Umbertos Clam House is an Italian seafood restaurant located at 132 Mulberry Street in Little Italy in Manhattan, New York, United States. Umbertos became known for its "tasty dishes of calamari, scungilli, and mussels", but initially became prominent, weeks after opening, for being the site of "one of the more sensational Mafia murders in New York City in recent history". The restaurant was founded and is owned by members of the Ianniello family.
History
In 1972, the establishment's founder, Umberto Ianniello, opened the restaurant at 129 Mulberry Street. The restaurant was both the hangout of Umberto's son, reputed Mafia leader Matthew Ianniello and secretly owned by Matthew. Two months after opening on April 7, 1972, New York gangster Joe Gallo was shot and killed at the restaurant. His party of family and friends had stopped for an early morning snack after celebrating his 43rd birthday at the Copacabana. A rival gangster spotted him and sent in hitmen shortly after Gallo was seated at a butcher block table in a back corner. After sustaining five shots, Gallo stumbled out into the street and died. Matthew was at the cash register that night but fled to the kitchen and missed the entire attack; he later claimed no prior knowledge of the attack and was not charged in relation to it. As The Nevada Daily Mail reported: "the proprietor dove into the kitchen and lay on the tile floor with his hands over his eyes as soon as Sonny Pinto and two out-of-town torpedoes known only as Cisco and Benny came in the side door blasting. The next thing he knew, Pete "The Greek" Diopoulis, a Gallo bodyguard, was pushing a gun in his face and pulling the trigger but only clicks came out because it had been emptied trying to save Joey." In 1986, Judge Weinfeld sentenced Matthew Ianniello to six years in prison on a racketeering charge that involved skimming over $2 million from bars and restaurants, secretly owned by Matthew; his business partner Benjamin Cohen of North Hills, Long Island; and seven associates. Between 1986 and 1994, the Federal Government oversaw the restaurant's financial operations and daily operations, after trial evidence led them to believe that income was being skimmed. In 1994, with the restaurant suffering increasing losses, the establishment's control was turned over to the current owner, Matthew's younger brother, Robert Ianniello, who is listed as the restaurant's principal owner. In November 1996, the restaurant was closed due to lack of funds and the building was sold. Umbertos reopened in May 2000, at 178 Mulberry Street, two blocks north of the original location. In 2010, Umbertos moved to its current location, just a few spots north of the original site. Today, the Ristorante Da Gennaro occupies the original location of Umbertos Clam House.
In popular culture
The Mafiahit and its locale were recalled in media coverage of the death of the actor Jerry Orbach, who became friends with "Crazy Joe" Gallo after playing a character who was modeled on him in the movie, The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight, based on a novel by Jimmy Breslin. In Bob Dylan's 1976 song "Joey", Umbertos Clam House is briefly referred to as "a clam bar in New York". In the 1984 filmGhostbusters, Umbertos is seen during a montage of the Ghostbusters busting ghosts throughout Manhattan. Umbertos is mentioned in season 1 of The Sopranos by Tony's next door neighbor, who is trying to seem authentically Italian. As of January 2005, the Zagat Survey restaurant guide notes: "patrons of Umbertos are often tourists 'who expect the Sopranos cast to arrive.'" Umbertos was featured in Martin Scorsese's film The Irishman, where Gallo's hit was dramatized. Umbertos is mentioned in Grace Under Fire season 4 episode 10 "Fire Music"
