Fabled celeb-magnet restaurant Nello, which closed last year after 25 colorful years on uptown Madison Avenue, is coming back in a new Midtown location, The Post has learned.
Real estate mogul and former hot dog franchise king Thomas Makkos signed the lease at 62 W. 55th St., which is part of SL Green’s recently modernized 1350 Sixth Ave. office tower. The location was most recently home to Bice Cafe.
Although Nello Balan’s first name adorned the original Italian restaurant until its final days, it was actually run by Makkos after the partners split up in 2015.
The new Nello will have 2,300 square feet on the ground floor, 1,500 square feet below ground, and a large sidewalk patio.
The block between Fifth and Sixth avenues is also home to Alain Ducasse’s Benoit Bistro and media-favorite Michael’s.
“Nello is an institution and it needed a prime location that reflects its reputation,” said Meridian Retail Leasing president James Famularo, whose firm brokered the deal.
Makkos hopes to lure back Nello’s many boldface regulars such as J.Lo, Uma Thurman, Harrison Ford, Pierce Brosnan and Jennifer Aniston.
One A-lister unlikely to return anytime soon is President Trump, who as a frequent customer reportedly courted Melania there.
“If you ever wanted a plate of pasta that cost $275, with a side of Beyoncé and Jay Z, then you went to Nello,” Page Six wrote when Balan died in 2023.
It wasn’t known whether Romanian-born Balan’s pricey dishes, such as a $55 asparagus plate, would be part of the new menu.
The old place was often besieged by papparazi eager for shots of celebrities coming and going. It even had a flair for showmanship during the 2020 COVID lockdowns. Its liquor license was briefly suspended after it was accused, as many other restaurants were at the time, of serving a few customers indoors against state rules.
To improve its image, Makkos installed a dozen giant red teddy bears wearing masks on its outdoor seats. The jumbo plush toys were so popular, they remained in the seats without masks long after the threat abated.
Famularo was mum on rent at the new Nello, but sources said it was in the $250-$300 per square-foot range.
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