Popular New Haven Pizzeria Damaged By Fire Plans Reopening: Report

NEW HAVEN, CT — The owners of a popular Wooster Street eatery said they plan to reopen after a two-alarm fire damaged their business a week ago, WTNH News-8 reported. Abate's Apizza & Seafood Restaurant opened more than three decades ago.

A fire broke out last Thursday. The New Haven Independent reported that according to Louis Abate, who has run the restaurant for 31 years, "the flue pipe to the oven overheated, and the oven caught fire." There were no reported injuries, and the damage to the interior was "extensive."

The blaze burned through the attic and proved difficult for firefighters to extinguish.

The Abates are attempting to find a temporary space to continue serving food to their customers. The restaurant has 28 employees.

Abate told WTNH News-8 that the fire was "total devastation." The only thing he's thinking right now is: “Where can I go? What can I do? How fast can I reopen?"

A GoFundMe was created for the restaurant by Harry Eisengrein, who hoped to "raise money for whatever the Abates might need help with during this trying time." Abate is described as generous.

"If you've had pizza in downtown New Haven, more than likely you've had pizza there. And if you had the pleasure of meeting the owner, then you know what kind of man runs this place. If you haven't met Louis Abate, let me give you just one example of this man's generosity," the GoFundMe reads. "Back in 2021 when the pandemic was in full swing, he was sending free pizzas to the local hospital, even though his own business was taking a hit. The man has a big heart, and it shows."

The GoFundMe goal is $10,000, and since it was created Saturday, has to date raised more than $5,500.

To donate, go to the GoFundMe page.

See related: GoFundMe Created For Abate's Apizza Owner After Fire Shuttered Eatery