STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Over the weekend, the Dongan Hills Dough By Licastri announced it would no longer have pickup service from its flagship location, 1456 Richmond Road. Its owner said all takeout orders and delivery now will come from its sister restaurant in Eltingville at 3831 Richmond Ave.
Owner Vito Balsamo explained, “We discontinued pickup service at the Dongan Hills location. Basically, we streamlined the two operations. The Richmond Road spot has a small kitchen and we weren’t able to keep up with the dough production.”
As such, all orders for the Richmond Road address and the number 718-668-1600 have been directed to 3831 Richmond Ave., Eltingville.
Balsamo said that if people see a flurry of activity at the Richmond Road spot it’s because the shop is being used for inventory and prep work.
Eltingville proprietor Balsamo added, “The Richmond Road place was too small for production and managing the orders as we had them. But we still need the kitchen there.”
Where’s the Dough?
Dough By Licastri now has two locations on Staten Island — 3831 Richmond Ave. and 977 Victory Blvd., Silver Lake — each under different ownership.
Dough By Licastri's first day in Eltingville in 2022 with neighborhood fanfare. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri
Aside from management, there are some differences in the Dough By Licastri’s of the borough, although recipes are the same.
Balsamo’s restaurant in Eltingville has 22 seats and is BYOB. He calls his two-year old parlor an “upscale” pizzeria.
Separately, the North Shore Dough outpost came to Silver Lake at 977 Victory Boulevard in this past spring with a different vibe. It features a lounge area, wine list and more expansive seating with an outdoor section.
The late Stephen Licastri intently replicated his family's dough recipe with a secret ingredient of which he was very proprietary — a specific starter dough from his family's baker from the 1950s. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri) Staff-ShotStaff-Shot
Boutique pizza
Balsamo considers the Dough by Licastri brand to be a boutique-style of pizza. The recipe was developed by the restaurant’s namesake, the late Stephen Licastri who passed away at 63 in spring of 2019. With the Dongan Hills store established in 2017, Stephen left behind a legacy of specifics on ingredients and a distinct starter dough, a formula used for over a century.
Stephen’s grandfather, Philip Licastri, crafted dough in Little Italy, and would ride the Staten Island Ferry from Manhattan to peddle the product in the borough by horse and buggy. He eventually established Licastri Bakery in 1919 at 33 Olympia Blvd. in South Beach.
In 1956, Ciro’s Pizzeria opened at 1400 Hylan Blvd., Grasmere. That was opened by Stephen’s grandfather (his mother’s father) Joseph Fricano.
Stephen Licastri eventually crafted yeast, water and flour into a recipe over which he was very protective.
“Our hashtag says it and we maintain, ‘It’s all about the dough,’” said Balsamo.
He added, “We always strive for the excellence in dough Stephen laid the groundwork for. And that’s what we always intend to do going forward.”
The Eltingville location can be found by the Dongan Hills fans at 3831 Richmond Ave. The phone numbers to reach the Eltingville store are now 718-668-1600 and 646-560-0970.