In the News

Greater Binghamton Chamber Business of the Week 2/2/2015: Michelangelo's Pizzeria and Ristorante

A Little About Us

        The origins of Michelangelo's Pizzeria & Ristorante date back to 1985 when Angelo Belnome opened up Villa Pizza in the Oakdale Mall.  In 1986 Michael Hadlick joined as pizza maker and manager.  Villa Pizza soon became one of the busiest pizzerias in the area.  For those of you who remember, Villa was always crowded with frequent lines out the door.  In 1997 Angelo sold Villa to pursue other ventures.  He managed an Italian restaurant in Florida for two years and co-owned Mirella's Italian Restaurant in Johnson City until 2003.

         Over the years Michael and Angelo had talked about opening their own place together.  In late 2004 the time was right.  They started looking for their own place and found the perfect spot at 465 Court Street.    On June 5th, 2005 they opened Michelangelo's Pizzeria and Ristorante & became THE place for authentic Italian food and New York style pizza in the Great Binghamton Area.  They were becoming so popular that consequently, they began to outgrow their space.  In late June of 2006, mother nature intervened on their behalf.  The Susquehanna River rose to historic levels and the restaurant was inundated with five and half feet of water, forcing them to close. They took the opportunity to secure the adjacent space, which doubled the dining room and allowed for the addition of a full-service bar.  On October 16th, 2006 they re-opened bigger and better. 

           No one thought flood waters would come again, but five years later on September 7th, 2011 flood waters did indeed come again.  The combined effects of hurricane Irene and tropical storm Lee forced the Susquehanna River over its banks once again.  Over five feet of water swept the restaurant.  While another flood was hard to take, Mike and Angelo knew that others in the area had gotten hit worse and after all, they had already been through it once before.  They knew what to do.  

They got to work re-building their Italian restaurant, this time with a heightened focus on adding to and improving Michelangelo's.  Some of the added features- granite countertops in the restaurant, a new bar with a granite bar top, new windows in the front of the building, and bathroom improvements with tiled walls and additional lighting.  Three months later on December 5th, 2011, Michelangelo's Pizzeria & Ristorante re-opened once more. 

Mike and Angelo would like to thank a variety of vendors, contractors, friends, family and financial institutions for making our remodels go as smoothly as they did.  A special thanks to the loyal customers who have stuck by us.  Without our customers none of this would be worthwhile or possible.