family legacy is the very foundation this restaurant was built on — continues to lead with the same passion and craft he always has.

Still the Best Kept Secret in New York

Over the decades, Paul & Jimmy's has been a quiet favorite of some of the most recognizable names in the world. Governors. Mayors. Celebrities from every corner of the entertainment world. They come — and they keep coming back — not for spectacle, but for the absence of it. Because here, everyone is treated the same way. Like family. No fanfare. No fuss. Just a genuinely great meal and the rare feeling of being exactly where you're supposed to be.

That hasn't changed. Under the Russos, it never will.

75 Years and Counting.

Most restaurants never see their fifth anniversary. Seventy-five years is something else entirely — a testament to genuine warmth, honest food, and a neighborhood that has always known how to keep its treasures close.

Vinny and Melanie Russo didn't just inherit that legacy. They chose it — deliberately, passionately, and with every intention of carrying it forward for decades to come.

The goal is 100. They're just getting started.

Vinny & Melanie Russo, Owners Greg Azzollini, Executive Chef